Ice Hockey News

Team Pittsburgh took home first place at the USA Hockey America’s Showcase in St. Louis on Monday night and two North Allegheny Tigers were members of the championship team. Senior defenseman Tyler Duderstadt and senior goalie Richie Karapandi were both participants on Team Pittsburgh, who defeated Team Texas by a 9-2 decision on Monday.

It’s the second straight year that Team Pittsburgh has claimed the first-place prize. Last season, Duderstadt and Vincenzo Mazur were part of the championship team.

For more information on the USA Hockey America’s Showcase event, click here.

Just weeks after winning a Class AAA Penguins Cup championship, the accolades continue to roll in for members of the North Allegheny ice hockey team.

With a fabulous performance during the 2018-2019 season, and the playoffs, senior goalie Richie Karapandi has been named the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Stellar Six Player of the Year. The Stellar Six is comprised of the top six players in the PIHL, regardless of classification.

With the assistance of NA’s stellar defense, Karapandi led Class AAA with both a 1.67 GAA and a .936 save percentage. His signature performance came in the Penguins Cup semifinals, making 53 saves in a 2-1 double overtime win over Bethel Park. Karapandi followed that up with a shutout of Peters Township in the Penguins Cup final. Karapandi was also recently selected as the Class AAA Goalie of the Year by the Trib Live High School Sports Network.

Additional recognition from Trib HSSN was doled out to North Allegheny head coach Mike Bagnato, who was named the Class AAA Coach of the Year. Senior forward Aaron Miller and senior defenseman Tyler Duderstadt were second-team honorees. Honorable mention laurels went to senior defenseman Justin Symons.

Congratulations to the entire North Allegheny ice hockey team for a championship 2018-2019 season.

After a thrilling 3-0 victory over Peters Township in the Class AAA Penguins Cup final on Tuesday night, the North Allegheny ice hockey team turns its attention to a state title this afternoon. The Tigers will face off against the Flyers Cup champion LaSalle College High School Explorers in the Pennsylvania Cup Championship Game at 4:00 p.m. at the RMU Island Sports Center. The game will be broadcast live via the internet by the North Allegheny Sports Network and can be found by clicking here.

North Allegheny is appearing in the Pennsylvania Cup for the first time since 2013. During the 2013 drive to glory, the Tigers defeated Peters Township in the Penguins Cup final, 2-0, and defeated LaSalle College in the state championship, 6-2. Joe Griffin, who went on to play at the University of Pittsburgh, navigated through the Explorers for four goals in the title tilt six years ago, including a natural hat trick in the second period. Goalie Bradford Thornburgh made 35 saves to earn the win.

Taking a similar path this season, the 2018-2019 Tigers also blanked Peters Township in the Penguins Cup final and will again meet LaSalle College in the Pennsylvania Cup championship. North Allegheny is vying for its third state crown, with the previous championships coming in 2007 and 2013.  (For highlights of NA’s win on Tuesday night over Peters, see video below.)

LaSalle College is hoping to become Pennsylvania Cup champions for the sixth time in program history. The Explorers have discovered state titles in 1998, 2008, 2009, 2012 and 2016.

Under the guidance of 21^st-year head coach Walter Muhlbronner, who also serves as the assistant director of admissions at the catholic school, the Explorers have won eight Flyers Cups and four state championships. LaSalle finished 8-0 in the Atlantic Prep Athletic Conference and then went on to beat Holy Ghost Prep, 5-4, and St. Joseph’s Prep, 5-2, in the Flyers Cup playoffs. On the brink of elimination in the semifinals, LaSalle rallied for two goals in the final minute of the third period, within an 11-second span, for a miraculous win over Holy Ghost Prep.

The Explorers boast an explosive offense led by Daniel Sambuco, who led the APAC in goals with 15. Sophomore Sam Lipkin paced the APAC in assists (21) and points (34). Goalie Aiden McCabe has been the starting net minder and made 20 saves in the Flyers Cup win at the Wells Fargo Arena.

The opening faceoff between North Allegheny and LaSalle is slated for 4:00 p.m. at the RMU Island Sports Center.  Come out and support the Tigers!

The North Allegheny ice hockey team has its sights set on a third Penguins Cup title as the Tigers face off against the Peters Township Indians tonight in the Class AAA PIHL Championship Game. It’s the fourth consecutive playoff meeting between the two schools, with the previous three contests occurring in the semifinal round.

The last time NA faced Peters Township with a Penguins Cup championship on the line, the Tigers earned a 2-0 victory in the 2013 title tilt. Joe Griffin scored two third-period goals, including one short-handed, and goalie Bradford Thornburgh made 20 saves to secure the shutout and the Tigers’ second PIHL crown.

Peters Township is appearing in the Championship Game for the third consecutive season and is hoping to win its seventh Penguins Cup crown. The Indians have reached the title tilt by blanking Canon-McMillan 3-0 in the quarterfinals and earning a 3-2 double overtime victory over Mt. Lebanon.

North Allegheny has collected playoff wins over Seneca Valley and Bethel Park. The Tigers edged the Raiders by a 3-2 decision and outlasted the Black Hawks for a 2-1 win in double overtime in the semifinals. Senior Aaron Miller, a two-time all-star who led the Tigers with 12 goals in the regular season, netted two goals in the win over Seneca Valley. Against Bethel Park, junior Will Parreaguirre scored the game-winner and senior goalie Richie Karapandi made 53 saves.

The Tigers boast the best scoring defense in Class AAA, yielding a paltry 32 goals in the regular season. The Indians possess the highest-scoring offense in the classification with a league-high 81 goals in the regular season. All-star forwards Ryan Luppe and Torrey Schwartz were tied for fourth in Class AAA in scoring with 25 points, while senior Jeremy Anthos led the classification with 19 assists. Peters is paced in net by junior Alex Wilbert who owns a 2.32 GAA.

North Allegheny and Peters Township split in their regular season meetings. The Tigers won at Peters Township on Oct. 13 by a 5-3 decision. The Indians returned the favor by winning at North Allegheny on Jan. 7, 3-1.

Tonight’s PIHL Championship game will be held at the UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex in Cranberry with the opening faceoff slated for 8:30 p.m. You can listen to tonight’s game with live coverage courtesy of the North Allegheny Sports Network by clicking here.

The PIHL Class AAA all-star game is slated for January 27 at the RMU Island Sports Center and North Allegheny will have six representatives at this year’s all-star event.

Seniors Aaron Miller and Dylan Watkins, and junior Tyler Lamark have been selected at the forward position. Miller is the Tigers team leader in goals and points with eight and 14, respectively. Watkins is second on the squad with seven goals and Lamark has a team-best nine assists.

On defense, seniors Justin Symons and Tyler Duderstadt received all-star recognition, along with senior goalie Richard Karapandi. Karapandi leads Class AAA with a 1.70 GAA and has posted two shutouts this season. Thanks in part to the efforts of Symons, Duderstadt and Karapandi, the Tigers have yielded just 24 goals this season, the fewest in the classification.

The Class AAA all-star game is tabbed for 6:00 p.m. on January 27. For more information on the event and the entire list of all-star participants, click here.