Ice Hockey News

By: Bob Orkwis

Fourth-seeded Pine-Richland used some timely goals and a pair of special teams tallies to defeat fifth-seeded North Allegheny 6-3 in the PIHL Quarterfinals at the Baierl Ice Complex in
Warrendale.

Things got off to a good start for the Tigers, as Liam Dimond netted his second goal of the season less than four minutes into the game. Joey Mitchell and Nicholas Pasquale assisted for
a 1-0 North Allegheny lead.

Pine-Richland would score the next five unanswered goals.

Carson Verszyla scored a power play goal on a rebound, and when Doug Van Meter snuck a shot home at 10:21, the Rams had two goals in 53 seconds and a 2-1 lead. Pine-Richland scored a big goal late in the first period, when Noah Taggart found the net with six seconds remaining and a 3-1 lead.

Verszyla and Van Meter teamed up to set up Cullen Campbell for the only goal of the second period, a shorthanded tally, to give Pine-Richland a 4-1 lead after two periods.

Campbell struck again, getting his second goal of the game early in the third period for a 5-1 Rams lead. But the Tigers showed heart in scoring the next two goals to make it 5-3. Kyle Imm punched home a rebound for his 12 th goal of the year, assisted by Mitchell and Pasquale at 8:26. Just over two minutes later, Mitchell scored his team-leading 14th goal off a Cian Gallagher assist to get North Allegheny within a pair of goals with just under seven minutes to play.

Campbell completed his hat trick with an empty net goal in the last minute of play to make the final score 6-3. Campbell now leads 3A with 23 goals this season.

William Hanner made 40 saves in net to pick up the win for the Rams. Chris Costa stopped 22 shots in goal for the Tigers.

The seven North Allegheny seniors were celebrated after their final game, as they were chosen as the Wright Automotive Players of the Game. Congratulations to birthday boy Eddie Scherer, Mitchell, Adam Bradley, Dimond, Alex Costa, Kyle Imm and Drew Pompa as they completed their careers for the North Allegheny icers.

The loss ends North Allegheny’s season at (9-7-1-2-2) and marks the first time outside of the COVID year since 2014 that the Tigers did not make it to the semifinals.

Pine-Richland (9-5-2-3-2) has now won four of its last five games, and the Rams will battle top-seeded Seneca Valley on Monday, March 9 th, in the 3A semifinals at the RMU Island Sports Center.

ICE HOCKEY SUMMARY VS. PINE-RICHLAND, 3-3-26

SCORE BY PERIODS	1st	2nd	3rd	Final
North Allegheny	1	0	2	3
Pine-Richland	3	1	2	6