Ice Hockey Game Summaries

By: Jared Barton

The third-seeded North Allegheny ice hockey team reached its 11th straight semifinal but could not get past the #7 seed South Fayette after a 4-2 loss at the RMU Island Sports Complex in the Penguins Cup Playoffs Monday night. NA won both regular season meetings against South Fayette but could not complete the season sweep.

The Lions opened the scoring in the first period on a Mason Imler even-strength marker, assisted by Nathaniel Keller and Dannol Hudson.

Early in the second period, South Fayette took a 2-0 lead courtesy of Trevor Dalessandro on the power play, assisted by Robert Chiappetta and Eli Peter. North Allegheny cut the lead in half on an even-strength goal scored by sophomore Anthony Lucas less than four minutes into the frame.

The Lions closed out the contest with two more goals by Chiappetta and Dalessandro in the third frame. The Tigers added a short-handed marker late in the period courtesy of a shot from junior Ed Scherer, assisted by sophomore Cedric Otey.

Senior goalie Cam Junker made 21 saves in the contest, while Jackson Ankrum stopped 30 pucks.

Scherer earned Wright Automotive Player of the Game Laurels for his efforts on the ice.

The win propels the Lions to the AAA Penguins Cup Finals next Monday night against the top-seeded Seneca Valley Raiders from the UPMC Lemieux Complex.

North Allegheny’s season ends with a 12-9-0 record. Congrats to the Tigers for another successful season on the ice!

Ice Hockey Summary vs. South Fayette, 3-10-25

By: Jared Barton 

The #3 North Allegheny ice hockey team advanced past the quarterfinal round of the Penguins Cup Playoffs with a hard-fought 1-0 win over #6 Central Catholic Tuesday night from the Baierl Ice Complex. The win extends a streak of 11 straight seasons which the Tigers have reached at least the semifinal round of the Penguins Cup Playoffs.

The first period was predominantly controlled by North Allegheny, which boasted a physical brand of hockey on the ice, with many hits and blocked shots. Juniors Ravi Desai, Ed Scherer, and Joey Mitchell all brought intensity and relentless pressure throughout the contest.

The Tigers scored the lone goal of the game less than three minutes into the second period after killing off one of four Viking power plays. Senior Gianni Lochiatto banked home a feed in front from fellow senior Marc Joyson’s pass from behind the net. Senior William Kasunich also assisted in the play. 

Senior Cam Junker had a strong game in net, stopping all 20 shots he faced. Vikings senior Ben Balla made 21 saves in the loss.

With the win, North Allegheny advances to Monday’s semifinal against #7 South Fayette from the RMU Island Sports Complex. The North Allegheny Sports Network will have live audio coverage of the contest, with puck drop scheduled for 9:15 p.m.

Ice Hockey Summary vs. Central Catholic, 3-4-25

By: Jared Barton

North Allegheny ice hockey struggled to find any offense, as Upper St. Clair beat NA 2-0 in the final game of the regular season from the Ice Castle Ice Arena Thursday night.

Despite six power play opportunities in the contest, the Tigers could not generate a goal against the Panthers. The game-winning marker occurred in the second period on a goal from Nico Galardini, assisted by Dylan Yealy and Owen Mucho. Eli Rankin added an empty netter in the final 15 seconds of the contest. 

USC netminder Owen Laurent stopped all 22 shots he faced, while NA senior keeper Cam Junker made 21 saves.

North Allegheny has clinched a home playoff game and will await their opponent for first-round PIHL Penguins Cup Playoff action from the Baierl Ice Complex.

Ice Hockey Summary vs. Upper St. Clair, 2-27-25

By: Jared Barton 

The North Allegheny ice hockey team has already clinched a playoff spot in the AAA tournament after a huge win over Pine-Richland last week. However, playoff positioning was still up in the air with two games left in the regular season. Earning three points after a regulation win over one of the top teams in the league should help things when the postseason begins, as North Allegheny topped Seneca Valley 1-0 Monday night from the Baierl Ice Complex.

NA was technically the road team in the matchup, and it took two and a half periods to come up with any offense between the teams. Roughly seven and a half minutes into the third frame, senior Marc Joyson scored on an unassisted even-strength marker.

Fellow senior Cam Junker held strong in net stopping 21 shots for a shutout. Christopher Nichols made 18 saves for the Raiders on the other side.

The win gives the Tigers 33 points on the season with one game left. They are locked into the third seed for the Penguins Cup playoffs. NA still trails Seneca Valley and Mt. Lebanon by 10 points, as the Raiders and Blue Devils battle for the top spot in AAA.

North Allegheny wraps up the regular season on the road Thursday at the Ice Castle for a 7:00 p.m. matchup with Upper St. Clair, who currently holds the sixth spot in the playoff field.

Ice Hockey Summary at Seneca Valley, 2-24-25

By: Jared Barton 

The North Allegheny ice hockey team earned a big win and clinched a postseason berth with an 8-3 win over Pine-Richland Thursday night from the Baierl Ice Complex.

Junior Noah Logan opened the scoring with 34 seconds left in the first frame assisted by Senior Gianni Lochiatto. Twenty seconds later, junior Kyle Imm scored on a two-on-one breakaway with fellow junior Ed Scherer. Lochiatto opened the scoring a few minutes into the second period on a goal assisted by senior William Kasunich and sophomore Cedric Otey.

In the third period, Scherer scored roughly two minutes into the frame assisted by juniors Johnnie Castillio and Alex Costa. About a minute later, Logan scored his second of the night on a power play assisted by Costa and Scherer. Pine-Richland added goals by Douglas Vanmeter and Josh Lanyard to close the gap to 5-2, but NA added two power play markers from Scherer assisted by junior Joey Mitchell and Mitchell assisted by junior Ravi Desai and Costa. PR scored again to make it 7-3 late in the contest, and Mitchell added an even-strength marker for good measure in the final 30 seconds of the game.

Senior Cam Junker made 20 saves in the win.

Scherer earned Wright Automotive Player of the Game laurel for his three-point performance.

The regulation victory gives the Tigers 30 points and solidifies a playoff spot. NA returns to the ice Monday against Seneca Valley at 7:00 p.m. from the Baierl Ice Complex.

Ice Hockey Summary vs. Pine-Richland, 2/20/25