Mar 10, 2026 By Eleanor Bailey 4 min read

In the fall, Chris Neupaver led the Peters Township football team to a WPIAL championship. This winter, he is doing his best to help the school’s ice hockey team capture a PIHL title.

Neupaver scored the game-winning goal in Peters Township’s overtime win against Thomas Jefferson, 4-3, in the semifinals of the Class 3A playoffs.

The victory propelled the Indians to the Penguins Cup final set for March 17 at the UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex in Cranberry. The puck drops at 6:15 p.m. against top-seeded Seneca Valley, which edged Pine-Richland, 2-1, in the other semifinal match-up.

Neupaver, who fueled Peters Township’s comeback win against Pine-Richland, 20-19, with three second-half touchdowns in the WPIAL Class 5A football final on Nov. 21 at Acrisure Stadium, spearheaded the Indians comeback win against the Jaguars on March 9 at the Robert Morris University Island Sports Complex on Neville Island.

With the Indians trailing, 3-1, Neupaver ignited the rally with his first goal, coming with 5:43 remaining in regulation. Brendan Monko assisted the even-strength goal.

At the 14:46 mark of the third period, Carter Meneely scored the equalizer off an assist from Daniel Kovac to force overtime and set the stage for Neupaver’s heroics.

Coming off a minor penalty for goaltender interference, Neupaver bolted out of the box, corralled a rebound of Kovac’s shot and deposited it into the net past TJ goalie Ben Balducci for the game winner.

Peters Township opened the scoring 12 minutes into the contest. Carter Shoub scored an even-strength goal off an assist from Brady Holleran.

The Jaguars, however, responded with three goals in the second period. Jacob Simon, Ryan Ellis and Michael Burns scored the goals, all of the even-strength variety. Cam Lorenzi assisted all three tallies. Burns and Lucas Blose were also credited with assists.

The Indians put 34 shots on goal against Balducci. Anthony Herman turned back 32 of the 35 shots the Jaguars took for a .914 save percentage.

Previously, Peters Township defeated South Fayette, 5-2, in a quarterfinal contest played March 3 at the Printscape Arena in Southpointe.

Brendan Monko scored twice in the victory while Brady Holleran, Cameron Caruso and Chay Lamagna managed single tallies.

Caruso, Blake Evancic, Shoub, Kovac, Neupaver and Lamagna were credited with assists.

Herman faced 19 shots and stopped all but second-period goals by Nathaniel Keller and Mikhail Lobanov.

Hudson Vennum and Dylan Mach posted assists for the Lions while Jackson Ankrum, bombarded by 41 shots, was credited with 37 saves.

In other Class 3A playoff action, Upper St. Clair lost to Seneca Valley, 5-1.

In the first-round contest played on March 2 at the Baierl Toyota Ice Complex in Warrendale, Nico Galardini scored the lone goal for the Panthers.

Jackson Rose and Nevin Shegan Siniawski assisted the tally that came two minutes into the second stanza and narrowed the gap to one before the Raiders reeled off three unanswered tallies.

Class AA

Bethel Park edged Bishop McCort, 5-4, in overtime of a first-round Class 2A game played March 3 at the Spencer Family YMCA.

The win catapulted the Black Hawks into the semifinals against top-seeded Hempfield on March 10 at the Robert Morris University Island Sports Complex.

The winner advanced to the PIHL Class 2A championship match scheduled for 6:15 p.m. March 16 at the UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex in Cranberry.

Against Bishop McCort, Lukas Crisson scored the game-winning goal more than 11 minutes into the extra period. Kai Decker assisted.

After leading, 1-0, and 3-2, the Black Hawks slipped behind, 4-3, late in the third period before Jack Hartman scored the equalizer to force overtime.

Crisson scored the first goal of the game 79 seconds into the contest. He assisted, along with Ezra Kozak, on Tyler Miller’s goal that lifted Bethel Park into the lead, 2-1, before Bishop McCort tied the game by the end of the first frame.

Sinjin Stainbrook, off an assist from Emerson Faust, scored five minutes into the second period but Bishop McCort forged ahead with back-to-back goals to take the one-goal lead 10 minutes into the third period.

The Black Hawks put 50 shots on goal while Kevin Teamann turned back 25 of 29 shots for an .862 save percentage.