Peters Township hockey in semifinals
Peters Township takes another step towards defending its Penguins Cup title when the Indians face off against North Allegheny at 7:15 p.m. March 15 at the Robert Morris University Island Sports Center.
The Indians were the Class AAA regular-season champions in the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Hockey League with a 14-4 record while the Tigers finished fourth in the division with an 11-7 mark.
They are led by Torrey Schrwartz with 13 goals scored and 24 total points and Conner Gielarowski, who had 15 assists during the regular season. The duo advanced the Indians into the Final Four as they combined to help Peters Township edge Plum, 2-1, in the first round of the playoffs held at Printscape Arena at Southpointe.
At the 6:53 mark in the second stanza, Gielarowski snapped a 1-1 deadlock. Off assists from Geoffrey Poon and Schwartz, Gielarowski netted the game-winning goal. Schwartz gave the Indians a 1-0 lead in the first frame before Logan Schlegel knotted the contest midway through the first period.
Adam Ulan registered the win in the nets. He made 14 saves on 15 shots on goal.
Meanwhile, NA dispatched Butler, 8-3, in its playoff opener held at the Baierl Ice Complex. Aaron Miller was the star for the Tigers with two goals, one short-handed the other a power-play tally, and two assists. Miller led the Tigers during the regular season in goals (17) and in points (20) while Bernardo Vieira represented the playmaking with 13 assists.
Should Peters Township prevail over the Tigers, they would face the winner between Seneca Valley and Erie Cathedral Prep. Both teams finished 12-6 in the AAA standings behind the Indians. The SV-Prep game follows the PT-NA game at 9:15 p.m.
The PIHL or Penguins Cup championships will be played from 7 to 11 p.m. March 19 and 20 at the UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex. The winners advance to the Pennsylvania state championships to be held beginning at 1 p.m. March 24 at the Ice Line Quad Rinks in West Chester.
In other Class AAA action, Bethel Park and Mt. Lebanon were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs.
While Cathedral Prep blanked Lebo, 3-0, the Hawks dropped a 4-1 decision to Seneca Valley. In the loss, Vince Vituccio registered the lone tally. Joseph Wandrisco registered the assist.
In the Class AA playoffs, Upper St. Clair succumbed to Hampton. In the loss, Mark McQuade and Joseph Pulit scored for the Panthers. Quinn Giacobbe collected two assists while Michael Daley, III registered the other.
By defeating Chartiers Valley, 6-3, South Fayette advanced to the Final Four in Class A. The Lions faced Meadville in the semifinals March 13 at the Robert Morris Island Sports Center.
In the triumph against the Colts, Ian Kumar notched the hat trick. Augie Bishop, Dante Cecere and Daniel Pollock also scored for the Lions. John Trinkala garnered two assists while Cecere and Adam Unruh dished off once.
Michael Sedlak scored twice for the Colts and Caleb Stevenson added the other goal. Andrew Mazzarini and Luke Vaughn collected assists.
In the nets, SF’s Kyle Sharp turned back 12 of 15 while CV’s Joshua Griffith handled 30 shots making 25 saves.