So Close, Yet So Far

The Indians lost Saturday night to the Bethel
 Park Blackhawks by a score of 2-1. It is the that the
 Indians have fallen short of the Penguins Cup by losing in the championship 
game.

PT played even, and may have even had a slight edge, against the opponent all game long. A few mistakes and bad breaks was the difference last night.

Coming into the game, the main thing to watch for was the
 goalie match-up. Brian Baker’s (PT goaltender) 1.77 goals allowed average
 per game was only bested by the Bethel goaltender, Alex Blum (minimum of 10 games played). The match-up certainly did not disappoint, as they stopped a
 combined 47 out of 50 shots.

Last night’s meeting between the two teams is the third 
time they have played each other. The first occurrence resulted in a PT win in
 overtime, while the second time the Blackhawks beat the Indians handily.

PT came out of the gates quickly, looking to avenge the defeat 
from the last meeting and looking to bring home the Penguins Cup. The Indians 
had a quick power play after Jacob Brown (BP) wound up in the box for hooking.
 They generated some shots and showed good passing, however, PT remained off the scoreboard during their man advantage.

About halfway through the first period, the Blackhawk
 offense began to wake up. They started pushing the puck into the offensive zone
 more frequently and they forced more shots against Baker. Regardless, Baker
 managed to keep the puck out of the net during the first period.

Although both goalies turned in outstanding performances 
last night, they both needed help from their defenses. Both defenses really 
came to play, dishing out big hits and doing anything and everything to help 
their goalie out. Blum’s defense often forced PT skaters wide, not allowing 
them to get clear shots at the net. PT did a better job of keeping the puck out
 of the zone, however, Bethel managed to have a couple good “rushes” at Baker.

At the start of the second period, the score still 0-0,
 Taylor Cox received a two-minute minor for a boarding call. The Blackhawks
 dominated the power play, throwing multiple shots in Baker’s direction.
 Finally, Bethel Park’s points leader, Derek Lesnak put the puck in the net. The 
Blackhawk crowd immediately erupted, but their hype wouldn’t last long.

Just 40 seconds later, the Indians were back on the power 
play following a elbowing call against Jake Worcester. During the power play, 
Tylenda passed the puck ahead to Patrick Hannan, who then carried the puck into 
the offensive zone. Hannan carried the puck wide, with two of his teammates 
skating toward the slot. At just the right moment, Hannan fired a pass to
 Trevor Recktenwald who then one-timed the puck past Blum. The goal was the quick equalizer that the 
Indians needed to fire them back up.

Later in the second period, Aaron McDonough was taken to
 the penalty box on a questionable holding penalty call. During the penalty 
kill, Baker did everything he could to keep the game tied. He made an incredible 
glove save late during the penalty kill, denying a Blackhawk lead.

At intermission (the end of the second period), the score
 was tied, 1-1. The Blackhawks had just one more shot than the Indians (17-16),
 although it seemed that PT had a slight edge going into the final period of 
play.

In the third, the downfall of the Indians may have been
 too many penalties. The Indians recorded three penalties in the final period, allowing a goal on one of those penalty kills.

Tylenda took a penalty, called for interference, just under 
five minutes into the period. The Indians had no trouble killing off the
 penalty and returning to even strength.

As the period progressed, both teams were getting more
 and more anxious to put in the go-ahead goal. Baker made some more great saves, but Blum certainly did his share as well. Once again, the defensive play was outstanding, both sides leaving everything on the ice.

With 4:36 remaining in the game, Cox received another 
boarding call, leaving the Blackhawks with the man advantage. Bethel had a good
 power play, showing good puck movement and shooting smartly against Baker. Near the end of the power play, Baker froze one of the shots. A Bethel player tried to pry the puck loose after Baker had already covered it, angering some of the Indians. Jake Brown (PT) gave the player a hand to the face, resulting in a 
two-minute illegal head contact penalty.

The Indians were then forced to play 5-on-3 hockey for 23 
seconds. PT managed to work it back to 5-on-4, however, the Blackhawks were
 threatening. Finally, with just 1:56 remaining in the game, Zachary Volzer 
broke the tie on a deflected shot that was near impossible for Baker to stop.

After the goal, the Indians quickly pulled Baker in hopes
 of re-tying the game. Unfortunately, BP managed to keep the puck out of the 
net, and finished the game with a 2-1 victory. They will play Sunday night for the 
state championship at Robert Morris University.

As for the Indians, it was certainly a tough loss. However, the team has nothing to hang their heads about. PT was a team that many had written off at the beginning of the postseason, coming in as the fifth-seed. They battled hard throughout the playoffs, pulling out several strong team victories against Shaler, Mt. Lebanon and Canon-Mac. In addition, the exiting seniors—although disappointed—should know that making consecutive trips to the Penguins Cup finals is no simple feat. Good luck to all the seniors in their hockey careers (and just careers) past high school.

Peters Township, although losing many seniors, still has a great core of players returning next year—with soon-to-be seniors Recktenwald, Tylenda, Alex DeBolt and soon-to-be juniors Brian Baker and Hannan, among others, will all wear a PT jersey next season. It will be interesting to see how the team fares next year.

Once again, congratulations to the team on a great
 season.

Editor's Note: Author Josh Glicksman is a sophomore at . Photographer Austin Chappell is a junior.