PIHL Report: Postseason picture becoming clear
Moon’s hockey team likes what it sees.
The Tigers (9-5-1) are in second place in the PIHL’s Southwest Division and in position to claim a Penguins Cup Class 1A playoff berth. The top two teams in the four primary Class 1A divisions earn postseason spots.
“We’re in good shape now if we handle our business,” Moon coach Jeff Tindall said.
The Tigers got a big boost Monday when they knocked off Southeast-leading Norwin (10-3-1), 9-5. That kept Moon in second place with 19 points. North Catholic (11-3-2) leads the Southwest with 24 points.
Since the PIHL season is so long (games run from October to February), now is the time when postseason races get intense.
“I think the kids are starting to catch on (to the playoff race). The seniors and leadership are focusing on it, watching some other games and seeing what other teams are doing,” Tindall said. “My message to the players is that it really doesn’t matter what happens in those games if we don’t take care of our business. We just need to do our job and we kind of control our own destiny if we handle our own business.”
The squad did just that against the Knights. Norwin had a 4-3 lead after two periods, but the Tigers erupted for five goals in the third before the Knights found the back of the net again. Connor Morgan answered 1:06 later with his second goal to set the final.
“That was a huge win,” Tindall said. “We had a tough loss in overtime against Wheeling Park the game before and I’m always curious how the guys will respond. We definitely responded the right way.”
Eight different Tigers scored in the triumph. Moran led the way with two, while Hunter Stuckwish, Brendan Camardese, Zachary Love, Jack Willett, Chase Dawkin, Ethan Doyle and Jacob Dalessio all lit the lamp.
To have the scoring spread out so much is nothing new for Moon. All but one skater has recorded at least a point on the season. Moran leads the way with 14 goals and 30 points, while Love is next with 25.
“Our depth has been huge. If you look at the last game, some guys who hadn’t scored in a while picked up big goals and put the game away,” Tindall said, “The top end of our roster is doing a good job scoring goals, but the bottom end of the roster is doing a good job playing hard minutes and playing critical roles in creating turnovers and things. Our entire roster has been very valuable all year.
“This year, it’s a real team approach, which is a little different than last year,” he continued. “This year, the seniors are leading the way and the guys are willing to work. I really haven’t had to shorten the bench; we’ve just rolled all our lines out there. It’s been a fun year.”
QV REBOUNDS
After starting the season 9-0, Quaker Valley dropped three games in a row. Moon beat the Quakers, 5-1, and Quaker Valley dropped back-to-back 4-3 decisions to North Catholic and North Hills. The squad ended the skid with a 9-3 win at Wheeling Catholic.
The Quakers (10-3-0) lead the Northwest Division with 20 points, eight ahead of McDowell (6-5-0), with seven games remaining.
WEST A GETS BUSY
The schedule really picks up for West Allegheny next week.
Starting Monday, the Indians have three games in a seven-day span. West Allegheny (0-12-0) hopes it can get in the win column, too, during that stretch. The team’s three opponents are Hempfield (5-7-1), South Fayette (10-2-0) and Indiana (1-11-0).
CLOSE CALLS FOR BLACKHAWK
Despite its 1-10-1 record, Blackhawk showed it can compete with some of the top Class 1A teams. Starting with the Cougars’ last two contests in December and first of 2022, the squad played in three 2-1 decisions. Blackhawk came out on top in one, a win over Plum, but dropped heartbreakers to Moon and Freeport – two teams that could reach the playoffs. The Tigers needed overtime to win their matchup.
SEEKING FIRST WIN
Like West Allegheny, Beaver (0-13-0) in Class 1A and Central Valley (0-10-0) in Division 2 are still seeking their first wins.