The North Allegheny’s Ice Hockey Team ended last season with a tough PIHL semi-final loss to Peters Township. This year, they look to get back to previous glory as PIHL champions with a revamped team that is hungry for success.
After losing nine seniors and their longtime goalkeeper, the Tigers have some serious spots to fill.
Senior forward Ryan Jackman said, “I would say that losing the seniors is a big loss for us, but at the end of the day our team is working even harder and we believe this is truly our year.”
The Tigers have been working hard, and with new senior goalkeeper Andrew Long, they are set up for success.
The team started out their season quickly this year, playing in St. Margarets preseason tournament this past week. They started off strong in an always competitive game with rival Pine-Richland, beating them 4-3 in a shootout. They steamrolled Armstrong the next night. In their final game, they fell to a solid Franklin Regional team, 2-1.
Junior defenseman Travis Lamark shared his opinion about the preseason tournament.
“The new players played well, and we showed that we can win games and score goals, which is what we need,” Lamark said. “The team is only going to get better from this point on.”
They finished their preseason games 2-1 and showed some true promise. Younger players stepped up and the returning starters were back to their old selves.
“The regular season will be good,” said Evan Perrotte, one of last year’s top goal scorers. “We are a very fast team that works together very well, even in the first couple of games we have played. Losses will come here and there but we are very good at capitalizing on other teams’ mistakes. The league will be very competitive, but I do think we have a great chance at winning the Penguins Cup this year.”
With the regular season on the horizon, the men on the ice will continue to practice in preparation for their first game, which will be at home against Mt. Lebanon on October 5th at 9:00. Then they will have the opportunity to exact revenge on Peters Township on October 10th, which will be an away game. On November 27th, in what will likely be a very competitive game, they will face rival Seneca Valley at home at 7:00.
The hockey season is a long one. Stretching from early October to mid-March, the Tigers will play five straight months of hockey. But from the looks of it, October 5th can’t come soon enough.
