Ice hockey makes playoffs

After a hard-fought loss two weekends ago to second place rival Indiana University of… After a hard-fought loss two weekends ago to second place rival Indiana University of Pennsylvania, the men’s Division II club ice hockey team entered its final weekend of the regular season looking for two big wins.

The Panthers played host to John Carroll on Friday night, then traveled to Morgantown, W.Va., to take on West Virginia University on Saturday afternoon. Two wins improved Pitt’s overall record to 9-16-1, and prepared them to take momentum into the University Hockey League playoffs next week.

Pitt, which finished 4-5-0-1 in the UHL and clinched the fourth playoff spot, used the weekend as quite the momentum booster, beating its opponents by a combined score of 8-4 while out-shooting them by 74-48.

Pitt 3, John Carroll 2

Tight defense controlled the game early as both teams only mustered a combined 11 shots in the first period. Both offenses continued to struggle through the middle period until John Carroll finally notched its first goal with just five minutes remaining in the second period.

The Blue Streaks would take their only lead into the second intermission, but held onto it for just a few minutes.

Three minutes into the final period, junior forward Craig Halitsky scored on the powerplay, and the Panthers never looked back.

In the final 20 minutes, Pitt beat John Carroll’s freshman goaltender, Chris Ostrander, three times on just eight shots.

Freshman winger Tomas Bednar scored the go-ahead goal just three minutes and 10 seconds after Halitsky lit the lamp. John Carroll answered and tied the game at two halfway through the period.

That was the last time a puck would get behind Panther goalie Chris Garman, who stopped 20 of the 22 shots he faced.

Bednar scored his second goal of the game — his fifth of the season — for the game-winner with just five minutes to play.

The Panthers held the one-goal lead and went on to win their fifth game at home this season by a score of 3-2.

Pitt 5, West Virginia 2

This frozen version of the Backyard Brawl did not disappoint. In 60 minutes of regulation, both teams combined for 83 penalty minutes, including four 10-minute game misconducts (three for WVU, one for Pitt).

All seven goals in the 5-2 Panther victory were scored when one team had a man-advantage.

Despite shelling 11 first-period shots on West Virginia, Pitt was held scoreless. It wasn’t until the second period when the Panthers staged a shooting exhibition, posting 25 shots, two of which led to goals.

In his last regular season game, senior Phil Zimich scored his second goal of the season to put the Panthers up 1-0. That would be a lead that Pitt would never.

Drew Spagnola added another powerplay goal for the Panthers less than a minute after Zimich’s goal.

The Panthers added two more third-period goals before Zimich sealed the victory with an empty-net goal with little more than a minute remaining.

Pitt’s second win in as many days was just the tune-up it was looking for. The Panthers will face fifth-seeded North Carolina State in the first round of playoffs on Friday.

One advantage the fourth-seeded Panthers will have in this weekend’s playoff tournament is that all the games will be played at Pitt’s home arena in Moon Township.

If Pitt can skate by the Wolfpack at 8 p.m. on Friday, it will face No. 1 Liberty at 6 p.m. on Saturday. The championship game of the five-team playoff will be held at 3 p.m. on Sunday.

Dave Thomas is a staff writer for The Pitt News. If you are a member of a club sport and would like your team covered in his weekly Club Sports Report, please have a coach or team contact person e-mail him at dthomas7224@yahoo.com.