Pitt Division II ice hockey on brink of playoffs

Division II Men’s Ice Hockey

The first serious snowstorm of the semester made it too… Division II Men’s Ice Hockey

The first serious snowstorm of the semester made it too cold even for ice hockey.

The Panthers (6-12-1) were supposed to travel to Shadyside Academy last weekend for a two-day, four-team tournament hosted by Duquesne University. Unfortunately, the inclement weather made traveling nearly impossible, and the tournament was cancelled.

Pitt was looking to avenge a loss to the Division I Dukes that featured seven unanswered Duquesne goals in an 8-2 rout on Jan. 14.

Panthers head coach Tom Rieck said his team is looking forward to hitting the ice again this weekend after such a long time off.

“We’ve had good practices, despite not seeing game action for a while, because our guys know how important our next couple of games are,” Rieck said.

Pitt will play host on Friday night to Maryland, which now sits in third place in the College Hockey East. Pitt is currently in the fourth spot.

The winner of this Friday’s game will likely get the third seed in the playoffs and receive a bye. The fourth- and fifth-place teams will have to match up with the team that receives the third playoff slot.

Because of its playoff implications, Rieck called the contest with Maryland the biggest game of the season for Pitt. The puck drops at 8 p.m. at the Airport Ice Arena in Moon Township. The Panthers will also play host to Division-I West Virginia on Saturday at 8 p.m.

Division III Men’s Ice Hockey

The Panthers found the best way to snap a six-game losing streak: a scoring explosion from their first line of forwards.

The combination of Kittanning high school alums Ty Heller, Luke Heller and Zach Cain, combined for six goals and 11 assists in a 9-2 victory over Carnegie Mellon Friday night.

Ty Heller, a senior and the oldest member of the Wildcat line, recorded a hat trick along with three helpers. Heller’s younger brother scored two goals of his own and assisted on five others. Cain, the team’s leading scorer, lit the lamp only once, but recorded three assists.

According to head coach Toki Barron, the win was important because “it finally got the team over the hump.”

“We played every game hard and battled through some injuries, but came up on the wrong end of some tight games,” Barron said. “It was a relief to finally get a win and get some confidence back.”

The Panthers renewed confidence will be tested this weekend when they head to Delmont, Pa., to take on St. Vincent Sunday at 2 p.m.

The Bearcats are currently 15-2 and are led by a pair of wingers who have combined for 137 points in just 17 games.

Brothers Matt and Tom Ward have put up incredible numbers so far this season. Matt Ward, a sophomore left winger, has 33 goals and 36 assists for a team-high 69 points while Tom Ward, a senior right winger, has 32 goals and 36 assists for 68 points.

Dave Thomas is a staff writer for The Pitt News and will run a club sports report every Thursday. If you would like your club team covered in this weekly section this semester, please have a coach or team contact person e-mail him at dthomas7224@yahoo.com.