Kittanning rides momentum into Penguin Cup finals

The Kittanning hockey team couldn't have picked a better time to piece together a seven-game winning streak.

That streak, which began at the end of the regular season, earned Kittanning a spot in Saturday's PIHL Class AA Penguin Cup finals, where it will face Pine-Richland at Mellon Arena.

"We are getting the job done," Kittanning coach Jon Yackmack said. "The guys come to practice every day and started to believe in themselves."

In the Wildcats' 6-4 semifinal victory over Bishop Canevin, six players scored from two different lines.

"You need to have scoring in variety," Yackmack said. "When you have different people scoring, that means everyone is doing their part."

Evan Blodgett, Nick Troup, John Ford, Ethan Zimmerman, Colin McKelvey and Justin Kovatch each scored for Kittanning. Kovatch also added two assists.

"As of late, he has been doing a tremendous job back-checking," said Yackmack of Kovatch. "He's got some wheels on him."

The Wildcats had 37 shots on goal and spent a lot of time in the offensive zone against Bishop Canevin.

"They are working hard," Yackmack said. "You have to create traffic up front to be effective. To go deep into the playoffs, that has to happen."

Goaltender Joe Mercurio faced 39 shots, stopping 35 of them, including a stop on a key breakaway midway through the third period.

"Joey is a good kid and enjoys the game," Yackmack said. "He has learned to be more mature on the ice. He has become a better goaltender with our success."

Pine-Richland beat Greensburg Central Catholic, 9-0, and edged Peters Township, 4-3, to get to the final.

During the regular season, Pine-Richland only lost one game and dominated the Northern Division with a 130 plus-minus rating. Pine-Richland defeated Kittanning, 7-0, in December, but Yackmack believes his team has changed since.

"Hopefully, they think they are going to see the same team they saw in December," Yackmack said. "We are definitely a better team than we were back then. It takes the whole team to come together. Our hard work can go a long way."

Additional Information:

Penguin Cup Championships

Class AAA

Mt. Lebanon vs. North Allegheny, 5 p.m.

Class AA

Kittanning vs. Pine Richland, 3 p.m.

Class A

Quaker Valley vs. Serra, 1 p.m.

Open Division

Carrick vs. State College, 8 p.m.