PIHL teams are getting used to adjusting on fly
There is a notification on the first page of the PIHL web site, advising teams to check their team pages for scheduling changes occurring daily.
It’s not just for show. The league has been in a constant state of flux all season as teams in every classification have been forced to postpone games and practices on the fly because of COVID-19 cases or quarantines.
“Recently we’ve been impacted and I feel like every team has been impacted in some way and every team is trying to handle it the best they can,” Pine-Richland coach Jordan Yoklic said. “Over the last couple of weeks, we’ve been trying to manage testing and positive cases and trying to keep everybody healthy and safe at the end of the day. Being precautionary, we were off for a week-and-a-half and then we were back into practice.”
Adjusting on the fly is a normal part of hockey strategy, but how the season is playing out so far has been a challenge. Teams have had a game postponed one day, then get a call from the league to play the next day on their offday and have to get to the rink on short notice.
“It’s crazy, but I think the PIHL is doing a good job, every team individually is doing a good job. Pine-Richland, our board and all the players are flexible,” Yoklic said. “That’s kind of the nature of where we’re living now. We have to be ready for those changes and be ready for anything thrown at us because we could be impacted one day and an opponent the next. We have to be prepared for that.”
Pine-Richland was one of the semifinalists that didn’t get to play last year and there were plenty of changes from the team that would have played North Allegheny that night when the shutdown occurred to now. Perhaps the most notable is in goal where senior James Saber has moved up from backing up Daniel Stauffer to the lead role between the pipes.
“Jimmy has looked fantastic and his mind and the ability is all there,” Yoklic said. “He approaches the game the right way and was in a difficult situation the last couple of years because Danny Stauffer was doing a good job in the net. I think Jimmy being behind him and seeing how he was on a day-to-day standpoint, Jimmy’s using that to his advantage.”
Coming into the week, Saber was 2-1-0 with a 2.67 goals-against average and a .873 save percentage. He did not earn a decision last year and only played about eight minutes all season.
“He’s got his head on straight and is ready to play. He is getting the opportunity this year,” Yoklic said. “He’s got his head on straight and he’s ready to go.”
Pine-Richland is once again able to roll four lines at teams and is getting scoring throughout the lineup. Even though the Rams have played only three games, 12 different players have scored goals — led by three from Griffin Roth — and 17 players, including Saber, have at least one point.
Hempfield
Hempfield came into the week 4-0-0 and one of four undefeated teams in the classification.
And the Spartans will remain that way until at least Jan. 4.
On Tuesday, the Hempfield Area School District suspended play for all sports — including hockey — because of growing concerns over the spread of the coronavirus.
“We’ll come back in January rusty because we’re basically not allowed to get together until the school board says we can get back to work,” Hempfield coach Eric Grant said. “They’re doing it for the safety of the kids and trying to get through the season. We’ll have to work through it and, though it’s disappointing, the safety of [everyone] has to come first.”
Hempfield has done it with defense as their goaltending tandem of Paul Oliver and Matthew Overdorff has allowed only seven goals, one more than classification-leader Baldwin has so far this year.
“Both our goaltenders are rostered JV because we only have two goaltenders,” Grant said. “Both are putting up some pretty nice numbers.”
It also helps that Hempfield has gotten solid offensive contributions from Nicholas Bruno and Aiden Dunlap, who each have six goals on the year.
Hempfield was slated to play South Fayette Thursday and its game Dec. 21 against Thomas Jefferson has also been pushed back. The first game the Spartans are scheduled to play after the board-imposed Jan. 4 stoppage is Jan. 11 at Mars.
“We were told that all athletic activities were suspended until Jan. 4 and that’s the date at which we are anticipating coming back,” Grant said. “Obviously decisions will have to be made about what the situation is and what’s best for the students and the community at large.”
Freeport
A year ago, Freeport was a last-place team that finished 5-15-0 and missed the playoffs out of the Class 1A Northeast Division by 15 points.
It may be early, but this season has been a different story.
Freeport (3-0-0), which has not won the Penguins Cup since 2007, has rolled to wins in its first three games behind freshman goaltender Tyler Lang, who has a 2.33 GAA and a solid .918 save percentage. Senior Nico DiSanti leads the team with five goals and seven points, while Marcus Trask and Keith Smilowitz have six points apiece.