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TIGERS CLINCH DIVISION TITLE WITH 6-5 WIN AT PINE-RICHLAND

by Ron Zrebiec

NA came from behind last night to nip the Pine Richland Rams by a score of 6 to 5. Senior attack man Adam Mills started things off with a solo score and it looked like the Tigers were continuing their scoring run from the previous outing. Pine Richland answered with four straight tallies to rock the Tigers back on their collective heals with a 3 goal advantage. Mills closed the gap on a nifty feed from fellow senior Brian Faber but PR added another to keep the gap at 3. Zack Uhler closed out the half with a laser shot assisted again by Faber and the Tigers retired the half down 5 to 3.

Coach Rullan obviously shared some words of enlightenment with the team at the half time break as the Tigers buckled down defensively and turned up the offense. Mills fired first on a solo tally to close the gap and five seconds later, Faber won the face off and streaked down the right side and launched a twine-finder missile to even things up at 5.

Ryan Worsena added another an a tic-tac helper from Michael Eck putting the Tigers up for the first time. Mills added another solo tally stretching the lead to 2, giving the Tigers the room they needed to cover the final PR tally that followed. The last 7 minutes were a defensive struggle by both teams and the Tigers held on to leave with a rain soaked 6-5 victory.

 With the win, NA improved to 4-0 in division play and clinched the division title with just one league game to play.  The overall NA mark went to 13-2 on the season.

The Tigers finish the regular season at home on Friday as they honor the graduating seniors during the half time of the JV game and follow the festivities with a varsity game against Central Catholic starting at 8:00 pm.

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TIGERS CRUSH SENECA VALLEY, 14-3, IN BATTLE FOR DIVISION LEAD

To listen to a replay of the game, click here!

Junior attack Grady Wirth and junior midfield Zach Uhler scored four goals each while freshman attack Michael Eck added three more as the Tigers overwhelmed Seneca Valley, 14-3, in a North Division contest at Newman Stadium on Friday night.  Senior midfield Ben Sorek also tallied a pair of goals as NA took control of the North Division race.

The Tigers took over early in the first quarter with Wirth setting up Eck in front of the SV goal to give NA the 1-0 lead just 2:40 into the game.  Less than two minutes later, Eck came in alone from the left side and beat Seneca goalie Ryan Mayeda to make it 2-0.  With 5:48 remaining, Wirth came out from behind the goal to score his first of the game as NA increased the margin to 3-0.  Later in the quarter, Uhler took over.  The junior midfield bounced in a overhand shot from the right side with 4:20 remaining as the score went to 4-0.  With 3:25 left, Uhler sent in a hard shot from 13 yards out to give the Tigers a commanding 5-0 lead after one quarter of play.

The Tigers continued to dominate play in the second quarter.  Senior midfield Brian Faber set up Sorek from ten yards out to increase the lead to 6-0 with 2:11 gone in the quarter.  Just 11 seconds later, Eck found senior Adam Mills breaking down the middle and the Tiger senior extended the lead to 7-0.  Seneca finally got on the board midway through the quarter when Jake McAndrew scored on an assist from Brent Rotz.  Wirth answered for NA on another assist from Eck to push the lead to 8-1 with 4:13 left.  Uhler completed his hat trick with another long shot from 12 yards away with 1:01 remaining.  The Tigers took a 9-1 lead to the intermission.

In the third quarter, it was more of the same as the Tigers continued to add goals.  Uhler scored his fourth of the game on an assist from freshman attack Ryan Worsena at the 4:15 mark as the NA lead went to 10-1.  Wirth scored his third on a right-handed bounce shot from the left side to increase the lead to double digits at 11-1 with 6:19 left.  Less than a minute later, it was Wirth again scoring, this time on a rebound from in front of the Raider goal.  Sorek's second goal of the game with 4:42 left made it 13-1 and invoked the mercy rule.  With the clock running, Eck completed his hat trick with a left-handed shot with 1:26 on the clock.  NA took a 14-1 advantage into the final quarter.

Coach John Rullan used most of his bench for the entire fourth quarter.  Seneca Valley came back to score a pair of goals, both by Brent Rotz, to make the final score, 14-3.  It was a great team effort by the Tigers, particularly on defense.  The NA defense bottled up the Raiders from the opening whistle and forced numerous turnovers.  Senior midfield Brian Faber dominated the faceoffs once again giving the Tigers possessions.  Senior midfield Patrick Coleman was able to strip the ball away on a number of occasions as the Raiders were kept off balance all night.  The Tigers were able to stay away from the penalty box for the most part and did not give up any man down goals.  Junior Chris Rullan was strong in goal and allowed just one goal while the first team defense was on the field.  For his offensive efforts, the North Allegheny Sports Network named Grady Wirth as the Player of the Game.

With the win, the Tigers improved to 3-0 in division play with just two games remaining.  The overall NA record went to 12-2 on the season.  The Tigers will travel to Pine-Richland on Wednesday night to face the Rams in an 8:00 pm division contest.

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GAME SUMMARY
NORTH ALLEGHENY - 14  SENECA VALLEY - 3

INDIVIDUAL SCORING

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MT. LEBANON - 14  NORTH ALLEGHENY - 12

Lebo jumped off to a 9-6 halftime lead in Wednesday night's contest.  The Tigers came back to cut the margin to 10-9 after three quarters.  In the fourth quarter, however, the Blue Devils were able to hold off NA for the victory.

The Tigers enter tonight's contest with a division record of 2-0, an overall mark of 11-2.  The Raiders are 3-1 in division play, 11-4 overall.  The North Allegheny Sports Network will be there to broadcast the game LIVE on the internet beginning with the pre-game show at 7:45 pm.  Game time is scheduled for 8:00 pm.

GAME SUMMARY
MT. LEBANON - 14  NORTH ALLEGHENY - 12

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UPPER ST. CLAIR NO MATCH FOR TIGERS
 IN 13-3 ROMP

To listen to a replay of the game, click here!

The Tigers crushed the Upper St. Clair Panthers, 13-3, at Newman Stadium on Wednesday night.  Senior attack Adam Mills led the way with four goals with freshman Ryan Worsena adding a pair of tallies for the winning Tigers.  Junior midfield Zach Uhler scored a goal and recorded three assists in the win.  Six additional Tigers scored as Coach John Rullen used his entire bench in the contest.

Neither team could score early with Upper St. Clair holding a territorial edge.  NA junior goalie Chris Rullan made several good saves to keep the game scoreless.  The Tigers finally broke through with 3:36 remaining when Uhler found Worsena open in front of the goal to make it 1-0.  Just 12 seconds later, the Tigers scored again when senior midfield Brian Faber won the faceoff and took it down the right side before bouncing in a shot to increase the lead to 2-0.  NA was able to add a third goal just before the end of the quarter when Worsena scored again with another shot that bounced past USC goalie John Shue.  The Tigers held a 3-0 advantage after one quarter.

The Tigers picked up where they left off early in the second quarter.  Junior attack Grady Wirth picked up a ground ball in front of the USC goal and sent it in to give NA a 4-0 lead just 57 seconds into the period.  Mills set up Michael Eck on the right side where the NA the Tiger freshman beat Shue with a strong left-handed shot to increase the margin to 5-0.  The Tigers were not finished as Mills scored on an assist from Wirth as NA pushed the lead to 6-0 just 2:26 into the quarter.  The Tigers got into a little trouble with penalties later in the period.  The Panthers were able to score a pair of man up goals, one by Theo Schnieders and the second by Spencer Scott, to cut the NA lead to 6-2 at the intermission.

Once again, the Tigers came out strong at the beginning of the third quarter.  Uhler made it a 7-2 game with a shot from the left side just 26 seconds into the second half.  Mills got his second goal of the game, a man up tally on an assist from Uhler, at the 1:51 mark of the quarter.  Senior midfield Ben Sorek completed the trifecta on another Uhler assist as the Tigers scored three goals in the first 2:35 to take a commanding 9-2 lead.  Upper St. Clair answered later in the quarter with still another man up goal, this time with Jon Seigel beating Rullan with a high shot to cut the lead to 9-3 with 3:21 left.  Mills had the answer after a long run down the right side.  After the USC defense blocked his first attempt, Mills gathered the rebound and scored his third of the game as the Tigers took a 10-3 lead into the final quarter.

After Mills scored again on a Worsena assist with 7:29 remaining, Coach Rullan continued to send in the NA reserves.  Scott Relic finished a pass from Jonathan Lyne to make it 12-3 with 5:04 left.  Dan Wiese tallied his first varsity goal to put the finishing touches on the Tiger victory at the 3:41 mark.  Neither team scored again as the Tigers captured the 13-3 victory.

It was an overall team effort by the Tigers who got contributions from everyone on the team.  For his efforts on the offensive end, the North Allegheny Sports Network named Adam Mills as the Player of the Game.

With the win, NA improved their overall record to 11-1 on the season.  The Tigers will travel to Mt. Lebanon on Wednesday night to meet the Blue Devils in a rematch of last year's championship game.  The starting time is set for 8:00 pm.

GAME SUMMARY
NORTH ALLEGHENY - 13  UPPER ST. CLAIR - 3

INDIVIDUAL SCORING

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TIGERS CONTROL PETERS TOWNSHIP IN 13-7 WIN

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The Tigers got back on the winning track with a 13-7 at Peters Township on Sunday afternoon.  With the win, NA improved their overall record to 10-1 on the season.

NA will host Upper St. Clair on Wednesday night in a non-division game at Newman Stadium.  The North Allegheny Sports Network will be there to broadcast the game LIVE on the internet beginning with the pre-game show at 7:45 pm.  Game time is scheduled for 8:00 pm.

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MANHEIM TOWNSHIP ENDS TIGER UNBEATEN STREAK WITH OVERTIME GOAL, 13-12

To listen to a replay of the game, click here!

The Tigers rallied with three late goals to send the game into overtime, but Manheim Township scored in the extra period to hand NA their first loss of the season, 13-12.  Freshman attack Michael Eck tallied four goals and senior attack Adam Mills added three more to pace NA.

Both teams started slowly in the first quarter with a number of turnovers.  CPSLA all-star Chris Zielinski got the Blue Streaks on the board first when he bounced in a long shot at the 6:32 mark of the quarter.  The Tigers answered with a man-up goal by Mills on an assist by senior midfield Ben Sorek.  The quarter ended in a 1-1 tie.

The pace picked up in the second quarter.  NA took a 2-1 lead just 29 seconds into the period on an assist from junior attack Grady Wirth.  Zielinski answered with a coast-to-coast run and score to tie the game at 2-2 less than a minute later.  The Tigers committed a pair of penalties and Manheim capitalized on goals by Nick Baron and Quint Miller with Zielinski getting assists on both goals.  The Blue Streaks led, 4-2, with 8:53 still left in the half.  After an NA time out, the Tigers rallied.  Eck scored his second goal on a Mills assist to cut the lead to 4-3.  Mills got the equalizer after a 40 yard run, scoring on a right handed bounce shot.  The game was tied at 4-4 with 4:59 left.  Just 24 seconds later, Eck set up Sorek who scored on a soft shot that beat MT goalie Chris Gorham.  With time running out, Zielinski scoed his third goal of the half from 15 yards out to tie the game at 5-5 with 15 seconds remaining.  The Tigers answered, however, when senior midfield Brian Faber won the face off, quickly passed to Mills who set up Wirth for the go ahead goal with nine seconds left.  The Tigers took a 6-5 lead into the intermission. 

The Tigers struck early in the third quarter with Mills scoring his third goal on an overhand shot from 17 yards to give NA a 7-5 lead at the 9:39 mark.  Penalties again got the Tigers in trouble.  Connor Dubois scored from the right side just after an NA penalty expired to cut the margin to 7-6 with 7:27 left.  Less than a minute later, Zielinski's fourth goal with Manheim up a man tied the game at 7-7.  Another NA penalty allowed Manheim to take the lead on yet another man-up goal by Danny Wertz from 15 yards away.  Dubois scored again on a two-on-one rush to push the lead to 9-7 with 4:17 left in the quarter.  Zelinski made the Tigers pay with another man-up goal with 1:59 left as Manheim took a 10-7 lead.  Rob Wertz finished off the Blue Streak scoring in the quarter on an assist by Zielinski to give MT an 11-7 advantage going into the final period.  Manheim scored the final six goals of the period.

Faber got the Tigers off to a good start in the fourth quarter when he won the face off and raced in to score just six seconds into the quarter as the Tigers cut the lead to 11-8.  Four minutes later, Wirth cut across the middle to score as NA got within two at 11-9.  Zielinski had the answer with a blistering shot from ten yards away as he scored his sixth goal and restore a three-goal lead at 12-9 with 5:24 left.  Once again after an NA time out, the Tigers rallied.  Eck tallied his third goal on a Wirth assist to make it a 12-10 game.  Just sixteen seconds later, Eck put in a rebound of a shot by Faber to cut the lead to 12-11.  With 1:42 left, junior midfield Zach Uhler scored with Mills picking up the assist as the Tigers tied the score at 12-12.  The Tigers had scored three goals in just 36 seconds.  Neither team scored in the remainder of regulation time sending the game into overtime.

Both teams had chances early in the overtime period, but NA junior goalie Chris Rullan and MT goalie Chris Gorham made key saves to keep the game tied.  The Blue Streaks got the game winner when NA triple teamed Zielinski who dropped the ball to Baron on the right side.  Baron was able to score the game winner to give Manheim Township an exciting 13-12 victory.

Both teams played aggressively throughout the contest.  Zielinski was the key for the Blue Streaks scoring six goals and adding four assists.  For his efforts at bringing the Tigers back in the game thanks to key faceoff wins, the North Allegheny Sports Network named Brian Faber as the NA Player of the Game.

With the loss, the NA overall record fell to 9-1.  The Tigers will travel to Peters Township on Sunday afternoon for a 4:00 pm non-division contest.

Photo Gallery

GAME SUMMARY
MANHEIM TOWNSHIP - 13  NORTH ALLEGHENY - 12

INDIVIDUAL SCORING

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TIGERS HOLD OFF SHADY SIDE ACADEMY, 10-7

by Ron Zrebiec

The Tiger bus arrived late at Shadyside Academy, but the team came off the bus and ran onto the fully dressed and ready to play.  When the dust had cleared, the Tigers came away with a hard-earned 10-7 victory.  Junior attack Grady Wirth and senior attack Adam Mills scored three goals each to pace NA.  Freshman Michael Eck pitched in with a pair of goals for the winning Tigers.

The first stanza saw a defensive struggle as the teams tested each other. Shadyside scored first but Wirth answered a few minutes later and evened things up at the horn. NA scoring continued in the second as Eck took a pass from Ben Sorek and zipped is past the Shady net minder to put the Tigers  ahead. Shadyside answered but the Tigers went on a four goal run and never trailed again. Wirth started the run on a feed from Eck followed by a solo performance from Zack Uhler. Wirth then returned the favor as he set up Eck for the man-up tally. Mills finished the run on a helper from Eck. Wirth and Eck combined on another tally but it was waved off on a crease violation. Shadyside scored again on a man up opportunity before the half as the teams took a break with the Tigers up 6-3.

Ryan Worsena opened the half on a feed from Wirth and Shadyside answered to keep the teams 3 goals apart. Mills answered with two tallies on helpers from Eck and Sorek. Shadyside then ran off three scores including one with a man advantage to close the gap to two goals but the Tigers finished off their opponent on a goal by Wirth, assisted by Mills, ending the contest at 10-7.

Kenny Hughes and Brian Faber won 13 0f 20 face offs to give the Tigers the possession advantage. Patrick Coleman collected 7 ground balls and Austin Amos led the Tigers with 5 forced errors. Chris Rullan chipped in 11 saves for the afternoon.

The Tigers are home on Thursday against Manheim Township.  The North Allegheny Sports Network will be there to broadcast the game LIVE on the internet beginning with the pre-game show at 7:45 pm.  Game time is scheduled for 8:00 pm.

Photo Gallery

GAME SUMMARY
NORTH ALLEGHENY - 10  SHADY SIDE ACADEMY - 7

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TIGERS CONTINUE TO ROLL WITH 14-6 VICTORY OVER FOX CHAPEL

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The Tigers traveled to St. Vincent's College on Saturday afternoon to meet Fox Chapel in a non-division contest.  NA downed the Foxes, 14-6, to remain unbeaten on the season.

With the win, the Tigers improved their overall record to 8-0.  NA will resume division play tomorrow afternoon when they visit Shady Side Academy for a 4:30 pm game.

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TIGERS KNOCK OFF BETHEL PARK, 12-8,
IN BATTLE OF UNBEATENS

by Ron Zrebiec

Senior attack Adam Mills and junior attack Grady Wirth scored two goals each to lead the Tigers to a 12-8 victory at Bethel Park on Wednesday night.  Mills came out early and zipped one past the Bethel Park net minder to open the scoring as the Tigers took on the Hawks at Bethel Park Stadium. The rest of the period went mostly to Bethel Park as they added three tallies and looked like they were on a roll to pad their lead even more. However, with less than 30 ticks left in the first, Wirth ripped a sidewinder that found pay dirt and trimmed the BP lead to one as the period ended. The Hawks answered half way through the second to run the advantage back to two goals and looking to stretch their unbeaten mark from five to six games. The Tigers were also looking to pad their unbeaten streak and decided to get serious as Mills added another followed by Wirth’s second on a feed from Ben Sorek. Finally, Zack Uhler wound up the scoring in the half on a tick tack feed form Wirth. The Tigers led by one at the half.

The half time adjustment must have had some magic in it as the Tigers came out of the  locker room and added three goals in a little over two minutes. Wirth led the run on a quick touch feed from Michael Eck and was followed just 10 seconds later by an unassisted goal from Mike Ranallo. Kenny Hughes completed the Run with an unassisted tally of his own, putting the Tigers up by four. Bethel added one to tighten the margin by one but  Eck hit the twine with 5 second to go in the third on a helper from Ryan Worsena and the Tigers closed out the third with the score 9-5 in their favor.

The final frame was a see-saw battle with Eck adding another with an assist from Wirth. Brian Faber finally ripped one in from the top of the key with a helper from Eck. Scott Relic ended the barrage with a final tally with just over 30 seconds left to put the Tigers on top 12 to 8 as the game ended. The Tigers continued their winning streak while ending bethel Parks run at five.

Brian Faber was outstanding in the face off circle winning 16 of 19 to give the Tigers a huge advantage in possessions. The Tigers went 2 for 4 with a man up advantage and added an unusual tally while they were short handed in the first. Bethel Park showed why they were undefeated up until this contest with 3 goals in 7 tries with the man up advantage. Patrick Coleman led the Tigers in the forced error category with seven tallies and Faber was the ground ball champ with eleven pick-ups. Goaltender Andrew Rullan posted eight saves in the contest.

The win kept NA unbeaten with a record of 7-1 while Bethel Park fell to 5-1.  The Tigers travel to St Vincent’s College on Saturday to take on Fox chapel in a non-division contest.  Game time is scheduled for 1:00 pm.

GAME SUMMARY
NORTH ALLEGHENY - 12  BETHEL PARK - 8

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WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA SCHOLASTIC LACROSSE ASSOCIATION

Once again, the Tigers will play in the Western Pennsylvania Scholastic Lacrosse Association (WPSLA).  NA plays in Division I along with eleven other teams.  The top four teams in each of the Division I sections will qualify for the playoffs.

WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA SCHOLASTIC LACROSSE ASSOCIATION
DIVISION ALIGNMENT - DIVISION I (12 TEAMS)

Any questions or comments should be directed to Athletic Director Bob Bozzuto at:  bbozzuto@northallegheny.org