8 hours Ago By Don Rebel
The spotlight shines on four area high school hockey teams as they play for gold around their neck and the chance to raise the Penguins Cup on St. Patrick’s Day. The 2025 PIHL high school hockey championship are set with the Class 3A and Class A titles to be decided at the UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex in Cranberry with both games video streamed on Trib HSSN.
The first game will decide the PIHL 3A Penguins Cup championship as top-seeded Seneca Valley (15-5-2-0) battles No. 7 South Fayette (9-9-3-1) at 6:15 p.m.
The Raiders defeated Pine-Richland in the PIHL quarterfinals and needed overtime to get past Upper St. Clair in the semifinals, 3-2. Junior defensemen Carter Hoehn scored the OT game-winner for Seneca Valley, which also got two goals from John Sroka.
The Lions have played the role of Cinderella in this year’s 3A postseason, first knocking off No. 2 Mt. Lebanon in the quarterfinals, 6-1, then upending North Allegheny in the semifinals, 4-2.
Trevor Dalessandro scored twice for South Fayette while goaltender Jackson Ankrum stopped 30 of the 32 NA shots on goal. Seneca Valley finished 15 points ahead of South Fayette in the regular season. The two teams played twice in the regular season with each team winning one-goal games.
The Lions won the first contest in early December, 4-3, and then the Raiders won the second game in February, 4-3. Seneca Valley is trying to win its second Penguins Cup and first since 2018, while South Fayette is also going for hockey title No. 2 after the Lions won the PIHL 2A championship in 2023.
Will the luck of the Irish me smiling on green wearing South Fayette? Battle of dark horses They weren’t long shots when the PIHL Penguins Cup Class A playoffs began, but few expected No. 5 against No. 3 in the hockey championship game.
However, that is how it has played out in Class A as No. 5 Mars (19-3-1-0) takes on No. 3 Avonworth (17-3-0-2) at 8:45 p.
m. Monday. The Fightin’ Planets blanked Meadville in the first round, 9-0, edged Shaler in the quarterfinals, 5-4, then stunned top seed and previously undefeated Chartiers Valley in the semifinals, 3-2.
Gavin Stevenson scored in the third period to tie the game, then teammate Xavier Bossola tallied the game-winner late in regulation for the Mars upset win. The Antelopes have scored six goals in each of their three wins in the PIHL postseason. They defeated Blackhawk in the first round, 6-1, edged Quaker Valley in the quarterfinals, 6-5, and then eclipsed Moon in the semifinals, 6-2.
In the semis, Austin Dzadovsky scored twice while Randy Bevan and Jack Dolan each had a goal and an assist. Mars swept Avonworth in the two regular season meetings, winning in October, 5-2, and again in February, 6-3. The Fightin’ Planets, who won three straight Class A Penguins Cups between 2009-11, are trying to raise their fifth high school hockey title and first since 2015.
The Antelopes have never won a PIHL high school hockey championship. Clash of the champions While two high school hockey champions will be decided on the ice, two reigning champions go head-to-head on the softball diamond Monday afternoon. Defending 5A district champion Armstrong will host last spring’s 6A winner, Seneca Valley at 3:45 p.
m. The Riverhawks were the top seed in the 5A playoffs and defeated Western Beaver (9-5), Connellsville (4-1) and Penn-Trafford (8-6 in 8 innings) before rolling past Thomas Jefferson in the 5A finals, 9-3. Armstrong, which finished 19-4, was led by 2024 graduate Emma Paul.
The Raiders were the No. 2 seed in the 6A tournament and needed only two victories, over Canon-McMillan in the semifinals (7-1) and Norwin in the 6A title game (4-3 in 8 innings) to secure the program’s fourth WPIAL championship and second in three years. Seneca Valley ended up going 22-2 thanks to the pitching and hitting of current senior Lexie Hames.
This is the season opener for both Armstrong and Seneca Valley. Tags: Armstrong , Avonworth , Mars , Seneca Valley , South Fayette.
