Falcons roll through PIHL quarterfinals, 7-2
Jim Downey | Herald-Standard
Connellsville’s Sebastian Skarzenski (31) makes a save during the second period of Tuesday’s PIHL Division 2 quarterfinal against Carrick at The Ice Mine. The Falcons advanced to the semifinals with a 7-2 win.
Jim Downey | Herald-Standard
Connellsville’s Timothy Pisula (11) shoots the puck into an empty net after taking a pass from teammate Milan Deffibaugh (4) in the third period of Tuesday’s PIHL Division 2 quarterfinal against Carrick.
Jim Downey | Herald-Standard
Connellsville’s Ryan Brown (70) stickhandles through the Carrick defense in the first period of Tuesday’s PIHL Division 2 quarterfinal against Carrick at The Ice Mine.
Jim Downey | Herald-Standard
Connellsville goalie Sebastian Skarzenski juggles the puck before making a glove save on a shot by Carrick’s Jacob Fetzer during the second period of Tuesday’s PIHL Division 2 quarterfinal at The Ice Mine. Skarzenski and the Falcons won 7-2.
Jim Downey | Herald-Standard
Carrick’s Jack Jones (38) makes sure Connellsville’s Nic Capuzzi (28) is unable to set up in front of goalie Sean Dugan (70) during the first period of Tuesday’s PIHL Division 2 quarterfinal at The Ice Mine.
Jim Downey | Herald-Standard
Connellsville’s Ryan Brown finds open ice in the first period of Tuesday’s PIHL Division 2 quarterfinal against Carrick at The Ice Mine.
Jim Downey | Herald-Standard
Connellsville’s Gregory Hensh is checked into the boards by Carrick’s Alexander Ganovsky (86) as Hensh attempts to carry the puck into the offensive zone in the first period of Tuesday’s PIHL Division 2 quarterfinal at The Ice Mine.
Jim Downey | Herald-Standard
Connellsville’s Ryan Brown carries the puck into the offensive zone in the first period of Tuesday’s PIHL Division 2 quarterfinal against Carrick at The Ice Mine in Leisenring.
Jim Downey | Herald-Standard
Connellsville’s Michael McKitrick (48) carries the puck across the blue line as the linesman indicates the play is onside during the first period of Tuesday’s PIHL Division 2 quarterfinal against Carrick at The Ice Mine.
Jim Downey | Herald-Standard
Connellsville goalie Sebastian Skarzenski tracks the puck after Carrick’s Jacob Fetzer fired a shot during the second period of Tuesday’s PIHL Division 2 quarterfinal at The Ice Mine.
LEISENRING — The Falcons executed Connellsville coach Ray Brown’s game plan as he and his staff drew it up Tuesday night, leading to a 7-2 victory over visiting Carrick in the PIHL Division 2 quarterfinals at The Ice Mine.
The Falcons advance to the semifinals Monday against Burrell at the RMU Island Sports Center at 7:15 p.m. Ringgold plays Neshannock in the other semifinal with a 9:15 p.m. scheduled start.
The last time Connellsville played Carrick the Falcons, without Sebastian Skarzenski in net, dropped a 5-1 decision on the road.
Skarzenski was in net this time around and the Falcons made sure the Raiders were not able to build any momentum.
Only one penalty was called in the first period, and Connellsville’s power play made the most of the opportunity.
Dane Heckmann was off for tripping Ryan Brown at 3:19 of the first period and the Falcons’ power play needed 46 seconds to convert when Nic Capuzzi beat Carrick goalie Sean Dugan. Alexander Gesk and Luke Wascak assisted.
Connellsville’s second goal was a direct result of the game plan enacted by the coaching staff when Ryan Brown forced a turnover in the offensive zone to score an unassisted goal at 13:51.
“Our game plan was to use our speed. We executed our forecheck well. We slowed them down in the neutral zone,” said Brown. “We wanted to keep the play in front of us on defense. We needed to stop their north-south game. We were intercepting their passes so they couldn’t get their game going.
“We got the puck behind their defense. We put pressure on them.”
The Falcons increased their lead to 3-0 early in the second period when Travis Sipple converted assists by Ryan Brown and Gregory Hensh.
Carrick pulled closer at 10:15 when Jacob Fetzer’s shot beat Skarzenski on the glove side, but Connellsville regained its three-goal lead when Michael McKitrick answered 95 seconds later for a 4-1 advantage. Hensh and Ryan Brown assisted on the goal.
“The next goal, the fourth one, would be the back-breaker,” Ray Brown said of the time after Fetzer’s goal. “(When McKitrick made the score 4-1), that deflated them. You could see the heads drop and their body language (change). They went through the motions for a little bit.”
Play was decidedly rougher in the second period with two minor penalties called on the Falcons and four on the Raiders.
“We have more hockey to play. Just walk away from it,” commented Brown, on his team’s response to Carrick’s undisciplined play.
Some deft stickhandling and a nifty pass led the Connellsville’s fifth goal four minutes into the third period. Milan Deffibaugh carried the puck down the left side of the offensive zone, pulling Carrick goalie Sean Dugan out of position. Deffibaugh then passed the puck across to Timothy Pisula, who easily deposited the puck into the vacated net.
The announcement of Pisula’s goal was interrupted when Jeffrey Golembiewski converted Alexander Gesk’s pass into a 6-1 lead just 38 seconds after Pisula’s tally.
Carrick slowed the momentum a bit with Nicholas Cindrich’s goal at 9:01, but the Falcons continued the pressure. Gesk capped the scoring with his goal at 12:48. Capuzzi assisted on the goal.
Connellsville peppered Dugan with 41 shots with the Carrick netminder turning aside 34 shots. Skarzenski made 21 saves on 23 shots, including a couple nifty glove saves in the second period.
The last time Burrell and Connellsville played, the Falcons defeated the Bucs, 6-2, handing Burrell its lone loss of the season in the Bucs’ season finale.
“Both of us will come buzzing at each other. We know we can beat them and they know in the back of their head we can beat them,” said Brown.
Brown and the Falcons played before a large, vocal crowd.
“This has to be the biggest crowd we’ve had. I can’t remember this many people,” praised Ray Brown. “The atmosphere was fantastic.”