The North Allegheny Tigers beat powerhouse La Salle College High School in the Pennsylvania State Championship game. In a commanding 6-2 victory on Saturday, the Tigers entered the game as the underdogs, overcoming the odds to defeat the defending state champs and three-time consecutive Flyers Cup winners.
A confident and experienced La Salle squad did not hesitate to make their mark on the game, scoring in the first seven minutes, with a goal from Brendan Jaquay. Senior Nicholas Master tallied on a second goal for the Explorers with 53 seconds remaining in the period. North Allegheny went into the first intermission down 2-0.
As if a different team showed up for the second period, the Tigers worked their way back. Senior Joe Griffin scored a natural hat trick in the second period, putting North Allegheny up 3-2. Griffin’s first goal came five minutes into the period, getting North Allegheny started off on the right foot. Scored in spectacular fashion, Griffin weaved through two defensemen, and then slipped the puck passed the La Salle netminder for his second goal nine minutes into the second. Finally, Griffin completed the hat trick with a goal 16 minutes into the second period to give North Allegheny the lead that would win the game.
North Allegheny tallied another three goals in the third period, shutting La Salle out for the second consecutive period. The last two goals were empty netters, including Griffin’s fourth goal of the game. La Salle did not go down easily however, outshooting the Tigers 13-5 in the third period. Junior goalie Bradford Thornburgh shut down the La Salle offense, making 34 saves.
After a long 60 minutes, North Allegheny overcame many difficulties to pull out a huge victory over the defending state champions. The Tigers fought from behind to score six unanswered goals, taking the lead towards the end of the second period and never looking back. North Allegheny battled hard in their much deserved state championship victory.
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