League News

By Joe Sager, PIHL Network

NORTH PARK – As the temperature dropped, Trevor Handlovitch and Moon only got hotter.

Handlovitch scored four goals Friday night as the Tigers pulled away for a 5-2 win over North Hills at North Park in the Fifth Annual PIHL Hockey Outdoor Charity Series. All proceeds from the game benefited the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.

“It was a lot of fun. I have never done anything like that. For it to be snowing, it really was a winter classic,” Handlovitch said. “Really, we didn’t care if we won. Winning is nice, but just to play out here is a lot of fun. Raising money for diabetes is very good and knowing we came out with a winning effort is even better.”

Handlovitch, a junior forward, got Moon (6-5) on the scoreboard 3:04 into the game right after his squad killed off a penalty.

The Tigers went up, 2-0, with 4:11 remaining in the first when Handlovitch connected for a power-play goal off A.J. Coleman’s assist.

North Hills (2-10) sliced the deficit in half with three second left in the first period on Tyler Heiserl’s power-play goal. He was able to chip a rebound off Mike Punzak’s shot over the goaltender just before the horn sounded.

Handlovitch struck for another early goal in the second period – this time 3:09 into the frame. Josh Bioni’s long stretch pass sprung Handlovitch on a breakaway and he flipped the puck into the net for a 3-1 lead.

The Indians, in their first outdoor game appearance, almost netted their second goal later in the second, but Jake Lydon’s shot rang off the near post. On the same man-advantage, North Hills converted as Heiserl’s wrister sliced the deficit to 3-2 with 5:02 on the clock.

In the third, Josh Bioni made the Indians pay on a two-man advantage as he wristed a shot inside the far post for a power-play goal and a 4-2 Moon lead with 9:52 to play, which wiped out North Hills’ momentum.

“Sometimes, you wish they don’t do the ice cut between the second and third because we started to adjust to the snow and the bad ice conditions because we’ve been practicing out here for a while in the snow. It was working in our favor for a little bit,” North Hills coach Brandon Dudt-Mulzet said. “It doesn’t matter how your season’s going. We were 2-9 and they were .500 and, because of the playing conditions, it evens the field a little bit. That, in itself, is kind of nice with the environment and having everybody’s friends and family coming out to support us has really been nice for us.”

The Indians had a chance to trim the deficit to 4-3 later in the period with a scramble in front of Moon’s goal, but the Tigers were able to clear the puck and thwart the threat.

Handlovitch put the game away with 2:37 remaining when A.J. Coleman’s pass sent him on a another breakaway he converted.

“By the end of the second, they were in it with us,” Handlovitch said. “We came out in the third and just got it done. It was a good team effort. All around, we just played well.”

The Tigers hope to continue their momentum down the season’s stretch run to improve their playoff standing.

“We’re happy with where we are right now. We’re heading in the right way,” Moon coach Scott Kubatka said. “This was a great experience; it’s something the kids are never going to forget. The weather was awesome – not really for the coaches, we were freezing in it – but the players loved it. Tervor was huge for us, too. He was ready to play. He stepped up in the environment. When his head is in it, he is one of our top players. We’re real proud of him.”

The Indians, back in the varsity level after a year hiatus, hope to rebound and challenge for one of the PIHL’s 10 Class AA Penguins Cup playoff spots. Currently, they’re on the outside looking in for the postseason.

“We’re right on the fringe of that 10th and final spot. We have nine games left and six of them are against teams that are under .500 pretty much,” Dudt-Mulzet said. “It’s a good opportunity for us. We’ve seen progression. Everybody’s getting better. Week after week, we’re really starting to pick up the pace.”