Scholastic ice hockey notebook

By Ken Partner

For the Mirror

The scholastic hockey season is in full swing, and Hollidaysburg is distinguishing itself in the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Hockey League's Open Division by pacing Section 3 with a 10-2-0 record.

The Tigers have jumped out to the lead behind solid scoring from upperclassmen and up and coming freshmen. Senior Alex Robertson was leading scoring in the Open Division with 35 points on the strength of 19 goals and 16 assists through games last weekend. Meanwhile, Sam Lafferty, a freshman, was fourth in the scoring race with 29 points, and teammates Macky Power, another freshman, and senior Jake Jones followed him on the list at numbers 17 and 19, respectively.

Tiger freshman goalie Matt Gregory is currently fifth among goalies with 123 saves of 137 shots for an .898 save percentage.

Altoona senior Derek Mathews was number 12 on the list with 20 goals and four assists.

In the Laurel Mountain Hockey League, which began play in early December, Bishop Guilfoyle at 2-0-2 was the only unbeaten team in the league. The Marauders lead the Central Division. Central Cambria, at 3-1-0, fronts the North Division.

In the league scoring race, Central Cambria's Peter Scaglione - with 14 points (four goals, 10 assists) - leads the way. Teammate Cory Myers is second with 12 points (six goals, six assists). Bishop Guilfoyle's Joey Belis and Nate Antesberger are tied for 10th place with seven points each.

Among goalies, Central Cambria's Tim Shoff is third with an .891 save percentage, followed by the Marauders' Zach McConnell with an .872 save percentage.

The LMHL play has been extremely competitive.

For this season the league adopted the "Fair Play" program designed to reward teams which take fewer penalties and to encourage more sportsmanship. Under the program, each team can earn one bonus point for each game played if the team's total penalty minutes do not exceed 16 minutes.

The league had used the system for the past few years in its minor division. So far, it appears to be accomplishing its goal, with average penalty minutes average per team down significantly.

Bishop Guilfoyle's annual Marauder Showcase is set for this Sunday at Galactic Ice. There will be scrimmages from 5-6:20 p.m. and a public skate for all members of the program and their families from 6:30-7:50 p.m. and the J.S. Lavoie Memorial Alumni game at 8 p.m. There is no charge, but a donation will be taken with proceeds going to the St. Vincent DePaul food programs.

Where are they now

Alana Marcinko, a former goalie at Bishop Guilfoyle, has 12 starts for the Union College Dutchwomen and is sporting a .903 save percentage through the team's 18 games in the Eastern College Athletic Conference Division I tier. The freshman goalie has saved 319 of 353 shots she's faced playing against some of the top women's teams in the Northeast. Her team has given up 55 goals this season, but has only been able to score 23.

Kayla Ross, a former player for Altoona Area High School, is playing for Rochester Institute of Technology which is 7-1-2 in the ECAC West. Ross has played in 10 games and has 5 goals and 5 assists for 10 points. She's a freshman.

Bryan Koronowski, Hollidaysburg graduate, playing for Penn State Altoona, is leading team in goal-scoring with 12. The team plays in College Hockey East.

Derek Delozier, a BG graduate, is playing for St. Vincent College. He's credited with a goal and an assist in five games in which he's played. The Polar Bearcats, are also members of College Hockey East. They are 8-2-0 on the season.