Probably
one of the most prolific, consistent teams in PIHA, the Harrisburg
Lunatics took to the floor for round one divisional semi-final
playoffs at home in the Susquehanna Sports Center, Lemoyne, Pa.
against the Potomac Mavericks who have been remarkably outstanding
considering it is their inaugural season in the league. The
Lunatics, an original team in PIHA throughout the years has been
invariable in their style of play. Always having a quick,
stifling defense that swarm and smother puck carriers, it is often
tough to find open rink to develop offensively against them.
When they attack your net, it is quick, sure passing and hard
skating, but what many never notice is their unselfish play.
They are remarkably balanced in scoring as well. The entire
squad is double digit scorers, with a near split in goals and
assists. A disciplined team that is one of the leagues least
penalized and one of its finest on special teams, they can break
an opponent’s spirits quickly. All of this was visible
Saturday night, May 3 in playoff action.
The arena was hopping and
loud, and everyone on hand felt the electricity that was
generating. In game one the puck dropped and thirty seconds
into action the Mavericks Kevin Donavan streaked past that
normally rigid defense on a pass from Mavericks point leader Brian
Fleury to snipe a goal past one of PIHA’s top goalies Jason
Rohrbach. This was a reality check for the Lunatics and
their fans. This is not regular season. This is for
keeps. You win games tonight or you don’t return to play
until December for 2009. This unlocked the straight-jacket
from the Lunatics who seemed like they were now hard wired for a
game of hockey. Tics Scott Miller and Steve Yingling, both
veterans since PIHA began, set the puck onto Scott Gartzke’s
stick and doing some of his own shooting magic he picked the
Maverick net past keeper Kyle Shrauger. With the game now
quickly tied, Tic star rookie Cory Volchko off a beautiful feed
from Jason Allen scored a minute and a half later giving the
Lunatics the green light to go stark, crazy mad. Volchko
scored 4 minutes later when he received a pass from defenseman
Kevin Hollenbush. Exactly a minute later and Gartzke scored
his second also from Hollenbush and forty one seconds after
Volchko, now with a hat trick, buried a pass from Allen again.
A penalty by Potomac put the Lunatics powerplay on the rink and
Gartzke nailed another goal and his hat trick too from Yingling
and Jay Mazer to give the Tics a 6-1 halftime lead.
The
Second half of the game saw a change in goaltending for the
Mavericks who put Girard Ordway in to defend the pipes. But
it was more of the same with a goal by Lunatics power forward
Shawn Powell assisted by Volchko and Matt Matincheck.
The
Mavericks scored a second goal at this point from Pat Giesecke on
a set by John Vu. The Tics wrapped things up with a goal by
Allen from Nick Pappas, and another from Powell off a Miller dish.
The Lunatics win the first game 9-2.
In
game two it was Maverick’s Ordway in net again, but this time it
was the Tics who scored first by Volchko from Matincheck.
The game then became a stalemate as both team’s goalies,
Rohrbach and Ordway put on a puck stopping clinic. It
wasn’t until the 7:35 of the second half when Donovan had his
second of the evening to tie the contest for the Mavericks who
were now finding some life. The standoff continued to
overtime.
A
minute exactly into OT, Shawn Powell broke free up the rink and
fired a blister over the left side blocker of Ordway and into the
net while the Sports Center went absolutely nuts in celebration!
The Tics win game two 2-1 in OT, and sweep the Mavericks from the
post season play to advance to the Division Championships next
Saturday May 10, in Harrisburg versus the Pittsburgh Bandits.
This was not the only
playoff action in the building however. The PIHA minor
league playoffs have begun as well, and played just prior to the
pro event. The first place Harrisburg Ragin Lunatics were to
face the Waldorf (Md.) Knights who like the Mavericks are also
enjoying post play in their first year instatement to PIHA.
The Ragin Lunatic minor team is filled with veterans who have seen
playoff action before and a handful of highly talented rookies.
The Knights are a fast and relentlessly back-checking team that
can and do cause multiple turnovers to their advantage. The
Knights also are very well coached and discipline play is obvious
by their style. However they needed to get beyond the Ragin
Tics biggest obstacle. Tics goalie Brad Keller, who has been
ironclad throughout the season and is unquestionably the leagues
leading minor league goalie in save percentage, and goals against
average. This night was no different.
In
game one it was a complete standoff in the first period as neither
team could find the twine or establish any sort of rhythm.
But in the second half it was the Ragin Lunatics that drew first
blood a minute and a half in. Last years PIHA minor league
leading scorer Zack Rohrbach scored his first tally on a long bomb
rink length pass to give him the breakaway one on one with Knights
All-Star goalie Trevor Nau. Rohrbach scored again minutes
later from rookie and second leading team scorer for the Tics
Randy Shutt. Rookie forward David Sheppard hammered away a
goal on a pass from Josh Murphy and the hat trick goal from
Rohrbach unassisted put the game at 4-0 Ragin Lunatics. The
Knights added a goal from All-Star Patrick Clark just before the
buzzer sounded at one second remaining. Ragin Lunatics win
game one 4-1.
The minor
league playoff game two began with a Knight goal fifty seven
seconds in, by Pete Bartolomeo from a nice assist by Matt
Whitehead. The Lunatics returned fire when Eric Bess rifled
one from Stauffer into the Knights goal. The game now tied
it was the Lunatics taking the lead as Rookie Cameron Norman took
his pass from Ben Predix and put it away. But the Knights
were relentless as always and tied it yet again when Dan Knight
took a Justin Beam feed and found daylight past the penurious
Lunatic netminder in a powerplay goal for the Knights.
Josh
Murphy regained the lead just before the first half on a lovely
pass from Norman when he cranked one by. The second half was
an unassisted goal for the Tics when Stauffer took a shot and put
it into net for a two goal lead. But the Knights put on the
full press and took to attacking the Ragin Tic net. With a
minute and a half remaining it paid off when Whitehead scored to
pull it within a goal. The Ragin Tics did a lockdown on the
remaining time and kept the Knight pursuit to tie at bay.
Harrisburg Ragin Lunatics win game two 4-3 and advance to the
Division Championship Finals next weekend May 10. They will
face either the Harmarville Bandits or the Mount Pleasant Inferno
at home in Harrisburg, in a best of three game series just prior
to their big brother pro Lunatics!
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