HARMAR Twp., Pa — The Pitt Panthers clinched a playoff berth Friday night with a 4-1 win over rival West Virginia in the latest edition of the Backyard Brawl at Alpha Ice Complex.
Alex Crilley scored the opening goal for the Panthers at the 18:09 mark of the first period. Wyatt Murphy scored on the other side of the first intermission to tie the game at 1-1 for the Mountaineers. It took until the midway point of the third period for the tie to be broken again. Jack Bertolami scored to give Pitt a 2-1 advantage. Milo Defay added an insurance goal with just over two minutes to go and Jacob Tepe put in the empty net goal to seal the 4-1 win and earn Pitt a playoff berth for the third season in a row.
The Panthers also defeated the Mountaineers by the same score on Saturday in Morgantown, sweeping the season series and making it four wins in a row over West Virginia.
MAJOR FOCUS: Pitt clinches playoff berth (FULL GALLERY)
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Weekend scores from around the CHMA:
Thursday, February 7:
DUQUESNE 9, Mercyhurst 4
Friday, February 8:
Slippery Rock 5, TOLEDO 3
IUP 2, Robert Morris 1
WESTERN MICHIGAN 4, John Carroll 3
PITT 4, West Virginia 1
Saturday, February 9:
Pitt 4, WEST VIRGINIA 1
Slippery Rock 5, TOLEDO 4 (OT)
DREXEL 6, Mercyhurst 2
Duquesne 3, WILLIAM PATTERSON 2
WESTERN MICHIGAN 5, John Carroll 0
Sunday, February 10:
WEST CHESTER 8, Mercyhurst 1
DREXEL 4, Duquesne 1
CHMA STANDINGS
The top six teams qualify for the CHMA Tournament (March 1-3 @ Alpha Ice Complex). The top two seeds based on points will receive a first-round bye. No. 3 will play No. 6 and No. 4 will play No. 5. The playoff winner will receive the conference’s automatic bid to the 2019 ACHA National Tournament in Frisco, Texas at the end of March.
x- earned playoff berth
y- clinched first-round bye
CLINCHED:
Pitt clinched a playoff spot with a victory over West Virginia on February 8.
CLINCHING SCENARIOS:
The IUP Hawks can clinch a first-round bye in the playoffs with wins over Slippery Rock on Thursday, February 14 and Duquesne on Saturday, February 16.
Robert Morris clinches a playoff spot with a win over West Virginia on Friday, February 15.
CURRENT MATCHUPS:
Friday, March 1
No. 3 Pitt vs. No. 6 John Carroll
No. 4 Slippery Rock vs. No. 5 Robert Morris
Saturday, March 2
No. 1 IUP vs. (LOWEST REMAINING SEED)
No. 2 Duquesne vs. (HIGHEST REMAINING SEED)
Sunday, March 3
CHMA Championship
NOTES:
- IUP holds the head-to-head tiebreaker over Duquesne, defeating the Dukes 5-1 on October 12. The two teams will play again on February 16 at 9:30 PM.
- John Carroll holds the head-to-head tiebreaker over Mercyhurst and West Virginia with one win over each so far this season.
| Team | W | L | OTL | Points | Games Played (Out of 14) | Max Points Possible |
| x-Indiana (PA) | 9 | 2 | 0 | 18 | 11 | 24 |
| x-Duquesne | 9 | 3 | 0 | 18 | 12 | 22 |
| x-Pittsburgh | 8 | 2 | 1 | 17 | 11 | 23 |
| x-Slippery Rock | 8 | 2 | 0 | 16 | 10 | 24 |
| Robert Morris (PA) | 3 | 5 | 3 | 9 | 11 | 15 |
| John Carroll | 3 | 7 | 0 | 6 | 10 | 14 |
| Mercyhurst | 3 | 9 | 0 | 6 | 12 | 10 |
| West Virginia | 1 | 6 | 4 | 6 | 11 | 12 |
UPCOMING CHMA GAMES:
Thursday, February 14:
Slippery Rock @ IUP, 7:10 PM
Friday, February 15:
Duquesne @ John Carroll, 8:10 PM
West Virginia @ Robert Morris, 9:30 PM
Saturday, February 16:
West Virginia @ John Carroll, 6:00 PM
IUP @ Duquesne, 9:30 PM
Robert Morris @ Pitt, 9:20 PM
Check out the ACHA schedule here for upcoming ACHA games.
