CANONSBURG, Pa. — Bethel Park used a stellar defensive effort and timely offensive opportunities to defeat Canon-McMillan 4-2 in the rematch of the 2019 St. Margaret Tournament final at Printscape Arena on Tuesday night.
The Black Hawks opened the scoring with 5:49 remaining in the opening stanza as Luke McLinden fired a shot through traffic that beat Mario Eafrati. The period set the tone for a physical matchup, as both Joshua Ko and Liam O’Donoghue were knocked from the game after absorbing heavy checks from their opponents.
Canon-McMillan fired back early in the second, and a heads up play by Logan Ford to shoot a pass on net under extreme pressure paid off as the senior tied the contest at one a-piece. Bethel Park didn’t take long to regain the lead, as Christian Strang found the back of the net 24 seconds later. Sean Maerkle extended the lead to 3-1 with 2:10 remaining in the period.
Josh Hrip’s highlight-reel worth drive to the net in the early stages of the third gave the Big Macs life once again, as the senior wove through the defense, cutting from his backhand to the forehand and lifting the puck over Dominic Zevola. The decision to pull Eafrati with over 4:40 and curfew coming up lead the Black Hawks to scoring a goal late, as a scramble around the empty cage led to a goal by Tommy Eiter.
The game ended on curfew with 4:02 remaining in the final frame.
Zevola stopped 18 of 20 in the victory for Bethel Park, Eafrati stopped 31 of 34.
UP NEXT
Bethel Park (2-1) heads back to Spencer Family YMCA for a 9:00 p.m. matchup with Seneca Valley on Oct. 24. Canon-McMillan faces Mt. Lebanon on Oct. 21 at the Mt. Lebanon Ice Center. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:10 p.m.
