Welcome to Hockey’s Headwaters, your place to keep track of Pittsburgh born and trained hockey players skating out of town. Here is Hockey’s Headwaters for week ending Dec. 11.
HEADWATERS PLAYER OF THE WEEK
McKees Rocks native Matt Skoff did not take long to impress the Florida Everblades faithful, turning his first start with the team into a 30-save shutout on Friday evening. The former Pittsburgh Hornets and Penn State netminder stood tall, leading the team to a 1-0 victory over the Elmira Jackals.
The road to Florida was an interesting one for Skoff. After finishing his season with Penn State last spring, Skoff caught on with the ECHL’s Reading Royals and played two games. He parlayed that performance into a training camp invite with the AHL’s Chicago Wolves. But Skoff was unable to earn an AHL job coming out of camp and had to be patient to get another opportunity.
The Everblades, who lost Daniel Altshuller to a call-up, were in need and snapped up Skoff on Nov. 23. Skoff joined former Penn State teammate Eric Scheid, Adam Brace and Chase Golightly (Robert Morris) and Alexander Kuqali (Pittsburgh) as players with local connections on the team, which plays in Estero, Florida on the southwest coast.
The 25-year-old holds a myriad of Penn State records, including starting the first game of the Nittany Lions’ Division I existence and registering the program’s first Big Ten win.
Here’s whats going on in the rest of the hockey world:
Anaheim Ducks goaltender John Gibson recorded two wins last week, including a win over Carolina in which he stopped 21-of-22 shots. The former Pittsburgh Hornet currently has a 10-7-4 record on the season and sports a .908 save percentage.
Zac Lynch, a 2016 Hobey Baker finalist for Robert Morris, started to warm up last week, and that led to a hot streak with two goals and three assists over two games this week. Lynch is riding a four-game point streak that includes a three-game goal scoring streak. … Fellow 2016 Colonials alum David Friedmann netted two for Fort Wayne on Tuesday.
Valencia native Ty Loney registered two goals and four assists for Adirondack. … South Carolina forward Patrick Gaul (Pittsburgh Hornets) had five points for South Carolina, while teammate and Greensburg native Dylan Margonari stayed consistent, scoring two goals and adding an assist against Greenville on Friday.
Last week’s Hockey Headwaters Player of the Week Dalton Hunter carried that momentum into this week was promoted to Youngstown of the USHL and the right winger picked up right where he left off in Johnstown. The Greensburg native scored a goal in his first game with the Phantoms.
The Amarillo Bulls received production from several Pittsburgh area players, paced by two goals from Moon Twp. native Brendan Walkom, and goals from Jonathan Dagnal (Peters Twp.) and Luke Egerton (Penguins Elite). … Mars alum Paul Maust added a goal and two assists for the Wilkes-Barre/ Scranton Knights.
