Sweet Revenge: Indians Defeat Big Macs in Thriller

Ah, sweet rivalry.

Every time that the Peters Township Indians and the Canon-Mac Big Macs face off, there is sure to be some fireworks. Monday night’s game certainly was no disappointment, ending with a Peters Township 5-3 victory.

The Indians entered the game, hungry for revenge, still tasting the that Canon-Mac handed them earlier this season. The first place Big Macs found themselves the visitors on their home ice, looking to defend their top spot in the standings.

The opening drop of the puck brought anxiety and aggressiveness. Both teams scrambled for loose pucks, looked to make big hits and looked to make big plays. The result? Sloppiness. Each squad buzzed around the ice, but neither side really seemed to be flowing as a team.

Less than a minute and a half into the game, the Big Macs’ Zack McKown received a high-sticking penalty. The power play unit for PT struggled for the first minute of the power play. However, Trevor Recktenwald skated with the puck into the offensive zone and fired a shot past Canon-Mac goalie Ryan Christian to make the score 1-0. The goal was the first Indian opportunity of the night.

After the goal, PT became more focused and fluent. Canon-Mac remained slightly out of sorts. However, it had speed on its side. The Big Macs used speed all night to their advantage, blowing up and down the ice and to loose pucks. McKown, fresh out of the box, answered PT’s goal with one of his with 11:25 in the period.

A key factor to last night was the hitting aspect. Both sides dished out some hefty hits, but the Indians won the physical game. The Big Macs definitely had their fair share of big checks (specifically both of the Tonkovich boys), it just seemed that all too often they were trying to match a recent Indian check. The Indians saw great physical play from Aaron McDonough, Brad Tylenda, Taylor Cox and Recktenwald, but especially from sophomore Josef Kittelberger. Kittelberger used the body to intimidate players all night long, leaving opponents shy to skate in his direction.

Late in the first period, the Indians, who just finished killing a long 5-on-3 penalty, started applying more pressure on Canon-Mac. Shots ricocheted left and right off Christian, PT pounding at the door to regain the lead. Finally, with slightly over four minutes remaining, Davan Groom passed to David Rex who then beautifully one-timed the puck into the back of the net. The goal rejuvenated the squad, and put them ahead 2-1 at the end of the first.

The second period could be summarized in three words: Recktenwald-Groom duo. The two were on fire all night, but specifically in the second. Shortly after McKown’s second goal of the night, Recktenwald answered with his own second goal of the night.

The goal came whilst on the penalty kill. The duo (Groom and Recktenwald) zoomed down the ice together, looking for some shorthanded magic. Recktenwald got a shot off which Christian managed to stop. However, the three seconds that followed may have been the Big Macs biggest mistake of the entire night. The goaltender and his defenseman could not decide whether to play the puck or freeze it and the puck ended up trickling into their own net. Recktenwald was credited with the goal, assist courtesy of Davan Groom.

Still motivated from the score less than 30 seconds ago, Groom decided to send the place berzerk. Taking a pass from senior Jake Brown, Groom carried the puck into the offensive zone. He skated with the puck along the left side of the zone and, when facing defensive pressure, fired a shot at the net. The puck just slipped by Christian, giving the Indians their second goal in less than 30 seconds and a 4-2 lead.

Canon-Mac scored early in the third (J.D. Oddi), immediately proving that it was not just going to roll over. The next several minutes in the period were very interesting to watch. It seemed to be a “one-up” battle. If the Indians made a big hit on the puck carrier, the Big Macs were sure to try and do the same, and vice versa. However, some of these hits landed players in box, shaking their heads at foolish penalties.

Baker played very well throughout the game, but he really shined in the third. Specifically, he made two incredible glove saves, both on breakaways, to keep the score at 4-3. The first was a McKown breakaway, where Baker snagged the puck out of the air just before it crossed his body. Baker, being a lefty, poses a different look than what most opponents are used to.

With under a minute left, the Big Macs emptied their net. Canon-Mac then proceeded to fire a number of shots at Baker, all of which he saved. Finally, the puck slithered out to a streaking Recktenwald. He easily carried the puck all the way to the net, topping of a great, hat trick night.

The win puts the Indians at 3-0 on their current five-game homestand. This was Peters Township's 12th win of the season (now 12-3-3) against the first place Canon-Mac Big Macs (now 16-2-0).

The squad plays again Thursday, Feb. 23 against the new first-place team—Penn-Trafford. If the Indians can pull out a win against them, they can really show that they are strong contenders in the playoffs this year.

Editor's Note: Photos by junior Austin Chappell.