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Sports

Peters Township Hockey Ready for Playoffs

Team awaits the outcome of other AA playoff games to determine opponent on Wednesday night.

The only thing the Peters Township varsity hockey team and head coach Rick Tingle know for sure is that they will play at 8:50 p.m. on Wednesday at the Iceoplex at Southpointe.

Beyond that, they may have to wait until later Monday night, possibly Tuesday, to know which team they will play in the second round of the PIHL AA Penguins Cup playoffs.

As the reward for finishing first overall with the best league record, the Indians have a bye as first round play begins for eight brother teams. The only catch? They have to wait and see who falls to whom in the first round.

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“We’ll have to be ready for whomever we get,” said Tingle on Sunday. “We really don’t have the luxury of having a lot of time to prepare for a certain team.”

The Indians will face Moon if the Tigers are successful Monday night in defeating Elizabeth Forward in a game at the Rostraver Ice Garden.

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If Moon loses, then the Indians’ opponent will be determined on Tuesday night, when Pine-Richland hosts Erie Cathedral Prep at the Ice Connection in the North Hills. The Indians would then draw the winner of that game. However a win by Moon Monday would make the Pine-Richland-Cathedral Prep meaningless as far as the Indians are concerned.

Regardless, Tingle is planning to have the Indians on the ice Monday night in a scrimmage with Serra Catholic at the Iceoplex. The Eagles have been perennial winners in the PIHL A division, and should give Peters Township the kind of competition Tingle has been looking for in preparation for the playoffs.

Tingle said he also wants to work with the Indians on some basic drills, power plays, penalty kills and four-on-four situations in order to be ready for the team they face on Wednesday night.

The Indians enter the quest for the Penguins Cup as arguably the hottest team in AA competition. They haven’t lost a game in regulation since November 1, when they lost 2-1 to West Allegheny. Since then they have gone 14-0-1, with the only tie coming on Dec. 9 in a 7-7 tie with Elizabeth Forward.

In the other game at Southpointe on Thursday, Canon-McMillan will play a team yet to be determined in the AAA Penguins Cup playoffs second round at 6:50 p.m.

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