A-K Valley players earn PIHL all-star nods

By: HSSN Staff
Thursday, January 18, 2018 | 10:45 PM

The top hockey talent in the PIHL will gather Jan. 28 at Robert Morris’ Island Sports Center, and Burrell coach Max Rickard said he’s honored to have a front-row seat — or bench in this case — to one of the four all-star games that day.

Rickard, in his first season at the helm of the Burrell squad, will help coach one of the teams in the opening Division 2 game.

“It’s a pretty cool honor,” Rickard said. “It’s all about the kids and letting them have fun. There will be so much talent on the ice. I don’t think there will be too much strategy from the coaches.”

The Division 2 game kicks everything off at 10:45 a.m. Games involving Class A and AA stars will be at 12:45 p.m. and 2:45 p.m., respectively, with the AAA contest capping the day at 4:45 p.m.

The rosters for all four games were announced Wednesday evening and can be found at Tribhssn.triblive.com.

Fifteen players from A-K Valley schools — Burrell, Freeport, Kiski Area, Deer Lakes, Plum and Fox Chapel — were named to teams for the Division 2, Class A and AAA games.

Rickard will coach five from his Bucs squad — forwards Tyler Stewart, Dyland Zelonka and Logan Schoepf and defensemen Bryce Schueler and Nathan Smith.

Stewart, a sophomore, leads all of Division 2 in goals (34) and points (52), and he is second in assists (18) to Connellsville junior Ryan Brown (27).

Zelonka is third in points (31) and third in both goals (14) and assists (17).

“It’s cool to see teammates on the ice in these games,” Rickard said. “It’s also fun to see what other combinations can be put together. There is so much goal-scoring talent, and it’s always tough for a defense, let alone a goalie, to stop all that firepower.”

In the Class A game, Deer Lakes’ Ryan Murdock (forward), Freeport’s Kyle Hazelett (forward) and Slade Ohl (defense), and Kiski Area’s Austin Lapiana (forward) and Mike Eisaman (defense) will team up to take on a squad that includes Fox Chapel forwards Chase Villani and Shane Khrovsky and defenseman Willie Doyle.

Nine players in Class A have 30 or more points, led by Lapiana with 40 on a division-best 26 goals to go along with 14 assists. Villani and Krhovsky are tied for seventh in points with 31 apiece.

A pair of Plum skaters — freshman forward Joseph Costa and junior forward Anthony Adamski — will take part in the AAA game. Costa leads the Mustangs in points with 10 (two goals, eight assists), and Adamski is second with nine (four goals, five assists).

“From Division 2 all the way up to AAA, there is so much top talent in the Pittsburgh area and throughout the region,” Rickard said. “To have all of these guys on the ice at the same time, it’s going to be something special.”

Michael Love is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach him at mlove@tribweb.com or via Twitter @Mlove_Trib.

Tags: Burrell, Deer Lakes, Fox Chapel, Freeport, Kiski School, Plum