Shell-shocked
WARRENDALE — The Butler hockey team came into its first-round PIHL playoff game Tuesday night on a red-hot streak.
The Golden Tornado were quickly cooled by North Allegheny on the Baierl ice.
As in chilled to absolute zero.
The North Allegheny barrage started early and didn't let up for a little more than a period of play. By the time the slush settled, the Tigers had a 7-1 lead and shell shocked Butler couldn't recover in an 8-3 loss in the PIHL Class AAA playoffs.
“Maybe a lack of mental preparation,” said Butler coach Cory Sakolsky when trying to find an explanation for the poor start. “Some things you can't coach. We can take fault for a lot of things, but when it comes down to drive and desire to win, that goes somewhere else, in my opinion.”
It took North Allegheny (12-7) just three minutes and two shots on goal to get on the board.
Will Parreaguirre wristed a shot past Butler goalie Conor Strobel to give the Tigers a quick 1-0 lead.
Things got worse for the Golden Tornado.
Much worse.
North Allegheny scored a short-handed goal six minutes later on a breakaway by Aaron Miller and then continued the first-period onslaught with a goal off the stick of Christopher Hanlon on a rebound to make it 3-0 just 11 minutes into the game.
It took less than a minute for NA to score again on an unassisted goal by Collin O'Neil.
The Tigers at that point had six shots and four goals.
“We had a very good effort from the guys tonight,” said North Allegheny coach Mike Bagnato. “I knew we were ready to go.”
NA wasn't done.
The Tigers put up another goal with just 37 seconds left in the first period by Haden Shimko — the fifth player to tally a goal — to make it 5-0.
And Butler was in a glacier-sized hole.
The Tornado actually outshot the Tigers in the first period, 11-9.
Frustration bubbled over for Butler in the second period.
Two Butler skaters picked up minor penalties early in the second, giving NA a 5-on-3 advantage.
The Tigers took advantage with a nifty backhanded goal by Hanlon for a 6-0 lead.
Penalties were a big part of the night for the Tornado, who racked up 52 penalty minutes and three game misconducts.“The biggest thing for us was to not get caught up in the (chippiness), Bagnato said. “They ride a fine line over there.”“You saw how that game ended,” Sakolsky added. “It comes down to heart.”Ronan Miller got Butler on the scoreboard with a goal six minutes into the second period.But NA responded less than a minute later with a goal by Tyler Putnam between the pads of Butler's second goalie of the night, Nick Farmerie, for a 7-1 lead.Butler, though, wouldn't go quietly.Butler notched a short-handed goal off the stick of Andrew Kline and then late in the period scored again on a goal by Connor Bachman to make it 7-3 after two periods.The Golden Tornado had a little life.“That second-period break was good for us,” Bagnato said.The Tigers tacked on an insurance goal with eight minutes remaining on a rebound by Aaron Miller, who had two goals and two assists for NA.Butler outshot NA in the loss, 36-25.
