In 2011, four players from the Pittsburgh amateur hockey system went in the first three rounds NHL Draft, products of the amateur hockey boom after Mario Lemieux and the Penguins won consecutive Stanley Cups in 1991 and 1992. Liam Walsh, a local 1999 birth year, leads a second wave of Pittsburgh hockey talent raised on Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and the homegrown players now in the NHL. Walsh, a left winger, made the final roster for the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders of the United State ... Read More
PSAC West enjoys big weekend
Six PSAC West teams enjoyed a victory over the weekend, giving the league one of its better performances of the year. Four of those teams improved to 3-0 on the season. As far as standings go, Clarion leads the pack, followed by Gannon, Mercyhurst and Slippery Rock -- all at 3-0. Behind those teams is Cal (2-1), IUP (1-1), Seton Hill (1-2) and Edinboro (0-3). No. 14 Slippery Rock 75, Millersville 0 The highly-potent offense of Slippery Rock led to 75 points and 553 total yards of offense ... Read More
Beau Bennett off to strong start in crucial season
Sidney Crosby skated with newly acquired right winger Phil Kessel at the Pittsburgh Penguins training camp over the weekend, forming a combination expected to dominate the NHL in the upcoming season, but another roster fixture paired with new member of the team stuck out during the drills at the UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex in Cranberry Township. Beau Bennett, a fragile, underperforming forward, gelled with Nick Bonino, the probable third line center acquired via trade in the offseason. Bennett ... Read More
Tyler Boyd named ACC Wide Receiver of the Week
Despite suffering their first loss of the season on Saturday, Pitt junior wide receiver Tyler Boyd had a big night. A night big enough that saw him named the ACC’s Wide Receiver of the Week on Monday. Boyd, who often saw double coverage from a tough Iowa defense, finished the night with 10 receptions for 131 yards. He also hauled in a game-tying touchdown catch with 52 seconds left. Boyd came up big when the Panthers needed him the most. Moving the ball mostly through the air on their ... Read More
Steelers Report Card: Grading Steelers after Week 2 win vs. 49ers
The Pittsburgh Steelers needed a win on Sunday and got one in a big fashion, defeating the San Francisco 49ers 43-18. For a change there was very little to complain about on either side of the football. How did the Steelers grade out at each position? Let’s take a look. Quarterback- Ben Roethlisberger was once again fantastic. There’s no other way to put it after completing 21-of-27 passes for 369 yards and three touchdowns. In addition to the three touchdowns there were also a pair ... Read More
Lions pounce on Knights; true freshman stands out again
The Penn State Nittany Lions (2-1, 1-0) dominated the Rutgers Scarlet Knights (1-2, 0-1) under the lights of Beaver Stadium, ending the game by a final score of 28-3 in what was another standout game for freshman wide receiver Saquon Barkley. Although the Knights won the coin toss, they were visibly shaken by the indomitable atmosphere in Beaver Stadium due in part to the debut of the Stripe Out Game, and as a result, gained very little ground in the first quarter. Quarterback Christian ... Read More
Pitt loses heart breaker to Iowa on late field goal
If history has shown us anything, when the Pitt Panthers and Iowa Hawkeyes hook up it is going to be a close, tightly-contested football game. This season, with a battle of 2-0 teams coming in, was no exception. Just like last season, the Hawkeyes won a close one over the Panthers. This time it was Iowa kicker Marshall Koehn who knocked down a 57-yard field goal as time expired to give Iowa a dramatic 27-24 victory and hand Pat Narduzzi his first loss as a head coach. Iowa drove 31 ... Read More
Penn State takes on depleted Rutgers team
The Penn State Nittany Lions (1-1, 0-0) will take on the Rutgers Scarlet Knights (1-1, 0-0) under the lights of Beaver Stadium on Saturday. The first Big Ten game of the season will begin at 8 p.m. and will be broadcast by the Big Ten Network. Quick Recap The Lions are coming off of a 27-14 win over the Buffalo Bulls in last week’s contest, during which true freshman Saquon Barkley picked up 115 yards, a touchdown, and a spotlighted hurdle over an opposing player. Head coach James Franklin ... Read More
Mike Johnston fared well in debut season as Penguins coach
Mike Johnston fared about as well as expected as a rookie coach in the 2014–15 season. The numbers stack up well against other coaches debuts, while Johnston arguably faced greater challenges and adversity throughout the season, namely injury and salary cap woes. Of 12 NHL coaches, only five finished debut seasons with higher win percentages compared to a 0.598 win percentage by Johnston. Five of the 12, including Johnston, lost in the first round of the postseason, while only two advanced ... Read More
Penguins rookie tournament recap
The Pittsburgh Penguins went 2-1 over the weekend at the annual rookie tournament in London, Ontario. On Friday, they defeated the Montreal Canadiens 4-3 in overtime, then on Saturday they beat the Ottawa Senators, 4-1, and finally on Sunday, they fell to the Toronto Maple Leafs 6-2. They came out as the overall winners for the weekend, earning four of a possible six points. Defensemen Derrick Pouliot got to demonstrate the results of his summer training with Gary Roberts in Toronto. Pouliot ... Read More