WJPA Sports

NEW YORK (AP) – Kaapo Kakko scored his second goal of the game 2:36 into overtime to give the New York Rangers a 3-2 victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins on Tuesday night.  Adam Fox had a goal in regulation and set up Kakko’s winner as New York recovered after blowing a two-goal lead and improved to 5-1-1 in its last seven games. Alexandar Georgiev, getting the start after Henrik Lundqvist played the previous three games, finished with 30 saves.  In the extra period, Fox brought the puck up the left side, skated toward the middle and sent a pass to the left doorstep, where the Finnish rookie redirected the puck past Penguins goalie Matt Murray for his sixth of the season.  Justin Schultz and Jared McCann scored for the short-handed Penguins, who earned at least a point for the sixth time in seven games (4-1-2). Murray, making his seventh straight start and 15th in 18 games this season, stopped 24 shots.  The Penguins were without star center Sidney Crosby due to a lower body injury. The two-time MVP did not travel with the team to New York after leaving in the third period of a 3-2 shootout win over Chicago on Saturday. Pittsburgh was also missing defenseman Kris Letang for the third straight game with a lower body injury and forward Patric Hornqvist (injured reserve) for the fourth in a row.  With the score tied 2-all, both teams had chances in the third, with Georgiev and Murray making great stops on both ends. The Rangers went on their second power play with 4:10 left after Brian Dumoulin was whistled for tripping Greg McKegg, but managed just one shot on goal as Pittsburgh killed off its 16th straight penalty and 22nd in the last 23.  In the closing seconds, Dumoulin had a shot blocked by Rangers defenseman Jacob Trouba and his follow was stopped by Georgiev to send the game to overtime.  The Penguins got off to another slow start, trailing 2-0 while getting outshot 11-8 in the first period. It marked the 12th time in 17 games Pittsburgh gave up the first goal of the game. And once again, the Penguins got going in the second.   Schultz got Pittsburgh on the scoreboard at 1:13 on the team’s second shot of the period as he got a pass from Evgeni Malkin, skated through the left circle and fired it past Georgiev for is second.  The Penguins tied it with 7:27 left in the second as Dominik Simon mishit the puck on a shot off his own skate and then passed to McCann, who fired it past Georgiev for his sixth. It ended Pittsburgh’s 11-game drought without a power-play goal, and snapped an 0-for-28 skid with the man advantage.

MOON TOWNSHIP, Pa. (AP) – Trey McGowens scored 25 points, Terrell Brown added 10 points, nine rebounds and a career-high five blocks as Pittsburgh spoiled the unveiling of Robert Morris’ UPMC Events Center in a 71-57 win. Three days after getting upset at home by Nicholls State, the Panthers (2-1) responded by snapping a 24-game road losing streak that stretched back nearly three years. Pitt broke it open with a 22-10 surge to open the second half to improve to 31-0 all-time against the Colonials.

Wash High held Freedom to 61 yards and four first downs as the Little Prexies rolled to a 28-0 win over the Bulldogs, earning a trip to the semifinals for the third time in four years.  Peters Township jumped in front of Moon Area and cruised to a 33-7 win over the Tigers, avenging their only regular season loss. West Greene’s season came to an end, losing 24-7 to Sto-Rox.  Thomas Jefferson topped Blackhawk, 49-0, to earn a trip back to Heinz Field and a meeting with Belle Vernon, a 41-30 winner over defending WPIAL champion South Fayette.  Belle Vernon last played for a WPIAL title in 1999–at Three Rivers Stadium.

CLICK HERE for WPIAL Football Brackets

Friday, Nov. 15–WPIAL Semifinals
6:30 pm  2A #1 Washington vs. #5 Brentwood at Chartiers Valley (WJPA-AM)
7:00 pm  2A #2 Avonworth vs. #14 Riverside at West Allegheny
6:30 pm  5A #5 Peters Township vs. #1 Penn-Trafford at West Mifflin (WJPA-FM)
7:00 pm  5A #2 Gateway vs. #6 McKeesport at Greensburg Salem

Saturday, Nov. 16–WPIAL Championships
11:00 am  1A #1 Clairton vs. #3 Sto-Rox
2:00 pm  3A #1 Central Valley vs. #2 Aliquippa
4:45 pm  4A #1 Thomas Jefferson vs. #3 Belle Vernon (WJPA-FM)
8:00 pm  6A #1 Central Catholic vs. #2 Pine-Richland

WASHINGTON, Pa. — The Washington & Jefferson College men’s soccer team will travel to John Carroll University for the opening round of the 2019 NCAA Division III Men’s Soccer Championship on Saturday, Nov. 16. Match time is scheduled for 2 p.m. at Don Shula Stadium at Wasmer Field. W&J captured its first conference title in 12 years when they beat Geneva College by a 4-2 score in the Presidents’ Athletic Conference Tournament Championship game Saturday night at Alexandre Stadium. The Presidents compiled a 12-7-2 overall record, which included a 9-0-1 record against conference competition. The Presidents have won six in a row and nine of their past 10 games overall. This marks the third NCAA Tournament appearance in school history (2005, 2007, 2019). After Saturday night’s victory, the Presidents have four PAC titles, all coming since the 2003 season (2003, 2004, 2007, 2019). John Carroll earned an automatic berth into the Division III Championship after capturing the Ohio Athletic Conference Tournament title Saturday evening with a 1-0 victory over Otterbein University. The Blue Streaks, who are ranked No. 7 in the United Soccer Coaches Association Poll, hold a 17-2-2 overall record. JCU enters Saturday’s match on a nine-game winning streak. Centre College (16-3-1) and Kalamazoo College (11-4-2) will square off in the other first round game Saturday in University Heights, Ohio. That first round match is scheduled for a 4:30 p.m. The winners will play a second-round match at John Carroll Sunday, 3 pm, for a spot in the Sweet 16 next weekend.