There’s always a lot of pomp and circumstance surround the USA Hockey National Tournament, and why not?!  It’s one of the top tournaments of the season.  There’s more than bragging rights on the line.  There’s national respect.  For Central, some of that was more than earned in a 1-2-0, 9th place finish.

First, Central faced off against the home team Storm.  After going up 1-0 and then giving up a quick goal the team was able to come back and ultimately out last the Storm, pulling a much needed 2-1 victory.  This is the very first victory for Central Pittsburgh at any national tournament!

The second game was a battle of former B-leaguers and a face off against some familiar faces.  Unfortunately, Central did not step out with the fire that was with them earlier in the day, dropping the game 1-6 and being out shot 12-37. 

Luckily, at one win and with other teams in their pool going to shoot outs, the team was still in the hunt.

Saturday’s face off presented the Rochester Edge, a perennial C division power.  Rochester was able to pull off a couple of pretty tips goals leaving Central to fall 0-4 and pushing the Gulf Coast Sea Gals into the 4th seed.

The team didn’t finish first, but they didn’t finish last either.  Every game, every day is an improvement on the last…  It’s all for the love of the game!

To those that have cheered us on, showed up to practices to fill space and help out, and challenged us in scrimmages, we thank you for your support and love.  We’ll see you next season, if not sooner!

Please be sure you head over to our Facebook page for photos from our final Nationals game against Rochester and possibly a few others from our time in Boston.

Yeah, you read that right.  Pigeons.  What about it, huh?!

Every year, as the USA Hockey National Tournament dawns we are intrigued by what name has been bequeathed upon us.  Last year it was Warriors, this year it is Pigeons.  Apparently, being known simply as Central Pittsburgh is not acceptable. 

In looking for a description of a pigeon that would go against standard thought making a pigeon something of a noble or fearsome creature, one could not be found.  Don’t look it up, we beg, because it is not flattering.  At all. 

 Oh, well.  We shall live.

On a related note, the USA Hockey National Tournament schedule has been released.  Our pool play games begin on Friday, March 30th against the Storm out of Massachusettes.  We also play the Gulf Coast Sea Gals (Florida) and Rochester Edge (New York).  The schedule on our site is current with times and dates or you can view all divisions and information for the tournament by clicking here.

Two teams took the ice today in a somewhat historic event for the Mid American district. This was the first time a regional qualifier for the National Tournament had to be played for any division of the Senior classifications. For Central Pittsburgh, it was just another game in preparation for Nationals.

In early November Central faced off against the Indy Speed at the Strongsville Winter Classic. In a fast paced game, Central was able to come out on top 6-0; this game wasn’t much different.

With a shortened bench of 2 lines and 4 defense, Central was able to get on the board quick and often pulling out to a much needed cushion of 3-0. Midway through the 2nd, they stretched the gap to 5, but Indy was able to get on the board with a goal off a fluke bounce.

Indy was able to get another goal in the third to cut the gap to 2, but Central was able to hold on to the 5-2 win.

Thank you to all of Central’s families, friends and fans who came out to cheer the team on!

Central has some scrimmages on the schedule in preparation for the National Tournament being held in Marlborough, MA March 30th to April 1st. More information about the USA Hockey National Tournament can be found here.

It’s been a while since there’s been an update!

In late December and early January, Central took to the ice against the younger and better conditioned Chatham University. While Chatham is still not a powerhouse team in the NCAA, they have improved greatly since their beginning days and play a smart game. Central proved that they can stick with this caliber team, even though the scores may not reflect. The first game, Central was down 1-2 at the end of the first and down 2-4 at the end of the second. The third period and playing 2- 20 min stop time periods proved too much and saw Central on the losing end of the tilt 3-10.

The second match-up didn’t prove much better. After being down only 1-3 at the end of the second, Central fell flat again in the third losing 1-11.

The following weekend showcased Central against the visiting Rebels out of Maryland. Although Central didn’t show the speed they had in the first two periods of the Chatham games, the game was very well balanced. Ultimately, Central was able to put the biscuit in the basket 3 times and only allowed one for a much needed victory.

This weekend, Central takes on the visiting Buffalo Hornets. These teams met last year up in Buffalo in two very close hard fought games; the same is expected again this weekend. For game times and locations, see out schedule & results page.

What a weekend!

Central has been in Strongville, OH, a little south of Cleveland for the annual Strongville Winter Classic.  The tournament features some old foes and one vein of new blood in the Indy Speed.  The first face off featured Central and Indy for the first time this season.  In the past, Indy has competed in both the USA Hockey National Tournament Senior C and Over-30 divisions, so Central was expecting tough competition.  In the end, Central came out with a 6-0 shutout victory.

The second face off came a mear 7 hours after the first with a game against Columbus, who Central will be playing again in a few weeks.  Central and Columbus are very familiar with each other, having been in the POWHA upper division for many years.  Columbus appeared to have picked up a few new and feisty skaters resulting in some close calls, but in the end Central was able to pull out a 3-0 win.

Saturday night was a tournament showcase of sorts, paring Central against Kent for the 3rd time this season.  The puck dropped in front of one of the larger crowds at the tournament in which players and fans from both divisions were present.  The two teams had a split thus far and this game was no different.  Central took a 1-0 lead late in the first and was able to hold this skinny lead till the middle of third when a wobbling shot tipped off the defense in front and barely escaped the right pad of the goalie.  The game would end in a hard fought 1-1 tie.

Central faces off against Kent again this morning for the tournment championship.  If you’re in the Strongsville area the puck drops at 10:40 am at Hoover Arena– you won’t want to miss this!

In other news, yes this stite is undergoing some changes.  Please use the navigation to the right to contact Central Pittsburgh or learn more about our team.

Central Pitsburgh has had an eventful, yet slightly less than successful, beginning to the season.  In our last post, we were gearing up for a season opener against Mid-Am district rival Kent Twisters.  The team gave avaliant effort but in the end, the early season jitters combined with a lack of practice (we had 3 up to that point?!) showed in the end with a 0-7 loss.

The team then headed north to Toronto area for the Etobicoke Pink the Rink Tournament.  This was a learning experience for the team, dropping three of four games.  Every team wants to win, but in the end the team identified some of it’s areas for improvement and was able to come away on a relatively positive note.  Also, we were able to, by way of tournament fees, contribut to helping find a cure.  The tournament was a charity tournament afterall!

After a weekend off, Central was back on the ice this past Saturday against Kent again, with a much different result– 4-1 win.  The team was moving and passing well and goaltender Missy Walters came up with some key saves to pull a critical win and bring the season series to a tie.  Last season Central was able to win the 2-1 series and are hoping for a similar outcome this season!

Central resumes play at the Winter Classic in Strongsville, OH this weekend and returns for a home game against Columbus on 12/3.

With Football season finally getting underway that means only one thing: it’s almost hockey season!  Sure, most of Central is cheering for the Steelers but we’re all hockey fans deep down and can’t wait to take the ice this fall!

The 2011-2012 Season is going to be one of change for Central.  After much contemplation and several successful seasons in POWHA (Pennsylvania-Ohio Women’s Hockey Association), the team has opted to expand outward in search of more challenging competition.  Central will compete on an independent schedule while picking up games as a probationary member of the Mid-Atlantic Women’s Hockey League.  The team is eagerly anticipating an early season tournament in Toronto as well.  With that being said, we are looking to schedule games.  If you/your team is a a Senior B level team and are interested in traveling to the city of Pittsburgh, please contact us!

Hurricanes: 11 – Central: 1

Sometimes, where you’re faced with talents above what you’re capable of you need to look deeper into yourself and find what will work best.  Sometimes what works best still isn’t enough.  Central learned this in the past weekend’s competition.  Central, while being a great solid hockey team top to bottom, is at a somewhat disadvantage playing against select teams filled with former standout NCAA Division I & III players, a few Patty Kazmier finalists and teams from deep talent pools.  In the end it came down to the little victories.  Heart.  Soul.  Pride.  It’s working hard to do as much right as you possibly could in 45 seconds and hoping that your teammates are also doing the same on each of their shifts.  Occasionally, your best isn’t enough.  Occasionally, you just don’t have your full game no matter how much you give and it results in an 1-11 loss to the team that was a favorite to win.  The little victory?  Central scored.  The team proved that they weren’t an impenetrable force.  Maybe, if few more bounces go the other way, it wouldn’t be such an outcome.   

SoCal: 4 – Central: 0

In an interesting twist, the team came up against a team that was no better or worse than any other teams they face in their normal league– a phenomenal change from the previous routing– proved that the disparity in skill level is huge in the B division and proved that, while being out played in the previous game, Central is actually a B level team.  After having played the previous game and pushing yourself so far while still coming up short, the fear is that you don’t have enough left in the tank.  That may have been the case as the team seemed flat after giving up a fluke goal off a tip and unlucky bounce.  Again, it’s the little victories.  This game?  Getting shots on net and controlling the flow, especially during special teams play.

In the end, there are always what ifs’ and should of-would of-could of moments.  Goals you want back,  better gap controls, or pucks you should have buried but the important thing is if you tried.  Did you win the little victories?  Did you give everything you had whenever you could, even if the odds weren’t in your favor?  Did you learn something that you can take with you into the next game, where ever that is?  For Central, the answer is yes.

STATS:

The Central Pittsburgh is slowly drawing to a close. March 19 and 20 saw the end of the POWHA regular season with a weekend home series against the Cincinnati Rising Stars. Central was able to come out on top with a 4-1 win on Saturday evening. Sunday, in an early morning effort, the team was able to shake off the sleep and pull out another big shut out popping the twine 5 times.

The weekend Central has traveled to the suburbs of Detroit, Michigan to participate in the USA Hockey National Championships– possibly the biggest women’s tournament in the country. The teams first draw in pool play paired them against the Green Mountain Girls out of Vermont. It was a well fough effort but, unfortuantley, goalie Amanda Carlson struggled in the first and early second allowing 4 goals. The team was not able to recover from the deficeit but hanging in the game is a positive step for the team.

Central Faces off against the Pal Beach Hurricanes at 3:40pm.

For full tournament information go here

For live and archived webcasts of tournament games go here

This past weekend Central took on the visiting Kent Twisters. In an epic match-up Central found themselves in the rare position of underdog facing a Kent team that had beaten them the previous three match ups. this time, however, Central showed what it was made of and came out on top.

In Saturday’s game Central out shot Kent 27-23 and squeaked away with a 4-3 victory.

Sunday’s game was a bit more decicive, with a few goal post helpers and a timely crease violation. Central was able to keep the Twisters scoreless leaving the Ice Garden with a 3-0 shutout.

Central is back in action for its last home stand of the 2010-2011 season March 20-21. They will take on the Rising Stars out of Cincinnati, OH in POWHA league play. This is also their last games before heading to Nationals the first weekend of April.