UPDATE: Highlanders Hockey Advances in PIHL Playoffs

UPDATE: Indiana defeated Baldwin, 5-3, on Tuesday night to eliminate Baldwin from the Open Cup playoffs.

Don't expect Baldwin to apologize for this one. Not after 1-19-0.

That was 's varsity ice hockey record for the 2010-11 season. And this season, the Highlanders are 16-4-1, section champions and three wins from a Pennsylvania Interscholastic Hockey League (PIHL) title.

Baldwin—competing in the PIHL's AAA, or highest, classification a year ago—was, it suffices to say, not able to compete. Against a more level playing field this year, the Highlanders aren't just competing; they're thriving.

Baldwin's fifth-year Head Coach Kevin Becker acknowledges that his team's record last season was a factor in petitioning the PIHL to drop down, but, as he , that's not the whole story.

"It's not like we wanted to go down and play an easier schedule," Becker said, "but we had a serious lack in our developmental program about seven years ago. So, there's a big gap in numbers of kids (available players) that were playing hockey in Baldwin than (as compared to the number of players) we're dealing with right now (developmentally).

"So, we didn't have the numbers, and we're losing more kids every year because we're losing games ... so we petitioned the league to move down to Open Class for two years—hopefully for two years—just to see if we can be more competitive."

The plan has worked. With a 3-0 win over Hollidaysburg Area High School on Sunday, the Highlanders have moved on to the quarterfinals of the PIHL's Open Class playoffs. Baldwin will face Indiana Area High School (at Center Ice Arena in Salem Township) on Tuesday night at 7:10 in those quarterfinals with a berth in the Nailers Cup championship game on March 6 at Robert Morris University's Island Sports Center on the line.

The Nailers Cup champion will play the Chiefs Cup champion in the Open Class' overall title game on March 8, also at the Island Sports Center.

Indiana Area is 16-5-0 this season, including a 2-1 overtime win over Baldwin on Thursday in both teams' regular-season finale and a 6-1 win over  in a first-round playoffs game on Sunday.

Baldwin's 15-4-1 regular season was good for first place in the Open Class' Section 4, narrowly ahead of Greensburg Salem High School's 15-5-0.

Should Baldwin get past Indiana on Tuesday night and advance to the Open Class semifinals on March 6, it would face the winner of the Greensburg Salem-Ford City High School game, another quarterfinal being played at Center Ice Arena on Tuesday (at around 9:10 p.m.).

Baldwin is being led in scoring this season by senior center and captain Jesse Powell, who has 36 goals, 11 assists and 47 points, including the playoffs. Following right behind is Coach Becker's son, Dakota, a freshman center and alternate captain. Dakota Becker has 17 goals, 20 assists and 37 points this season, including two goals and an assist on Sunday.

Senior defenseman Zachary Alaimo is third on the team with 25 points, including three goals and a team-high 22 assists.

Senior goalkeeper Zachary Christman earned the shutout on Sunday to improve on his regular-season numbers, which were an 11-4-1 record, a 2.47 goals against average and a .900 save percentage.

Coach Becker has credited the Highlanders' success this season to the right balance of young and experienced players.

"What we're seeing is a little bit of experience from the upperclassmen," he said in December, "and we have these freshmen coming in who are used to winning on the freshmen team. So, they're not quite used to losing. Yet, the kids that are juniors and seniors know what it's like to lose. So, it's kind of mixing really well, and they're kind of feeding off each other.

"I'm quite surprised. If you'd have asked me (what my goals were) at the beginning of the season, I would have said I just wanted to have some competitive hockey games. Now, we've kind of changed it ... We really want to try to win the whole Open Cup championship.

"I think it's realistic. We have the talent to do it. If we can just stay injury-free, I think we have a good shot."

Check back with the Baldwin-Whitehall Patch for updates.

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