Forfeits knock Bishop McCort out of LMHL playoffs; Forest Hills, Richland, Somerset top local seeds

Mar. 7—For a second straight season, the Bishop McCort Catholic High School hockey team had its postseason hopes ended because of rule violations that led to forfeited contests.

This season, the Crimson Crushers had to forfeit two Laurel Mountain Hockey League games played and won earlier in the season due to the number of AAA-level players on the Bishop McCort roster during those matchups.

"Everyone in our organization knows we are constantly under a microscope regarding our athletic programs and they should know the rules top to bottom," Bishop McCort Catholic Principal Tom Smith said during a Wednesday telephone interview from Naples, Florida, where he was attending a Catholic Schools Conference.

"From what I understand, this happened against Somerset and Forest Hills," Smith said. "We're under a microscope. We have to do better than that. If there is wrong-doing, I will take disciplinary action."

The Laurel Mountain Hockey League's 2023-24 playing rules — unanimously approved prior to this season — state under Article 2: Eligibility, Section 2:01, Letter C: "No more than four players who are or have been rostered on a AAA team in the season of play are allowed to dress for a LMHL game for one team."

Laurel Mountain Hockey League President Dan Russell expanded on the AAA player rule Wednesday.

"Any player on a USA Hockey AAA team roster at any point during the year of play would count when considering this rule," Russell said in a text to The Tribune-Democrat. "Bishop McCort dressed and played five such players in the two games referenced (Somerset and Forest Hills). The extra ineligible player resulted in forfeited games."

USA Hockey designates Tier 1, also known as AAA, as the highest level of competition in youth travel hockey.

"It is based on their degree or level of ability and what leagues they may play in outside of the Laurel Mountain League," Smith said. "We have all different levels of players on our teams."

For the past seven hockey seasons, Bishop McCort Catholic's lineup has included talented "import" or foreign players from countries such as Russia, Ukraine and Belarus. Over the years, some of those players skated on the highly-touted Esmark AAA team.

"I have to see how that is communicated between our coaches and our players and who hits the ice," Smith said. "I'll have to look and see what's been violated and do what we need to do to remedy that so it never happens again."

Undefeated Hollidaysburg (18-0-0) and second-place Forest Hills (14-4-0) each will have first-round byes when the LMHL playoffs open Tuesday at 1st Summit Arena.

Sixth-seeded Altoona (10-6-2) will face third-seeded State College (11-6-1) at 5:50 p.m., and fifth-seeded Somerset (10-7-1) will play fourth-seeded Richland (10-7-1) at 7:50.

After the two forfeit losses, Bishop McCort Catholic slipped to 8-8-1 with one game remaining against rival Westmont Hilltop Thursday at the War Memorial. The Crimson Crushers previously had won the forfeited games on Oct. 31 against Forest Hills and Feb. 20 against Somerset.

Coach Art McQuillan's team also competes in the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Hockey League (PIHL), but failed to make the postseason in that league.

During the PIHL 2022-23 season, Bishop McCort beat Greater Latrobe in a Penguins Cup quarterfinal playoff game at 1st Summit Arena, but later forfeited the game because one of the players on the Crimson Crushers roster hadn't appeared in the mandated number of regular-season games required to be eligible for the postseason.

Attempts to reach McQuillan and Crimson Crushers Athletic Director Mike Bako were unsuccessful.

Ralph DeMarco, an administrator affiliated with the hockey program, said all questions on the LMHL situation had to go through Smith.

Mike Mastovich is a sports reporter and columnist for The Tribune-Democrat. He can be reached at 814-532-5083. Follow him on Twitter @Masty81.