History

The Pennyslvania Interscholastic Hockey League (PIHL) was founded in 1999 as a merger between the Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Hockey League (WPIHL), the South Hills Interscholastic Hockey League (SHIHL), and the Lakeshore Hockey League (LKSHL).

Organized high school hockey in Western Pennsylvania dates back to 1971, when the Western Pennsylvania High School Hockey League (WPHSHL) was formed out of the Alpine Ice Chalet in Swissvale, PA.  Six schools competed in the inaugural season of the WPHSHL in 1971-72: Churchill, Mt. Lebanon, Penn Hills, Shaler, Upper St. Clair, and West Mifflin North.  The WPHSHL expanded to 19 teams for its second season, and new leagues began to emerge throughout the area in upcoming seasons.

The first Pennsylvania High School Hockey Championships were held in 1975 at the Glenwood Ice Arena in Erie, PA.  State champions have been crowned every season since, with the lone exception of 1978,  In 1981, the format of the state championships was revised to ensure that a finalist from Western PA met a Finalist from Eastern PA.  This eventually led to the Western PA finalist being the Penguins Cup champion and the Eastern PA finalist being the Flyers Cup champion, after the respective NHL teams on each half of the state.  The PIHL playoff champion at each level is awarded the Penguins Cup, and PIHL teams have traditionally faired very well in the state finals.

Today, the PIHL consists of over 150 teams from over 60 schools at the Varsity, Junior Varsity, and Middle School levels.  The Varsity level is divided into five classificiations: AAA, AA, A, B, and C.  The AAA, AA, and A classifications compete in the Penguins Cup playoffs, while the B and C levels compete for their own playoff championship.  The PIHL also sanctions Junior Varsity and Middle School levels, where an optional post-season tournament caps off the year.

1971 - Founded as the Western Pennsylvania High School Hockey League (WPHSHL) at the Alpine Ice Chalet in Swissvale, PA

1972 - The WPHSHL expands to 19 teams for its second season

1973 - The Ohio Valley League forms at the Sewickley Ice Arena

1973 - The South Penn High School Hockey League (SPHSHL) forms at the Rostraver Ice Garden

1975 - The WPHSHL is renamed the Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Hockey League

1975 - The Lake Shore Hockey League (LKSHL) is established in Northwest PA

1979 - The South Hills Interscholastic Hockey League (SHIHL) is created at the Mt. Lebanon Ice Center

1999 - The WPIHL, the SHIHL, and the LKSHL merge to form the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Hockey League (PIHL)

2004 - An "Open Division" is created to help new and co-op Varsity programs establish competitive teams

MARCH 1972
Mt. Lebanon defeats Penn Hills in overtime, 5-4, to capture the first WPHSHL Championship.

APRIL 1975
The first Pennsylvania High School Hockey Championships are conducted at the Glenwood Ice Arena in Erie, PA.  Baldwin is crowned the first scholastic hockey champion in state history after a 4-3 overtime win over Churchill.

MARCH 1981
The state high school hockey finals are given the title of the "Pennsylvania Cup" and adopts a format that pits the western side of the state versus the eastern side of the state in the championship game.  The previous format used round-robin play among all participating teams to determine two finalists, regardless of location.  Under the new name and format, Archbishop Carroll takes the first Pennsylvania Cup AAA crown, and Fairview captures the inaugural Pennsylvania Cup AA title.

APRIL 22, 2007
Team Pittsburgh, comprised entirely of PIHL players, defeats Team Wisconsin, 5-4 in a shootout, at the Chicago Showcase to win the tournament championship.  It is the first -- and only -- title for a Pennsylvania team in the 25-year history of the prestigious event.

APRIL 2010
The Chicago Showcase concluded after the 2009 event, and after 25 years in the suburbs of Chicago, USA Hockey awards the new showcase to Western PA, where it was renamed as "America's Showcase."  The first games of the America's Showcase are played on April 14, 2010.  The PIHL sponsored the event and helped sustain it as one of the top scholastic showcases in the country, attracting players and scouts from all parts of the United States.

MARCH 22, 2014
The Pennsylvania Cup Finals are conduted at Penn State University for the first time.  The new Pegula Ice Arena, a 6,000-seat venue that is home to the Penn State University Division I ice hockey programs, hosts the championship games and is established as the annual site of the Pennsylvania Cup Finals after many years of alternating between venues in the west and the east.

MARCH 30, 2014
The Bethel Park Blackhawks of the PIHL emerge victorious at the USA Hockey High School National Championships in Omaha, NE.  Bethel Park was one of 32 participating teams from across the United States and the first school from Pennsylvania to claim a national title in hockey.  The Blackhawks went 4-0-1 to reach the championship game, where they defeated Providence Catholic from Illinois, 2-1, to earn the title of National Champions.

APRIL 30, 2014
The PIHL Board of Governors ratify a new alignment plan for the 2014-15 season, abandoning the previous approach of classifying Varsity teams strictly by enrollment.  With increased game competition as the objective, the new plan accounts for both enrollment and 3 seasons of winning percentages to classify teams.

1972-73 Season -- Pat McDermott of Mt. Lebanon is the first player in Western PA to score 50 goals in a season.  He finishes the year with 55 goals, a record that stood until 1980.

1979-80 Season -- Allderdice forward Buddy Martin sets the new high-water mark for goals in a season with 65.  Martin did so one of of the most-competitive divisions ever seen in the area, and linemate Dee Rizzo contributed to the effort with 78 assists.

1980-81 Season -- The single-season record for goals lasted only one year when Lynn Sipe of North Catholic found the back of the net 68 times.  Sipe's new mark would survive most of the decade of the 1980's.

June 1983 -- Chuck Chiatto of North Catholic is the first player from Western PA selected in the NHL Entry Draft.  The Detroit Red Wings picked the forward in the 12th round, 226th overall.

1988-89 Season -- John Mooney of Serra Catholic is the first player in Pennsylvania history to surpass 100 goals in a season with 102, bettering the previous mark by 34.  This began an period where 8 players in Western PA would surpass 60 goals over the course of just 5 seasons.

​1989-90 Season -- Ford City's Jon Johnson sets the all-time state record for goals in a single season with 122.  Johnson broke the previous record only 1 season after it was set, but his record still stands today.  Johnson also established the Western PA record for points in a season wth 143.

November 20, 1995 -- Mike Sargo of Gateway posts 8 goals and 7 assists for 15 points in a single game.

February 26, 1996 -- Gateway senior Mike Sargo scores his 100th goal of the year for the Gators, becoming just the 3rd player in state history with 100 goals in a single season.

March 21, 2007 -- Morgan Nickerson of Meadville sets the PIHL-era (1999-present) standard for goals in a single season by tallying his 72nd goal of the season.  Nickerson's goal also broke the single-season mark in Meadville history.

October 26, 2009 -- Meadville Head Coach Jamie Plunkett registers the 800th win of his coaching career.  Plunkett began coaching at Meadville in 1986 and has 8 state championships on his resume.  He is also considered the winningest high school coach in the country.

March 23, 2013 -- North Allegheny's Joe Griffin records 4 goals in the AAA State Championship Game, leading the Tigers to a 6-2 upset win and the 2nd state title in school history.

December 20, 2013 -- Westmont Hilltop Head Coach Art McQuillan earned his 500th career win with a 5-0 victory on the road.  He began coaching the Hilltoppers in 1987.