Click on any season to view that season's details.
| '86-'87 | '88-'89 | '90-'91 | '92-93 | '94-'95 | ||||
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| '87-'88 | '89-'90 | '91-'92 | '93-'94 | |||||
| 1988 - '89: AAA State Champions | |
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| Roster | Mark Bevacqua, Jason Bossard, Kevin Buzza, Andy Carnes, Mark Chandley, Bill Dross, Shawn Fitzsimmons, Mark Guanzon, Dave Jones, Jim McCarney, Todd McClay, Brett Messina, Tom Nuzback, Ron Ott, Jason Paglia, Mike Petrillo, Clayton Phillis, Paul Phillis, Bryan Rapp, John Rosko, Jason Wendtland, Mark Yoder |
| Regular Season | The Bulldogs began the year with a large group of seniors. It was the same group Plunkett started with when they won the Class AA title. The disappointment of the playoff loss served as a motivating tool for the entire season. The '88-'89 club still holds the best winning percentage of any team during Plunkett's tenure as coach, going 33-3-2. The Bulldogs did not lose to a single Pennsylvania team. The team took its annual trip to Grand Rapids, MI and won both game on the swing, defeating East Grand Rapids 7-3 and Kentwood 5-4 in double overtime. Shawn Fitzsimmons scored for Meadville and it would be the first of two dramatic goals he would score that year. |
| Post-Season | The Bulldogs began the '89 playoffs well aware of what took place the previous year. As the number one seed, they took on Mt. Lebanon and won 8-1. It would be the only goal that they would surrender during the playoffs. Jim McCarney and Mark Chandley gave
the Bulldogs solid goaltending all season long. It was the third year they had been the goaltending duo for Plunkett. Meadville defeated Bethel Park 10-0 in the Western semi-finals and one week later avenged an earlier tie to Upper St. Clair in the regular season and defeated the Panthers 7-0 to win their first Class AAA Western Final. On April 1st, the Bulldogs entertained Team Pittsburgh at a packed Rec Complex. At that time, Meadville players were ineligible to try out for Team Pittsburgh. Even though the governing body was called TAHA - Tri State Area Hockey Association, Meadville players were denied the opportunity to play for Team Pittsburgh. Trailing 5-2 heading in to the third period, Meadville fought back on goals by Jason Wendtland, Bill Dross and Mark Guanzon to tie the game with under one minute remaining. That set the stage for the most dramatic goal in Meadville history as Shawn Fitzsimmons stole the puck from the Team Pittsburgh defenseman at the blueline and went in to score the game winner as time expired sending the capacity crowd into a frenzy. Two weeks later, Meadville won their first Class AAA title as they defeated William Tenent 4-0 as Jim McCarney recorded the shutout and Clayton Phillis took home the MVP award as the senior scored a hat trick. |
