Pittsburgh Hornets Salute Coach Paul Taibi and the 2006 Players of Team Pittsburgh !

The Pittsburgh Hornets Amateur Hockey Association is currently one of the premier AAA amateur hockey associations in the country and the leading amateur hockey association in Western Pennsylvania. At the Pittsburgh Hornets, we pride ourselves on developing excellence on the ice with our players and off the ice with our players as well. And in this role of excellence, we believe it appropriate to salute others in our field and in our geographic area that are committed to the same beliefs and values as well. In that regard, we must tip our hat to Paul Taibi, coach of the current version of Team Pittsburgh competing in the prestigious Chicago Showcase (US High School Invitational Hockey Tournament).

Paul has done a tremendous job this year coaching the Mt. Lebanon Varsity Hockey Team to the AAA Pennsylvania State Hockey Championship,the first state championship for perennial powerhouse Mt. Lebanon in the last 30 years. Appointed as Team Pittsburgh coach, he has taken a diverse group of players and made them into a force to be reckoned with as Team Pittsburgh has already beaten Team New York by a score of 7-1, beaten Team California (last years champion) by a score of 5-1, and this evening has beaten for the first time in Chicago Showcase History Team Minnesota by the score of 4-3. This victory over Minnesoata is a tremendous accomplishment. Team Minnesota every year is loaded with some of the best players in the country, so the victory this evening by Team Pittsburgh is a monumental feat.

And the Team Pittsburgh juggernaut keeps rolling as on Saturday in the quarter-finals they have just beaten Team Tri-State by a score of 4-3, and it was also announced that Matt Bartkowski (Mt. Lebanon) of Team Pittsburgh has already been named Chicago Showcase Tournament MVP. They move on to the semi-finals Sunday morning.

Throughout its history, the Pittsburgh Hornets have always been major participants in the Team Pittsburgh effort as many Hornet player, such as Pittsburgh Hornet Alumni J.B. Bittner and Pittsburgh Hornet Coaches Joe Gaul and Chris Stern and others have participated in this outstanding event to increase the visbility of Pittsburgh Hockey at this prestigious tournament. At the Pittsburgh Hornets, we are committed to excellence in hockey in Western Pennsylvania and salute Paul Taibi (and General Manager David Klasnick) and the players on Team Pittsburgh for this tremendous accomplishment today of beating Team Minnesota, a victory which has propelled them to the quarter-finals, and the Pittsburgh Hornets wish everyone with Team Pittsburgh 2006 all the best as they compete for the eventual tournament championship.

Chris Clackson lands on final NHL Draft List for 2006

Good news in Pittsburgh Hockey to report. Former Pittsburgh Hornet Chris Clackson is listed on the recent NHL Central Scouting Bureau draft list released the other day for potential selection in the upcoming NHL draft. Clackson, currently plays for the Chicago Steel in the USHL and has already committed to play his D-1 College Hockey at Western Michigan.

Chris ended up with a #198 ranking and is projected to go in the 7th round of the NHL draft. While the entire NHL drafting system is always and uncertain process, one thing that is certain is that Chris is an excellent player, an all around great kid, and someone that will make Western Michigan proud to have him on their team. It is also a certainty that his Mom, Dad and the Pittsburgh Hornets are extremely proud of him as well and we all wish Crhis the best in his college hockey career and the upcoming NHL draft. Congratulations Chris from all of us at the Pittsburgh Hornets.