Mike Pietrangelo Hockey History

Mike Pietrangelo went to and played for the William Tennent Panthers of the Suburban High School Hockey League. He was a high-scoring forward who led his team and the league in points in the 1992, (39 goals and 41 assists for 81 points) season. Pietrangelo led the Panthers to an SHSHL title after beating Council Rock two games to one in the best-of-three championship series. Tennent went on to the Class AAA Flyers Cup final against Monsignor Bonner where they lost 3-1. In his senior year, 1993, Mike led his team again en route to another SHSHL championship winning the league title in back-to-back seasons. The Panthers went on to lose their Flyers Cup bid in the semi-finals against the Germantown Academy Patriots, 5-3.

William Tennent Panthers highlights

Mike moved on to Penn State University to complete his education. He played ACHA Division ll club hockey for the Icers. In his freshman year, the Icers went to the ACHA National Title game against the Ohio University Bobcats but wound up on the losing end. In his sophomore year, the Icers had a marginal season competing and didn’t make the National Tournament. In Mike’s junior year, they’d finish third in the tournament. His senior year appeared to be doomed from the beginning, nearly half of the team suffered semi-serious injuries limiting their availability to return to the ice. However, one by one they began coming back. After pounding the University of Findlay 8-2 in the final game of the season they were finally completely healthy finishing their season with a 27-5-1 record and number one ranking, Pietrangelo and the Icers returned to Nationals. The stage was set with Penn State heading out to Iowa State University to play three-time defending champion Ohio University. The Icers opened the ACHA tournament with easy wins over Arizona, and Eastern Michigan and then rallied late to beat Iowa State, 4-0, and set up a title tilt against Ohio U. The Icers were down 1-0 early but Rob Shaner scored a natural hat-trick to rally the squad and put them up 3-1 against the Bobcats. The line of Pietrangelo, Tom Westfall, and Jeff Adams accounted for 11 Icer goals throughout the tournament, and Pietrangelo ultimately scored more than half of them with a six-goal effort earning him the National Championship Most Valuable Player award. “It was awesome,” Pietrangelo said. “That was definitely the most incredible feeling I’ve had in my life. I couldn’t have written a better story about what happened.” Soon after the title win, the Winston-Salem Icehawks of the United Hockey League offered Pietrangelo and fellow linemate Tom Westfall contracts. The contract would’ve been active immediately which meant both students would have to drop out of school. Both declined.

In September of 1998, Pietrangelo was offered a professional tryout contract with the American Hockey League, Syracuse Crunch, Mike played in one game before being released on October 5, 1998, the Wheeling Nailers of the East Coast Hockey League picked up Mike and added him to their training camp roster. Mike made the final cut and was offered his first professional hockey contract. However, the Nailers later received several players from its parent club which were free agents, Pietrangelo fell victim to the numbers game and was waived. His next stop was to the Peoria Rivermen on November 29, 1998, where he played thirty-one games before being waived on January 28, 1999. The Toledo Storm summarily picked up Pietrangelo’s contract but he was waived on March 31, 1999, between the three teams Mike tallied two goals, one assist, and nineteen penalty minutes. The following September, Mike, was invited to the Pittsburgh Penguins training camp. It wasn’t necessarily an expectation to make the big club but he was hoping there would be ECHL interest in the mix, he was released from camp two weeks later. Pietrangelo quickly found his way to the Abilene Aviators of the WPHL in October, he played briefly before being waived, at which time the Jacksonville Lizard Kings of the ECHL picked him up but Mike suffered an undisclosed injury that led him to the 14-day injured reserve on November 13th. On November 21st he was re-activated and waived. On December 8, 2000, the Trenton Titans of the ECHL added Pietrangelo to the roster, and on December 13th he was waived, and at that point, Mike called it a career. He gave it another shot in the upstart Mid-Atlantic Hockey league in 2007-2008 with the Valley Forge Freedom, he played two games, and this time he hung up the skates for good. The MAHL folded after season completion.