The 2007-08 Pennsylvania high school hockey season won't end until March 29, but to North Allegheny coach Jim Black, 2008-09 might as well already be here.

He has thought that way for two weeks -- ever since the Tigers' season was unceremoniously brought to an abrupt end in a 4-1 loss to Meadville in the PIHL Penguin Cup Class AAA quarterfinals March 6.

"When you lose like that in the quarters, you wish the next season would start," Black said. "When I went home that night, I literally started looking at what my numbers were for next year.

"You can't have it start quickly enough. You want to get back on the ice. It's such a letdown after you work so hard all season. To have it end a couple weeks short wasn't the way you wanted it to end."

It ended with a 17-3 season that saw North Allegheny earn the No. 3 seed in the Penguin Cup playoffs before the loss to No. 7 seed Meadville that followed a first-round win against Penn-Trafford. The Tigers had the classification's fifth-best offense (4.1 goals per game) and fourth-best defense (1.8 goals against per contest). North Allegheny had won 17 of its past 18 before that final defeat.

All in all, it was a very solid season. But as the defending state champions, it left something to be desired for the Tigers,

"You're never really happy when you lose in the quarterfinals," Black said. "That kind of showed the parity in this league with [seeds] two through 12. Drawing Meadville in the quarterfinals is a tough opponent, but looking back, there were things that I think we could have done better, not only from a team standpoint but also as a coaching staff."

The quarterfinal contest was the last game in a North Allegheny uniform for six seniors. Three of those seniors were selected to play in the PIHL All-Star game in January -- goalie Max Richards, defenseman Tyson Stupy and forward Josh Herbert.

Stupy and Herbert were team captains along with senior defenseman Jake Williams. Defenseman Corey Sheran and forward Joe Snatchko also were seniors.

"That's a really good group of kids," said Black, who completed his second season with the Tigers. "Them being older, when I came in last year they could have made things difficult [on a first-year coach], but I thought this group, personality-wise, they were pretty easy going and kind of bought into what we were trying to do.

"You always feel bad for seniors when they don't go out winning. But one thing, looking back, as juniors -- they won a state championship -- it makes me feel good at least they're leaving their high school careers with their own state championship."

Richards is known as one of the top goaltending talents in the area. He plays for the Junior B Penguins and Black said he has a chance to play major junior hockey next season or he might attend Penn State and play for its nationally prominent club team. Richards went 12-2 with a 1.64 goals-against average and .918 save percentage with five shutouts this season.

Herbert was second in goals (14), assists (15) and points during the regular season. Stupy was third in assists with 13.

Despite the player losses, the Tigers return enough talent that they should remain at their customary spot near the top of PIHL Class AAA.

Chief among the returnees figures to be junior Dylan Rohar, the team's leading scorer with 37 points (18 goals, 19 assists) in the regular season.