Fairview Tigers - 1977 - 1981 - 1982 AA

Bethel Park shows why they are the Champions ! ROSTRAVER - Bethel Park survived a first round scare with Gateway because hot goaltender David Himes almost caught lightning in a bottle. Blackhawk coach Jim McVay takes nothing for granted and prepares his team for the playoffs to play a 45 minute game. Central Catholic on the other hand is looking to re-write a little history as they defeated Meadville in Meadville last Monday night in a classic overtime affair. Now the game plan and target was the two time defending State Champions and the Vikings welcomed leading scorer Jeff Race back into the lineup and hope he would provide that extra intangible to vault CC to an upset win. Central came out early determined to win the battles for loose pucks and get shots on Bethel. The Vikings went on the power play at 12:06 and looked to take the lead, but the Hawks Justin Glock had other ideas as he walked around the CC defense and beat Russ Hefner to give Bethel a shorthanded goal and a 1-0 lead. That 45 minute game plan came into play as Central's new young gun Eddie Martin outworked the Bethel Defenseman for the puck and snapped a shot through a screen past Matt Feige with just :07 left in the 1st and the score was tied at 1-1. The second period was very even with both teams getting some opportunities and near misses. Central's Martin dug the puck out of the corner and found C.J. Bruce cutting to the net, who beat Feige on the stick side to give Central a 2-1 lead with just 1:00 left in the middle frame. Could this be the upset or would the champs refind their third period magic ? On to the third and Central keep Bethel out and Hefner began to play spectacular stopping everything the Hawks could muster. Then a mistake with an undiscipline penalty by CC put BP on the power play and then another penalty behind the play put the Blackhawks on a 5 on 3. 5 on 3's are like sucide against the Bethel Park power play and Brandon Hanley found an open area between the circle and shoved a shot down on the ice through a screen and into the net to tie the game at 7:28. Now Bethel smelled a wounded animal and this is when the champs go for the jugular and put their opponents away. It nearly happen with 2:35 left as a BP shot trickled through Hefner and toward the goal line, but a great play by Zach Roberts to dive and clear the puck to saftey preserved the tie and send the game to OT. Overtime....Central must have liked that sound and after beating Meadville last week, they had confidence and the unthinkable almost happened as Jeff Race's shot beat Feige between the legs and just went wide on the opening shift of OT. Bethel Park came right back down the ice and Steve Preite found Jason McLean cutting down the right side, who slid a one timer past Hefner to give Bethel a hard earned 3-2 overtime victory. The win also kept alive the undefeated season for the Hawks, who will look to join the 1987 Upper St Clair Panthers as the only undefeated AAA team in Pa State History, whose goaltender was none other then BP coach Jim McVay !