St Joseph's Prep Hawks

Serra looking for a three-peat ends Freeport run ! ROSTRAVER - Freeport entered the Penguin Cup Semi-Finals on a roll, winning 14 games in a row after a 3-5 start. The defending Pa State Champion Serra Catholic Eagles has an interesting start to its season as well as three of their key players sat on the sidelines and watched a new breed of freshman and sophomores carry the team through the first six games. Serra's game breaker is Steve Leppo and with him in the lineup, the Eagles have been virtually unbeatable. At 13:25 of the first, Leppo gave Serra the lead on a beautiful shot down low on the ice for a 1-0 lead. Freeport's Mike Bender nearly tied the game at 12:10 as his shot hit the post. The Eagles extended the lead to 2-0 at 6:07 as C.J. King faked the slapshot and found Jesse Lubasch wide open, who beat Derek Gaworski through the 5 hole. The play was set up by a great lead pass by goaltender Timmy Johnson. Freeport got a break late in the first when two of their defensemen collided and Leppo was in again and stopped by Gaworski. On to the second and with the Eagles on the power play, Gaworski was holding his team in the game with several great saves. Then, controversy as Lubasch shot the puck and Gaworski apparently made the stop and the goal light went on and the official, who was in no position to make the call, called it a goal and Serra now led 3-0 at 9:33. Then on yet another power play chance, the Eagles capitalized again as Lubuasch return the favor to C.J. King coming late on the play and threaded a pass to C.J. who buried a wrist shot and Serra was on its way 4-0. While Gaworski was trying to hold down the fort at one end, Rob Plocki found Jason Bubb to put Freeport on the board with only 1:03 remaining in the 2nd. Timmy Johnson made several key saves as Freeport built some momentum. The Yellow Jackets continued to press in the third period as Dustin Gaworski scored upstairs at 6:07 to cut the lead to 4-2. Serra would hold on for the victory and a 3rd consecutive trip to the Penguin Cup Finals to face McCort. The end of the game was marred with penalties in one of the most poorly officiated games thus far in the playoffs, as any chance that Freeport may have had in the third was eliminated by questionable calls by the dual referee system. Their was a second on the motion by the Freeport fans, who showered the ice with debris to voice their displeasure with the decidely one-sided officiating crew.