Archbishop Ryan Raiders

Tyler Stepke still recalls the predictably hostile Philadelphia-area hockey crowd a year ago at the Pennsylvania Cup Class A state championship game.

They chanted his name and generally got underneath the skin -- and inside the heads -- of Mars players in a 5-0 loss to West Chester Rustin at its home rink.

Home in a more familiar place this season, Stepke got his revenge.

Stepke made 35 saves and Robbie Sigurdsson scored twice and added an assist as Mars won its first state title hockey title with a 4-1 win against Rustin Thursday at Mellon Arena.

"We worked so hard for this all year long," Stepke said while shaking his head slowly in disbelief standing in the runway leading to what is usually the visiting NHL team's locker room at Mellon Arena moments after hoisting the Pennsylvania Cup.

"Redemption. That's the word, redemption."

Stepke stopped 15 shots within the game's first 10 minutes and was the biggest reason Mars (24-2) killed off seven Knights power plays. He didn't allow a goal until the final shot he faced, from Brian Christie with less than a minute to play.

"He's like a brick wall back there," Sigurdsson said. "I don't know if we would have won without him. He was making just amazing saves."

Mars withstood an early flurry by Rustin (13-9-2) and seized the momentum by scoring twice in a span of 31 seconds, starting with Sigurdsson's slap shot from high in the right circle off a pass from Mike Mazzotta while on the power play 10:37 into the first.

Nick Blaney was tripped up heading into the left-wing corner moments later and, while laid out on his belly, got a pass through to a streaking Rusty Miller in the slot. Miller made it 2-0 with his third goal of the playoffs.

"Every game there's a five-minute period where the other team has the momentum," said Planets captain Tyler Whiteford, who also assisted on the first goal. "You just need to work through that. It was just that that was the beginning of the game for us. And we got through it."

Sigurdsson scored again 52 seconds into the second period -- slamming home a feed from Miller while standing just to the left of the net -- and Mazzotta when made it 4-0 with 7:33 to play, the Planets knew they were bringing home only the second recognized state championship for a team sport at the school. The 1976 cross-country girls' team won a PIAA title.

"It feels real good for the guys to be able to win the first Mars state title in the last year of Mellon Arena," coach Steve Meyers said. "Winning your school's first state championship in a sport is a feeling not a lot of people get to experience."

The Planets, who have won 11 in a row, are 69-6-1 over the past three seasons, including two PIHL Penguins Cups. They outscored opponents, 22-7, in this postseason.