Seneca Valley Raiders

VALENCIA - Deer Lakes coach Al Pawloski knows his team can score goals with high scoring duo Sean McIntyre and Matt DiSanti and if you add in Andreas Backstrom, well now we know why the Lancers were off to a 5-0 start in 2002-2003. Hockey at the high school levels not only requires scoring, it requires defense which Deer Lakes found out in two recent losses 8-5 to undefeated Quaker Valley and 6-5 to upstart Somerset. Mars seems to have figured this formula out early in the campaign as they have rocketed to a 7-0 start scoring a staggering 10 goals a game, while only giving up three goals the entie season. After two division championships, the Planets decided to hand the reigns over to Bob Finney to try to get the team past the second round of the playoffs, including last years melt down in the late season. Andreas Backstrom got the Lancers off and running with a power play goal at 13:37 of the opening period. Mars had plenty of opportunities in the first period but struggled on the power play and missed a couple of open nets. Brendan Orris missed a golden opportunity with :03 left in the first as his shorthanded breakaway hit the post. It didn't take # 1 Mars long to find its scoring touch in the second period as Jim Roach blew by the Deer Lakes defense and beat Roman Drienovsky on the forehand to tie the game at 14:40. Bob Brill gave Mars the lead on a shot from the point through traffic to make it 2-1 at 11:55. That lead was shortlived, as Sean McIntyre tied the game for Deer Lakes at 11:17, on a beautiful backhander upstair past freshman Brian Ross. The Planets regained the lead at 7:36 as Brill found a loose puck on the doorstep from a Mike Manganello shot to put Mars on top 3-2. Then it happened, with Deer Lakes on the power play, Mars Jake Mashuda cleared the puck out of his zone, the puck caroomed off the end boards and Drienovsky's attempt to play the puck resulted in disaster as the puck ended up hitting the Deer Lakes goaltenders stick and going into the net giving Mar a 4-2 lead at 3:44. Brendan Orris pulled the Lancers back to within one at 2:57 with a slap shot which beat Ross on the stick side to make it a nailbitter 4-3 at the end of two periods. The third period was all Mars as Bob Finney added two goals and Roach added another to lead the Planets to a 7-3 victory. The win cemented what many believe to be Class A's # 1 team's stranglehold on the Pa Hockey and Post Gazette's # 1 ranking. The hope for Mars fans is that thy can keep it going through the season and into the playoffs, which will be tested next Tuesday when the travel to Johnstown to meet the Bishop McCort Crimson Crushers.