Seneca Valley Raiders

NEVILLE ISLAND ~ Sewickley Academy coach Erik Hoolihan has done a masterful job building a hockey program at a very small school. The Panthers were near extinction many times, but they were able to come back to the varsity level in 2002-2003 after developing at the Junior Varsity level for two years and posting a 6-15-0 record and nearly missing the playoffs on a tiebreaker. SA would like to make the playoffs outright in 2003-2004 and would also like to exorcise the demons of Westmont Hilltop, who they have never beaten and has sent the Panthers on many a cold bus trips packing from the War Memorial in Johnstown. Maybe what Sewickley Academy needs is their # 1 fan to be their bus driver? You see at Westmont-Hilltop, there is THE MAN ….”Bob” the bus driver is as much a staple of the program as Art ‘King Arthur’ McQuillan, whose mighty Hilltoppers have Western Pennsylvania’s longest streak on the line this season at 13 consecutive winning seasons dating back to 1990. Westmont has started off slow this season and mainly due to graduation has been hard hit, but there is a new breed of Hilltopper in the form of all but one player who are underclassmen, a majority are freshman and sophomores. Now’Bob’ had an important job for tonight’s matchup with Sewickley Academy and it was to relay to these young Hilltopper’s the story of a little trip last March to Neville Island, where the preceding Westy boys went where none before them had gone, to the Penguin Cup and won it all with a 4-3 thriller over three-time defending State Champions Serra Catholic. So the usual suspects were on hand as King Arthur, his faithful assistants Brace Moran and Norm ‘the Judge’ Krumenacher set out from Johnstown with important work to do. Sewickley Academy broke out on top early as Trevor Heck scored at 11:54 to give the Panthers the lead at 11:54. Conner Blood extended the SA lead at 4:06 to 2-0 and Sewickley was looking to put it on Wesmont and defeat them for the first time outshooting WH 11-9 in the first period. The Hilltoppers scored a huge goal late in the first period, as Anthony DeMarco tallied with just 1:14 remaining to cut the lead to 2-1. On to the second and after the Panthers scored on the backhand at 14:10, Westmont really looked to be in trouble as Sewickley Academy began to pour the shots on Patrick Krumenacher, who made some spectacular saves at the 10:41minute mark just to keep the game within reach. If there has been a trademark of Art McQuillan coached teams over 19 years at Westmont, it has been the ability to never quit working….so the 2003-2004 version of sludging trudging mighty Hilltopper hockey may have begun before our eyes and an intimate gathering at Neville Island Sports Center. Anthony DeMarco, walk to the side of net and threw a seemingly harmless shot at the net from behind the goal line which snuck behind the pads of Peter Dimmick and gave Westy new life at 10:22 and cut the lead to 3-2. A great goal followed really fueled things for Westmont as Ashley Kowtonuk fed Demarco on a picture perfect pass through the slot and DeMarco slipped the puck through the five hole to tie the game at 3-3 with 7:50 ramining in the second. The Hilltoppers went on the power play at 5:00 remaining and DeMarco’s bid for the hat trick hit the post at 4:21, but the junior forward would not be denied as he scored on a pretty wraparound at 3:31 left to give Westmont it’s first lead 4-3. Coach Hoolihan must have really given it to his team during the ice cut as the Panther’s came out flying in the third period buzzing the Westmont net but could not beat Krumenacher, who turned away several SA chances, the best coming off the stick of Alec Shannon, who was the recipient of a nifty Trevor Heck feed at 7:13. Heck beat the Westmont defense again at 5:02, but could not beat Krumenacher. Finally, at the 4:00 mark, Alec Shannon fed a wide open Richard Thornburgh [grandson of the former Pennsylvania Governor], who blasted a slapshot past the Westmont goalie to tie the game at four apiece. Westmont came right back as Ashley Kowtonuck took a Anthony DeMarco feed and beat Peter Dimmick with 3:28 left and the Hilltoppers were on top 5-4. Sewickley poured on the attack late in the game but could not score as Scott Limbach just missed with :26 left and Westmont stole another one at Island Sports Center, in a game very similar to last years Penguin Cup, 5-4 over a very good Sewickley Academy team.