Seneca Valley Raiders

ROSTRAVER ~ 1/12/04 ~ EF gets a big win over Forest Hills in wild finish ! Elizabeth Forward coach Chuck Beckinger knows his team can play with the best teams in the league as they almost upended highly ranked Serra and Blackhawk, but have fallen to teams under .500 like Wheeling Central Catholic and Deer Lakes. This inconsistency has Warrior fans scratching their heads, but a look at the lineup will give many clues as a balance of veterans and youth are very evident for EF. The Warriors came into the game at 7-6-0 and were looking to make ground in the race for home ice advantage in the playoffs. Forest Hills coach Bob Salata would like to steal a page out of Beckinger’s playbook as the Rangers have lost only to Serra and Bishop McCort, but neither game was much of a contest 1-10 and 0-4, respectively. The Rangers have had a great season though at 7-2-1 and ranked # 6 in the latest Pa Hockey Elite 8 poll. Maybe that is a reflection of a week Class A field, but coach Salata knows there are teams the Rangers must beat if they hope to become a contender in the playoffs and Elizabeth Forward and FH could meet when the playoff bell rings in less than two months. The first period was back and forth and the shots were pretty even at 10-9 in favor of Elizabeth Forward. Since it took me almost two years to cover either of these two teams, I was scrambling to familiarize myself with each team and noticed some players that I have never witnessed play before if you can believe that, which frankly is the beauty of Pa Hockey…..seeing some fresh talent and new players ! Dustin Siplivy got things started for the Rangers as he weaved his way down the slot and took a wrist shot on EF freshman goalie Mike Cole, who made the save, but kicked out the rebound where Siplivy gathered it and buried a shot on the stick side to give Forest Hills a 1-0 lead early in the 2nd period. Then at 9:34, the Warriors struck as Brian Doak beat the Forest Hills defense and fed Jeremy Delmaster, who beat FH’s Kyle Single on the backhand to tie the game at 9:34. Forest Hills tried to intimidate EF with its size but that seemed to inspire the Warriors as Delmaster hit the post at 2:02 and Brian Doak almost put his team ahead with 52 seconds remaining in the middle frame as EF took a 22-19 advantage to the locker room. On to the third and both teams had chances to go ahead but Kyle Single stopped Matt Mitchko and Jeremy Delmaster on great chances at 10:19 and Mike Cole turned back the Rnager’s Bryan Parkinson at 7:47. The big break came at 3:13, when Delmaster beat the Forest Hills defense and was in on the breakaway and the beaten FH defenseman threw his stick, which referee whistled for a penalty shot after Delmaster fell off his feet. The most exciting play in hockey and the sparse crowd on its feet, Delmaster moved in on Kyle Single and went to the forehand through the 5-hole, giving Elizabeth Forward its first lead 2-1. EF would hold on as FH pulled the goalie with under a minute to play and Billy Repass added an empty netter to give the Warriors a 3-1 win in a thriller at Rostraver.