Seneca Valley Raiders

CANONSBURG - Chartiers Valley has been the subject of much debate over the past weeks with their decision to compete in the Open Division this season after a 1-19-0 season in 2004-2005. So I will say this once for everyone to hear….. The Colts would have never played in the ‘Glorified JV’ Open Division and played AA, if there never was an Open Division and we wouldn’t have been even talking about it. So coach Bonetti and his band of merry men and players, fresh off the Nailers Cup and defeating Somerset 7-2 and then stunning the High School Hockey world by defeating # 3 Montour 5-4 in OT are now here with a chance to move one step closer to a real Cinderella story. Canon McMillan started this season on nobody’s Elite 8 ballot and really in no one’s thoughts of even winning the South Division. The Big Macs rattled off a 19-1-2 record capturing the # 1 seed of the Penguins Cup playoffs and for coach Dave Fryer and his team, the aspirations of a State Championship lie ahead with four victories. Those victories would be a lot harder now as each team begins the playoffs at 0 wins –0 losses and the regular season means absolutely nothing as evidenced by the first round bye week which saw 3 of the top 6 seeds playing lose [3-8] including # 3 seed Montour, # 5 seed West Allegheny and # 8 Kittanning. These facts I am sure have not escaped the thoughts of the Big Macs. A circus atmosphere if you will outside the Iceoplex at Southpointe with Tailgating Canon McMillan fans awaiting their # 1 seed Big Macs to take on the Cinderella Boys from Char Valley head Carl ‘Paul Bonetti’ Spackler, who once caddied at Bushwood and aspires to be Masters Champions is living ‘the Dream’ as his team is one win away from the Penguins Cup semi-finals and Pennsylvania High School Hockey Championships Quarter-Finals next week at Harmarville. The big stage and a loose team, who started this season with Connellsville, West Mifflin and Allderdice and now can move on to a place where no one including coach Bonetti could have dreamed to be playing Canon Mac, who brought out to display their South Division trophy. A capacity crowd on hand of Canon Mac and Char Valley faithful in a game, which not even I could have predicted as the season started, but has begun to take shape since the mid-season Pa Hockey Scholastic Showcase, which both teams participated in and fair well, especially the Colts who beat # 2 Indiana. The first period began with end to end action in kind of a wide open as CV’s Eddie Olczyk had the games first good chance picking up a Ryan Woodall rebound and shoving it just wide at 12:21. Moments later the Colts went on the power play at 12:07. Tommy Miller saw an open net at 11:13 and the diving Drew Stanton made the save and the Big Macs killed off the patient CV power play. The Colts looked to be composed despite the big game pressure, but where given a dose of reality as Jesses Patnesky took a pass and split the CV defense and beat Dan Padgelek on the backhand to give CM a 1-0 lead. A bad call put CV on the power play at 4:30 as Eric Lang took his second penalty of the first drilling a Colt as the puck came a break for CV. Then a break and Joe Michelucci found a loose puck which squirt in the slot and backhanded past Drew Stanton to tie the game at 1-1 with 2:03 left in the opening frame. If this did anything it may have helped the Colts stop running around in their own end and get them focused again. Then at 14:21 Char Valley caught the Canon Mac defense napping as Drew Paocelli found a streaking Ryan Woodall on a 100 foot breakaway and Stanton stopped him, but Woodall would not be denied slamming home the rebound to give the Colts a 2-1 lead. At 13:03, the Big Macs went on the power play and Char Valley appeared to survive but just as the penalty expired Doug Stanton walked down the slot and beat Padgelek through the 5-hole to tie the game at two apiece with 10:55. Padgelek made a great save on Stanton at 8:13 and the game remained tied. The Colts went on the power play at 6:31 And CM killed . Char Valley had a golden opportunity on a two on one with Ryan Kelly and Drew Paocelli, who could not convert, but Ryan Woodall had it on the platter, but Drew Stanton made the save of the game with 1:55 left in the 2nd and the teams went to the locker room tied at 2-2. On to the third we go or went or something like that and Stanton stopped Tommy Miller, who walked right down the slot with 13 ½ left in regulation. Then at 12:27, a set play off the face-off as Doug Stanton pushed the puck to an open area where Justin Cormack slid behind the CV defense and deposited the puck behind Padgelek for a 3-2 Canon Mac lead. Then CV lost their their composure and took a penalty at 12:11, putting the Big Macs on the power play and Drew Paocelli had a chance shorthanded at 10:47 and Drew Stanton stopped him and then stopped a backhand by Eddie Olczyk at 10:21. Then at 9:56 Cormack made a beautiful backhand pass to Stanton, who could have never missed the open net he had in a million years and made it 4-2 and gave the Big Macs complete control of this hockey game. Char Valley seemed to look tired and worn as Cinderella neared midnight and when Jesse Patnesky slipped a backhander which mesmorized Padgelek to make it 5-2 with 3:21 left and the # 1 Canon Mac Big Macs were on their way to the Penguins Cup Semi-Finals for the first time in their history. When we look back on this game, it will be the Pa Hockey Top 25 goaltender Drew Stanton who would be the difference as he had all season long carried his club with the big saves late in the 2nd on Woodall and early in the 3rd on Miller and Olczyk continuing his mastery in the close games that took the Big Macs to 19 wins in the regular season. A great finish for Char Valley, who accorded themselves well in a season where no one expected them to be here and should be proud that the Colts are back and now they can move on and play in Class AA where they belong and belonged when the season began in November. For Canon Mac, it’s time to dance to go where no Big Mac team has ever been to the Penguins Cup semis next Tuesday at Harmarville.