Seneca Valley Raiders

Class AAA Flyers Cup # 1 - LaSalle Explorers # 2 - Germantown Academy Patriots Class AA Flyers Cup # 1 - Abington Ghosts # 2 - Archbishop Wood Vikings Preliminary Round LaSalle II 2 (3 OT) Hatboro 1 Semi-Final Abington 5 (2 OT) LaSalle II 4 Archbishop Wood 5 CB West 1 Finals [Best of 3] Abington 5 Archbishop Wood 2 Abington 3 Archbishop Wood 2 ***Abington wins Best of 3*** Class A Flyers Cup # 1 - LaSalle II Explorers # 2 - Central Bucks East Patriots Preliminary Round Central Bucks East 9 Pennridge 2 Semi-Finals Central Bucks East 4 Cheltenham 1 North Penn 9 William Tennent 2 Final Central Bucks East 3 North Penn 2

2003 Lehigh Valley Inter-Scholastic Hockey League Championship Northhampton 7 Freedom 4 2003 Flyers Cup Representatives Class AAA - Northhampton K-Kids Class AA - Freedom Patriots Class AA - Parkland Trojans Class A - Pleasant Valley Bears Class A - Liberty Hurricanes

MONROEVILLE – Gateway comes in this year’s with a veteran squad who has met playoff disappointment for three straight years short of a trip the Semi-Finals, the last two to eventual Penguins Cup finalists Bethel Park in 2002 and Allderdice in 2001, and the short end of a double overtime loss to Upper St. Clair 7-6 in 2000. Head Coach Dan Serakowski has done everything to try to prepare his team to do the simple things necessary to have the Gators move past the second round. The unreal statistic in 2002-2003, was the number of games won by Gateway when they were able to get the first goal and the flip side of losses when the don’t making it critical to get the first tally against Baldwin. Baldwin has not been to the Playoffs since 1991, which is a long time for a program with a storied history of two Class AAA State Championships in 1975 and 1988. Coach Mike Cox, a former Highlander, was hoping to draw from that history to bring this unheralded group of Baldwin players to defend a 20-9-0 playoff record when the purple and white takes the ice in the post season. Baldwin opened this season losing a heartbreaking loss to Gateway in the games final minute but rebounded with an outstanding season. A huge crowd gathered at possibly the last game at the Golden Mile Ice Center for the first round Class AAA playoffs in 2003, which opened in the mid-1980’s and has now fallen behind the new rink craze. In the first period, Gateway had some decent chances but Baldwin goaltender Matt King was sharp. Then at 11:41, Nate Obringer picked Matt Kopaczynski’s pocket and in one motion snapped one past David Himes to give the Highlanders a 1-0 lead. The opening frame was evenly played after that as the Gators struggled against the fine defensive play of Baldwin, in particular Chris Falce and Andy Walker, who were solid on the blue line in front of King. The good patience by the Highlanders paid off at 4:48 as Alex DelGreco beat the Gator defense and Himes for a 2-0 lead. Gateway was now in a hole and they tried to turn up the heat on Baldwin outshooting the Highlanders 19-10 in the 2nd, but Matt King was outstanding between the pipes. The speedy Ray Wilhelm got by the Gateway forecheck and broke down the left side and blasted a wrist shot which Himes turned aside, but Obringer was there for the rebound at 11:05 and Baldwin now had a 3-0 lead. Gateway could not capitalize on their power play chances as Obringer, Walker, Falce, King and the rest of the Highlanders displayed great resolve in their penalty killing and maintained their 3-0 advantage. Then the backbreaker came as Russ McHugh scored with just :01 left in the 2nd on a rebound after some great corner work by Wilhelm to give Baldwin an almost insurmountable 4-0 lead at the end of two. On to the third and the Gators wasted no time getting on the board as Justin ‘L.A.’ Scott [which could stand for Left Alone] banged home a puck at his feet in the crease area at 14:36. Scott’s next shift would be on the power play and he scored again from right in front at 12:30 and all of the sudden it was now 4-2. Gateway really turned up the heat as Matt Kopaczynski, Zach Flora, Lucas Pepper and Chris Gyke all had chances but could not beat King, who remained solid in trying to ward off the Gator onslaught. Then with 5:01 left, Flora slipped a shot on the forehand past King and we now had a hockey game at 4-3 Baldwin. The Gators pounded away at the Highlanders, outshooting them 20-9 in the third and 51-30 on the evening. After a big scramble in front with under three minutes to play, apparently one of the Highlander defensemen covered the puck in the crease, but the four official team missed call, a big break for the Highlanders, much to the dismay of the Gators, whose comeback would fall short when Nate Obringer completed the Hat Trick with :12 seconds left sending Baldwin to the second round with their first playoff win since 1988, which was the Highlanders last State Championship. Frustration broke out after the final buzzer as the Gators took exception to the Baldwin victory , but the Highlanders moved on with a well deserved hard fought 5-3 win.

DELMONT ~ Latrobe coach Ron Makoski knows the capability of his team as well as any coach in Western Pennsylvania. The fact that the Wildcats went 13-10-1 and won the Northeast Division, unquestionably Class AAA’s weakest, is testimony that Latrobe can play some hockey when it sets its mind to it. Less we forget, this is essentially the same Wildcat team, who advanced to the Penguins Cup Semi-Finals at Rostraver last season and came close to pulling off an upset over eventual State Champions Peters Twp. Franklin Regional looked like the perfect opponent for Latrobe, with the East Division crown under its belt, a big win over three-time Class AAA State Champion Bethel Park two weeks ago and its entire lineup healthy ready for a playoff run. Coach Jim Damp has to be almost giddy at the prospects of lining up in round two against anyone in front of them or behind them. Also, they were a sitting duck if they get a little cocky or one of the pieces gets hurt or a distraction takes place to melt down the team chemistry. As the teams took the ice for warm-up, a standing room only crowd at Center Ice, another who’s who night with Mt Lebanon braintrust Paul Taibi and Bob Montana on the camera, Gateway’s Dan Serakowski and Dave ‘must be in bed by 10 PM on non-game nights’ Scott, Central’s Kevin Z, Billy Z and goaltender Brian A [can’t spell his last name], the Bethel Camera crew in disguise and Jim ‘Mort’ McVay, who never made it but we’ll give him credit just for all of the phone calls to try to find Center Ice. Strangely missing was Franklin senior Luke DeLorenzo, who will have to give McVay directions so next time he can make it to the game to see the drama unfold. Now as you all know or don’t know, its an annual thing for me to haul off and criticize the ‘you must come to my Hornets practice’ organization or I’ll make the $ 15,000 investment your family spends to get you ‘seen’ by scouts disappear. This is an organization whose head coach and mentor coach nearly 10 years of high school hockey with Bethel Park, Upper St Clair and Central Catholic with some of the best talent in Western Pennsylvania and ‘just couldn’t win the big one’ and he’s bitter about it. So bitter, that the organization and its leaders are trying to ruin Interscholastic Hockey and have tried for the past number of years, of course there was Jimmy Fuhs leaving his Keystone Oaks team with a 1-0 lead in Kittanning last year to go to some required meeting in Cleveland at 11 PM at night and then their was Randy Bauer, who didn’t play in Pine Richland’s upset loss to Latrobe in last year’s Class AA quarter-finals, and there was Matt Schwartz and Christian Hanson of Peters Twp, who missed the Penguins Cup to go to Ottawa and almost cost them as they just edged Indiana, and on and on and on. The amazing thing is that the coaches from this organization have been selected somehow to evaluate for Team Pittsburgh, even after they wouldn’t let one Hornet player tryout for the Chicago Showcase team last year and coach McVay lead them to the Semi-Finals anyway, which was the coaching performance of 2002 !!! The bottom line is that this is extortion at its finest as these people are caught, whose checks have already been cashed are between a rock and a hard place as they are told, you cannot miss practice or your future is finished. Remember one thing before you comment……….that R.J. Umberger, you know him 1st round draft choice of the Vancouver Canucks and current star a top 10 NCAA ranked Ohio State, never missed a Plum Game and never missed a Hornets game either……..so their can be cooperation and has been and now instead it’s a war between High School and Travel. The people who lose are the players, the coaches, the parents, the fans and administrators, because of the cloud over the sport. If this sport is ever to be recognized by the schools [which puts the fear of god in the travel organizations] and sanctioned then these people can tell the Travel Hockey to pound salt! So DeLorenzo was absent and joined Fuhs, Bauer, Schwartz, Hanson and many others before them, who have been extorted and robbed of a chance to represent their school in interscholastic playoff glory! These are not twisted facts …………..it’s the truth and my humble opinion ! So Latrobe not only had a chance for the upset, Makoski and his troops smelled it early as the Wildcats Matt Mesaros beat Brandon Stallard stick side at 14:42 for a great start and a 1-0 lead. Franklin looked rattled as it took a too many men on the ice penalty at 9:06, but responded with a great effort by two of its leaders as Mike Roth found Jimmy Daugherty in the slot for a huge goal and a 1-1 tie game at 8:10. Stallard made a diving save on Jordan Miller to keep the game tied at 2:48. The Panthers came right back on the power play as Luke Baughman found Roth, who buried a wrist shot past Josh Gross through the 5-hole with just 21 seconds remaining and a great turnaround by Franklin Regional with a 2-1 lead after period number one. On to the second and the next goal would be huge in this game……Latrobe’s Matt Makoski picked up a loose puck in the slot and blasted a wrist shot high over a fallen Stallard and the Wildcats were back in the game at 2-2 at 11:19. Goaltending took over in the middle of the second as Josh Gross and Brandon Stallard where outstanding keeping the game tied. Gross made an outstanding save on Scott Dakan alone in front at 6:35 and Stallard stoned Miller again with just 11 seconds left in the middle frame. Latrobe was primed for the upset as Gross looked to be getting hot in between the pipes and they were getting plenty of chances on Stallard. As we were on the ‘old cell phone’ checking the ‘out of town’ scoreboard, a car pulls up and out jumps no other than Luke DeLorenzo, who legend has it his mother drove ‘a little over’ the speed limit through the always congested Route 22 traffic to get Luke to his game, because jeez maybe he’s a senior and maybe this could be Franklin’s last home playoff game and maybe they could advance……so thank god they arrive safely ! As I entered the building and Luke dashed to the locker room, Latrobe had scored at the precise moment at 14:10,when DeLorenzo headed to the locker room and this writer was so distracted he didn’t see who got the Latrobe goal on the power play. Enter DeLorenzo, who took his first shift at 11:33 and buried a wrist shot to tie the game at 3-3. The Wildcats would have a chance to take the lead again at 8:09 on the power play, but it was Delorenzo and Roth, who not only killed the penalty, but almost put them ahead only to be stopped by Gross, who faced 35 Franklin shots on the night. With 4:14 remaining, the Panthers went on the power play and off the face-off, DeLorenzo calmly gathered the puck and buried a wrist shot between the legs of Josh Gross and Franklin was now on top 4-3 with 4:05 left in regulation. Latrobe came close to scoring late in the third on a crazy deflection, which just bounce over Stallard and the net. But this would be a story for Luke DeLorenzo, who rescued the Panthers and completed the natural hat trick with :39 seconds left to cap a comeback and advance FR to round two of the Penguin Cup playoffs. A little advice for Mr DeLorenzo is to make a precedent and hand in your Hornets jersey tomorrow, thank them for their time and spending your money because ‘Kid, you have talent and you can play Junior A and if you don’t believe me….have a little talk with Scott Dakan’s brother Todd, who left after his junior year at Franklin for the USHL and ended up playing at Penn State……you will never have another chance to play with your friends and win a State Championship…and if you don’t believe me look at the record books because the last Franklin Regional and look at the four years in a row they made it the Penguins Cup and lost…..the last time in 1996 was the best chance, a one goal loss to North Catholic. I am sure that Franklin team could have used Todd Dakan, the same as this team needs your leadership. Don’t let history repeat itself because the Panthers can win it all, but not without # 21 in the lineup for all of the games the rest of the way !

BEAVER ~ Deer Lakes and Blackhawk met twice this season and both affairs were high scoring as the Lancers won the 1st meeting 6-5 in December and the Cougars came back to win an 11-8 scoring festival in February. So what came so close a year ago to be a first round tiebreaker game [as Blackhawk and Deer Lakes were a point apart in 2001-2002 in the final standings], has renewed into a rivalry of sorts as the teams would open the playoffs as an 8th and 9th seeds. Blackhawk [11-7-3] has been Class A’s hottest team in February with wins over Quaker Valley and Mars under their belt and a near win against Westmont Hilltop in Johnstown. Head Coach Dave Stepanian’s group is a sleeper in this year’s Penguin Cup Playoffs, but would need to get by Deer Lakes to make some real noise in the playoffs. The return of goaltender John Fitzgerald has sparked the Cougars on their late season run as they are making their first playoff appearance since 1998. Deer Lakes [13-9-0] on the other hand has played well late in the season with a big win over Somerset and a tight game against rival Mars losing 5-3. Coach Al Palowski has been preaching defense and it seems the team is starting to listen. Goaltender Roman Drienovsky has improved to a point where the Lancers may be a upstart team should it get by Blackhawk. As we settled into our assigned and numbered seat in the beautifully remodeled Beaver Arena at Brady’s Run Park we were greeted by a vocal student section of Blackhawk fans as a big crowd was on hand for this playoff game. Palowski and Stepanian opened the game in a chess match of line matching in the first period. Fitzgerald made a nice stop on DiSanti at 14:04 and McIntyre at 5:00 on a shorthanded situation to keep Deer Lakes off the board. At 3:53 of the 1st, Sam Kristian spotted freshman Jake Polas alone, who beat Drienovsky to give the Cougars a 1-0 lead in a very uncharacteristic defensive first period. In the second period, the Cougars tried to extend the lead, but Travis Stoll was stopped point blank and the score remained 1-0. Then the Lancers got their offense rolling as Andrea Backstrom buried a wrist shot upstairs past Fitzgerald high to the glove side to tie the game at 12:02. Matt DiSanti and Sean McIntyre got into the act as they just missed on a 2 on 1 at 11:19. The same two combined on the next shift as DiSanti found McIntyre behind the Blackhawk defense and McIntyre beat Fitzgerald on the backhand at 8:58 to give the Lancers a 2-1 lead. The game opened up at this point as Deer Lakes scored again as Jonas Eliasson went high to the glove side at 4:30 and all the sudden the Lancers had a 3-1 lead. Deer Lakes went on a 5 on 3 power play late in the second and McIntyre scored with just 47 seconds left to give DL a 4-1 into the locker room. Blackhawk came out flying in the third period and Jake Polas scored a very important goal at 14:10 as he found the five hole. Drienovsky made great save on Matt Stepanian from right in front at 13:41 as Blackhawk continued to apply the pressure. When you pressure, sometimes you create odd man breaks at the other end and Backstrom and Eliasson combined on a great passing play to give Deer Lakes a huge insurance goal at 9:06. Blackhawk was not done yet as Mike Wylie scored on a sneaky wrister at 7:08 and Polas completed the hat trick on a power play goal at 4:51 to pull the Cougars back within one at 4:51. Deer Lakes played a little too conservative late and Polas almost beat three Lancer defenders at 1:48, but his attempt just went wide. Blackhwk went on the power play with under a minute to play creating a 6 on 4 with the goalie pulled and McIntyre found that empty net with 41 ticks left from 165 feet and the score now read 6-4. Travis Stoll came right back just 8 seconds after the faceoff with a PPG upstairs past Drienovsky and the Cougars were back within one 6-5. This would be Deer Lakes night as Andreas Backstrom score an empty netter and the Lancer would move on 7-5 to round two in a wild finish.