Baldwin Highlanders - 1975 & 1988 AAA

MONROEVILLE - Gateway coach Dan Serakowski could fill a resume with experience from his first year with the Gators as he has seen just about everything. It’s like the ABC’s Wide World of Sports commercial, which portrays the ‘thrill of victory’ as well as ‘the agony of defeat’. The Gators showed why many consider them a very dangerous team by defeating # 1 ranked Meadville and have showed at times that they are merely a pretender with some lifeless individual circus act shows that would rival Barnum and Bailey………coach Serakowski has been like a broken record stressing team play and that team play would include passing the puck, discipline in tight situations and playing smart fundamental hockey, which the Gators must do to be successful. McDowell posted a 3-18-2 record a year ago and I am sure head coach Marlin Coon hoped not to go through another season like that one. The Trojans have pleasantly surprised this season with an 11-5-2 start with a pasting of Cathedral Prep [8-1] and several other impressive outings this season. The team traveled by bus to the Golden Mile for a big playoff positioning matchup with Gateway, there would be a lot on the line as the # 7 and # 8 ranked teams in the PA Hockey Elite 8 would lock horns. The Gators started off with a penalty early in the 1st and killed the McDowell opportunity, but the Trojans jumped on Gateway for the games first goal as Pa Hockey Top 25 Selection Stephen Kobert whistled a wrist shot on the ice through traffic past David Himes at 11:17 for a 1-0 lead. Gateway responded on its power play chance with some excellent work down low by Zach Flora, Lucas Pepper and Rob McCoy which opened up the point and at 9:04 it was Matt Kopaczynski, with a big blast from the center point past Joe Comstock on the stick side to tie the game at one apiece. The Gators took the lead with 5:31 remaining as Chris Gyke found Lucas Pepper in the slot and Pepper scored on the backhand to give Gateway a 2-1 lead. Then in true GMIC fashion late in the first, the scoreboard went out after the opening period buzzer. Early in the second Gateway could not extend the lead with several power play opportunities. Then at 10:14, McDowell’s Brian Hammell missed on the breakaway just wide and the puck took a ‘Golden Mile bounce’ off the end boards and found its way on to the stick of Gary Peterson, who deposited it behind Himes and the game was tied again at two apiece. The Trojans received a bench minor for yapping at the officiating crew, who seemed to be overcalling and mucking up an excellent hard fought hockey game. This would cost McDowell, as Gateway’s Chris Gyke knocked down a clearing attempt and fire a bullet upstairs on the glove side past Comstock to give the Gators a 3-2 advantage with 5:29 left in the middle period. On to the third period and Gyke continued his hot hand as he jumped into the play and his attempted pass cross ice deflected off a Trojan defenseman and behind Comstock for a 4-2 Gator lead with 11:03 to play. Gateway was now looking for the knockout punch and with 9:29 to play they appeared to have it as Zach Flora took a feed in front, but Comstock made a spectacular save sliding across the crease, which would turn out to be huge. Just fifteen seconds later at 9:14, Gary Peterson beat Himes on a wrist shot to cut the lead to 4-3 in favor of Gateway. The battle turned it up a notch as Hammel and Flora looked horns near the McDowell bench and a scrum ensued with several players. An overzealous official gave Flora the gate with a game misconduct and Hammel remained in the game receiving a double minor, which had the Gator faithful and bench livid and justifiably so. At the 6:24 mark McDowell would go on the power play for three minutes and Gateway was trying to hold on and appeared to be doing so as captain Matt Kopaczynski looked like Bobby Orr killing off over a minute of the disadvantage. The Gator momentum resulted in a Lucas Pepper shorthanded chance but Comstock came up with another big save with 4:50 remaining. The Trojans finally cashed in and tied the game as Lee Rohan set up Brian Hammel, who scored on a big wrist shot past Himes on the glove side and the game was tied again at four apiece. The Trojans now had the momentum and continued the pressure on Gateway and with :38 left, Hammel found the loose puck and beat Himes on a swift backhand to give McDowell a huge comeback win. The loss for Gateway sets up a must win for Gateway against division rival Franklin Regional next week for any hope of a division title.