Shaler Titans

MONROEVILLE - Gateway coach Dan Serakowski knows nothing about last season where the Gators tied or lost 13 games where they had the lead or were tied going to the third period and frankly I don't think that matters with this years team because Gateway has had only one bump in the road in a 6-1 start. North Allegheny on the other hand started this season like gangbusters defeating Meadville in the opener and coach Brian Hershberger had to be wondering where it all went after NA were handed a 6-1 pummeling at the hands of long time division nemesis McDowell last week. An undisciplined Gateway penalty in the first period resulted in the opening cscore at 1:51 on the power play as Jake Ridey popped home a rebound to give the Tigers a 1-0 advantage. Early in the second period, the Gators had a 5 on 3 opportunity with alot of perimeter passing with very limited scoring chances and no goals. Maybe the best philosiphy sometimes is to just shoot the puck and that's what happen as Zach Flora shot a wrister at Bobby Daley on the shortside which handcuffed the NA Netminder and tied the score at 1-1 at 10:42. NA's Joe Rosenberg came right back at 9:42 as he tipped in a Jason Ryan shot from the point past David Himes to make it 2-1. Gateway went to work on the power play and it was the Gators little big man Lucas Pepper stationed in front, who took a nice pass from Chris Gyke and beat Daley upstairs to tie the game at 7:49. North Allegheny's Marc Clermont missed a golden opportunity late in the second at 2:15 with a wide open net and a down and out Himes but could not control the bouncing puck and the score remained tied. On to the third and the Gators struck early as Gyke threw the puck out in front where Pepper fought off an NA defender and threw the puck to the net at 14:08 which glanced off another Tiger and into the net for a 3-2 Gateway lead. The Gators picked up the pace and Matt Kopaczynski, who if he hit the net half the time would score 50 + goals, struck paydirt and made his eight shot of the evening beat Daley to give his team a two goal edge 4-2. While he was hot, Kopaczynski did it again at 6:06 getting his own rebound and scoring to extend the Gator lead to 5-2. NA's Neal Lancaster scored with 18 seconds remaining to make it 5-3 and as it proved to be too little ...too late and Gateway went on to a 5-3 victory setting up a big matchup with Cathedral Prep on Thursday.