Plum Mustangs - 1989 A

MONROEVILLE - The Baldwin Highlanders have targeted the 2002-2003 seaon as the end of a drought. It has been twelve years since the Highlanders have tasted playoff competition and 15 years since they won a State Title in 1988. Head coach Mike Cox, who played for the Highlanders in the 1980's is in the second year of a rebuilding program which looks to be taking shape as his squad knocked off Upper St Clair in its opener. Gateway on the other hand is looking to extinguish its struggles over the past few years of not getting past round two of the playoffs and more recently a year ago when the Gators let tie games or leads in the third peiod slip away to 6 losses and 6 ties. Enter Dan Serakowski, two years removed from leading Allderdice to a Penguin Cup final appearance in 2001, to try to lead the Gators to the promised land. After a very evenly played first period, the game looked to go to the first intermission as a scoreless tie, but Zach Flora picked up a loose puck in the neutral zone and bursted down the off wing and fired a shot past Baldwin's Matt King to give Gateway a 1-0 lead. Early in the second, Baldwin's speedy forward Alex Del Greco drove around the Gateway defense and beat David Himes cleanly on the forehand and the game was tied at one apiece. Gateway went on the power play a minute later and King stopped several chances until the Gators Steve Daniels found Flora with a cross ice pass and Zach buried it to make it 2-1 Gateway at 10:27. Lou Del Greco had a breakaway behind the Gator defense but Himes stoned him at 9:27 of the middle frame. On to the third and Baldwin's Ray Wilhelm tied the score at 2-2. The Highlanders had the better of the play in the third and went on the power play with 2:27 remaining. It took just 8 seconds as Chris Falce blasted a shot on the ice from the left point to give Baldwin a 3-2 lead with 2:19 left. Now the Gators had their backs againt the wall and they pulled the goaltender and Flora found that loose puck in the slot and wristed a shot past Matt King with :49 left and the game was tied 3-3. Off the faceoff, the puck found its way on to the stick of Matt Kopaczynski, who beat the Baldwin defender to the puck and pulled it around the Baldwin goaltender and fired home the game winner with 30 seconds remaining and Gateway pulled out a thrilling 4-3 victory on their opening night.