Oftentimes, one of the hardest things to do in hockey is to hold on to a multiple-goal lead. Even more so when that lead is by a large margin early on.
Seneca Valley jumped out to an early 3-0 lead against Peters Township after the first period in the PIHL Class 3A Penguins Cup final Tuesday night, but knew that Peters was not going to go away quietly.
“These things are hard to win no matter what,” said Seneca Valley coach Tyler Mesisca. “The sacrifice and the teams you go against to win make it a challenge. Peters gave us a hell of a game, and they played incredible, and to climb right back into it wasn’t easy.”
Seneca Valley (22-0-1) padded its lead with two goals in the second period, but Peters (16-5-2) scored twice in the frame and then added another pair in the third, but came up short as the Raiders claimed their second straight Pens Cup with a 5-4 win.
Leading the way for Seneca Valley was senior John Sroka, who had a power-play goal and three assists.
“We’re familiar with Peters and knew what we needed to do to get the win,” Sroka said. “It feels great to make that impact, but as a team we played phenomenal.”
Junior Ethan Riffe added a goal and a pair of assists, and Braden Morin tacked on a goal and an assist.
The Raiders scored 1 minute, 7 seven seconds into the game after cycling the puck to the left of Peters goaltender Anthony Herman. The puck found its way to Raiders defenseman Tyler Maxwell at the point.
Maxwell fired a wrister that appeared to get deflected past Herman to give Seneca Valley a 1-0 lead. Sroka and Riffe had the assists.
It didn’t take long for the Raiders to find the net for a second time.
After gaining possession in his defensive zone, Vinci Villella found Sroka heading up the right side of the ice. Riffe was trailing a step behind. Sroka floated a puck past the diving defender, and Riffe rifled one into the open net at 4:39 of the first period.
Two minutes later, after another defensive zone faceoff for Peters following an icing, Carter Hoehn found Braden Morin wide open with a cross-ice pass and Morin buried a shot top shelf to give the Raiders a 3-0 advantage going into the second period.
Seneca Valley was very strong in the offensive zone, with all its first-period goals coming either off an offensive zone faceoff or just moments later.
“We have plans off faceoffs,” said Mesisca. “It’s a point of emphasis, and we look at it in film, and it all comes down to execution.”
Going into the second period, the Raiders looked to add to their lead, scoring two early goals.
With Peters defenseman Cameron Caruso in the penalty box for a trip, Cooper Hoehn found Sroka wide open at the right circle, and Sroka buried his first of the night and first of the playoffs at 14:01.
Seneca Valley finished 1 for 3 on the power play. Peters was 0 for 3.
Just over four minute later, Sroka found himself on a breakaway as a defender lost his edge. With Riffe skating to his left, making it a two-on-one, Sroka shot the puck and Riffe chipped the rebound into Herman and that shot bounced to Villella, who tapped it in for a 5-0 Raiders lead.
Peters began to take more of the body, looking to rattle or slow down the Seneca Valley attack, and started to build momentum, holding the puck in Seneca Valley’s zone for good portions of the next four minutes.
Off a faceoff to the left of the Seneca Valley goaltender, Brady Holleran corralled the loose puck and fired a wrister to the net, and with Carter Stoub screening in front of Chris Nichols, Peters finally got on the board.
“It was tough,” said Nichols. “They came out hot in that second period, and we knew it would be more of the same in the third. It was an absolute battle right up until the last second.”
One minute later, at 5:30 of the second, Peters once again held possession in the Seneca Valley end and with some crisp puck movement, Peters crawled within three.
Brendan Monko held the puck at the right circle and fired it across to Caruso on the left. He tapped the puck over to Cole Neupaver, who wristed one passed the glove of Nichols.
“We told these guys that this team has so much heart,” said Peters coach Chris Clackson. “Even down 5-0, they were talking about coming back in the game. Especially young kids without a lot of experience, they didn’t quit.”
Peters was spearheaded by Neupaver, who finished the night with a goal and an assist, and Holleran, who scored a hat trick.
Peters was suffocating in the offensive zone, getting many scoring chances, but many of them went by the wayside as Seneca Valley sacrificed the body to block shots.
Added Nichols: “I appreciate all the work the guys did there in that period. Sometimes I don’t see the shots, but the guys get the blocks and I don’t have to worry about it.”
Nichols stopped 37 of 41 shots and Herman stuffed 19 of 24 for the Indians.
Peters pulled Herman with four minutes left in the game, and that’s when Holleran deposited a pair past Nichols.
His second goal of the game came with 2:51 left in the third, and he stuffed a loose puck through Nichols at 1:32.
Peters Township’s four-goal total was the largest against Seneca Valley all year.
“From the top line on down, the effort and heart in that room, how close they were as a team, they deserve better, but we’re going to be talking about this class for years to come,” Clackson said.
Seneca Valley tried its best to put the puck in the empty net, but only came up with icings. They weathered the storm and as the clock ticked down, they could finally breathe knowing they accomplished a season-long goal.
“When you graduate, you’re never going to forget this,” Sroka said. “You’re always going to remember going back-to-back.”