JACKSON TWP — For now, Alex Crilley is putting his life on ice.

The Seneca Valley senior believes that is where it belongs.

Crilley is captain and leading scorer of the Seneca Valley varsity hockey team. He also plays for the Pittsburgh Penguins Elite team.

So between practice time and games?

“I'm on the ice somewhere pretty much every night,” Crilley said. “It's all part of living the dream. This is what I want to do.”

Crilley plans to continue playing hockey well after this season ends. His name will be tossed into the junior hockey draft and he hopes to play Division I college hockey after his stint in juniors ends.

“Just part of the process,” he said. “I'm prepared to leave home to play junior hockey, to do what I have to do.”

For the Raiders, he's been doing plenty.

Through 13 games, he's tallied 12 goals and six assists for 18 points. Crilley has scored the game-winning goal in four of Seneca Valley's seven wins this far.

He has also picked up three power play goals and one shorthanded tally.

“Alex is a good goal scorer,” Seneca Valley coach Anthony Raco said. “He can crash the net and dig for rebounds and he's got a good shot.

“He's definitely shown the ability to find the net when we really need it.”

Crilley did not score a goal in the Raiders' last game — a 5-4 victory over Pine-Richland — but picked up two assists and played a solid two-way game.

“He's effective at both ends of the ice,” Raco said. “As a captain, he's a true leader. All he wants is for us to win. He's every bit as excited from the bench or on the ice when a teammate scores a goal.”

A hockey player since he was 6, Crilley was an all-star catcher in baseball as well. He was a catcher for Cranberry Township, but gave the game up after Pony League.

“I wanted to pursue hockey year round,” he said. “Once I saw Sidney Crosby play, I wanted to be like him.”

Crilley does play center and is a playmaker. And he's in his first year with the Pittsburgh Penguins Elite team.

That means a lot of travel.

The Elite team is 19-5-2 thus far. Crilley has five goals and four assists in 26 games.

“We've gone all over the place,” Crilley said. “We do tournaments on weekends ... Detroit, Minneapolis, Columbus, New York, everywhere. It gets pretty hectic.

“Our high school team practices one day a week, the Penguins Elite once or twice a week, then there's all the games. But I never get tired of hockey.”

Crilley said he can't imagine himself not playing the game.

“It's been such a huge part of my life,” he said.

At 5-foot-10, 175 pounds, Crilley does not present a physically imposing appearance on the ice. But when he uses the body, he's effective.

“That kid is put together pretty well,” Raco said.

“We hit the gym once a week as part of the Penguins Elite and I do weights a lot in the off-season,” Crilley said. “I've gotten stronger and I'm learning to use that strength on the ice to create more chances.”

His linemates with Seneca Valley are Tyler Murphy and Shane Galis. Both scored goals in the win over Pine-Richland.

“The three of us have been playing together for a while and we've developed chemistry, knowing where each other is at on the ice,” Crilley said. “That makes it fun.”

And leads toward winning.

“That's all I want to do — on both teams,” Crilley said.