Matthew Cummings has combined success in the classroom and on the ice for some time now.

His efforts didn't go unnoticed.

The Seneca Valley senior was the recipient of the 2003-04 Seneca Valley Ice Hockey/Nelson Financial Scholarship Award in the amount of $1,000.

Cummings carries a 4.1 GPA and plans to attend Allegheny College.

"I'm going to major in biology," he said. "They have a club hockey team up there, and I plan on joining it."

Cummings played 23 games for the Raiders last season, scoring six goals and tallying 24 assists. The numbers were good enough to earn him a spot on the WPIHL All-Star team.

"He played mostly at center," said Seneca coach Tom Ward. "But he was willing to play wherever the team needed him. That's the type of player he is."

But on-ice skills and scoring ability weren't the only factors that helped Cummings to win the scholarship award.

"He also came to the developmental league practices, helping the younger players," said Seneca Valley Hockey Association president Ed Hestin, one of three people who selected the award recipient. "He helped the kids with the fundamentals of the game."

Cummings began helping the developmental team four years ago. His father, Gary, coaches the team, which consists of players in grades four through seven.

"Just being able to watch the progress the kids make from the first practice of the year until the end of the season, that's great to see," said Matt Cummings. "Plus, the kids are out there having fun and that's what it's all about."

"His willingness to help the younger kids is certainly invaluable," said Ward. "That's one of his leadership qualities."

"I got involved with hockey through my dad," Gary Cummings said. "And I appreciated the older guys for the help they gave me. To see Matt giving back to the game like he is, it's tremendous."

The elder Cummings introduced Matt to the game when he was 5 years old.

"In the beginning, skating was the toughest part for him," Gary Cummings said. "But he's always been a pretty smart kid and was able to pick up on the other skills rather quickly."

Matt Cummings' playing career took a bit of a detour for the 2002-03 season.

Before his junior season, the SVHA decided there would not be a varsity team.

"A lot of the veteran players decided not to come out," he said. "We didn't have enough guys to have both a varsity and junior varsity team, so the association as a whole decided it would be better if we just played at the junior varsity level that year.

"I was the only returning varsity player from the year before," Cummings added. "Some of the other players were disappointed to be playing junior varsity, but I think everybody realized what we were doing was best for the team."

The team ended up making the junior varsity playoffs before losing in the first round.

Then came this past season, and a return to varsity play.

The first challenge the Raiders encountered was making the transition to the top level of high school play.

"It took the team some time to get used to the difference," Cummings said. "But I think everybody adapted to it well."

Seneca had its ups and downs, compiling an 8-13 record.

"Our goal at the beginning of the season was to finish .500," said Cummings. "But by the middle of the year, we weren't playing that well. Then we started to play better as a team by the end. That was good to see."

Part of the criteria for the scholarship was to write an essay on how sports had affected the player's life.

"I focused on the people skills it's taught me," said Cummings, who is also a member of Seneca's boys volleyball team. "And the fact that whether you win or lose, life goes on. Enjoy the game and do your best."