WARRENDALE - It appeared Mars threw everything at Freeport goalie Tim Zahumensky in the first period for Tuesday's PIHL Class hockey game.

Early in the second period, however, the Planets were able to catch on.

Goals by Mike Riefner and Dave Anderson 34 seconds apart staked Mars (9-3-1) the a 2-0 lead lead en route to a 3-1 victory over the Yellowjackets at the Warrendale BladeRunners.

Zahumensky stopped 14 shots in the first period and the first one he faced in the second, but Riefner raced down the left side and rifled a shot past the freshman goaltender for a 1-0 lead with 13:49 left in the period.

After a scrum behind the net moments later, Anderson stuffed a shot around the corner for a 2-0 margin.

"I thought we got to work the puck down low and control the game," said Mars coach Eric Glover.

"We came out flat. They outhustled us in the first period," said Freeport coach Dave Hepler. "We're a fairly decent talented team. Everyone didn't seem to have it tonight."

The Yellowjackets (9-3-1) did cut the deficit in half with 6:42 left in the second period, when Zack Hepler took a Jason Bubb pass in front of the net and fired it past Planets goalie Bryan Ross.

But with 2:17 left in the second period, Freeport's Dustin Gaworski, the leading goal scorer and points leader in Class A with 44 points, left the game for good after battling the effects of the flu.

Gaworski obviously was winded and a bit weak throughout the game.

"He did as much as he could," said Hepler. "I'm glad he did what he did. He's a large part of the offense. Jason Bubb was sick tonight too."

Freeport almost scored the equalizer with 1:30 left in the same period, when Hepler's shot was deflected by Ross. The puck flipped over Ross and just cleared over the net.

Zahumensky continued to keep the Yellowjackets in the hunt by making save after save. He caught a point-blank shot off the stick of Shaun Becker 2:28 into the third period.

Ross, however, answered with a similar save of his own on a shot by the Yellowjackets' Wyatt McQueen with 6:40 left in the game.

Just 29 seconds earlier, Freeport's Josh Schreckengost suffered a separated shoulder and had to leave the game.

That was tough," saiod Hepler. "He looked like the only guy with a head of steam out there."

Mars iced the game with 3:45 remaining when Bryan Reel put back a deflection off a Zahumensky save.

Zahumensky finished the game with 44 saves, including 20 in the final period, while Ross made 18 stops.

"I thought (Zahumensky) played outstanding," said Glover. "It could have been a 6-0 lead."

"(Zahumensky's) been playing well for us," Hepler said. "I'd like to see a little more focus, but he's a freshman playing varsity."

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