Bethel Park blows Raiders out of playoffs
BETHEL PARK — It was a playoff atmosphere, but Thursday's PIHL Class AAA hockey matchup between Seneca Valley and Bethel Park certainly didn't play out like one.
The Raiders were whistled for 16 penalties and mustered only eight shots in a 7-0 quarterfinal loss to the Black Hawks at Bethel Park BladeRunners.
In contrast, Bethel Park was 5-for-11 on the power play and rang up 60 shots on goal.
"In the second and third periods, my team didn't have a shot to be in the game," said Seneca Valley coach Mike Schall. "It 's a shame when the fans come to see the kids and unfortunately watch the stripes.
"We were never given a chance. Any time we'd start to develop, it was taken right away,"Schall added.
"The game didn't get physical until they were behind," said Bethel Park coach Jim McVay. "I know it's tough. It's kids and the season is over."
A natural hat trick by Bryan Brown got the Black Hawks (22-0-1) off and running.
Brown scored 1 minute, 22 seconds into the game when the Raiders (13-10) couldn't clear the puck out of their own end.
Bethel Park's Graham Cohen nabbed the loose puck and found Brown, who flipped it past Raiders goalie Thomas Comunale.
With Bethel Park on a power play with 1:20 left in the first period, Brown rifled a shot from outside the faceoff circle that trickled past Comunale for a 2-0 lead.
Bethel Park goalie Pete Cosentino stopped a pair of Seneca Valley shots inside the final minute of the first period and two more in the first 30 seconds of the second to keep the Raiders at bay.
Brown scored on another power play with 11:41 left in the second period, then Tom Whetsel scored on a power play with 10:38 left in the frame.
Shortly after that goal, Nick Miller replaced Comunale in net.
"They had constant pressure on Tom and he made some big saves," said Schall. "Nick made some big saves, too."
Matt Quigley lit the lamp for a goal with 7:09 left that gave Bethel Park and insurmountable 5-0 lead. Quigley's goal came three seconds after a power play expired.
Nick Bannon and Rob Torchia added power-play goals in the third period to close out the scoring.
"Seneca Valley is a very good team," said McVay. "They have two seniors (Mike McChesney and Nick Miller) and we have 13. Their team next year, teams are going to be looking up to them."
Said Schall, "This team set records. The first winning season since 1997 (when Schall played for the Raiders) and we advanced further than any team in Seneca Valley history.
"Those two seniors were a big part of this and leave behind their legacy."
