Quaker Valley 11, Freeport 0.

The final score of that Dec. 21 game might seem especially painful for the Yellowjackets hockey team, since Freeport will face the Quakers again in the Penguins Cup Class Achampionship game at 5:30 p.m. Saturday at Mellon Arena.

Fact is, the teams' initial meeting is meaningless these days. Neither Freeport (17-3-2) nor Quaker Valley (21-0-1) has lost since.

"They haven't seen our real team yet,"Freeport coach Dave Hepler said. "(Goaltender Tim Zahumensky) had a groin injury and couldn't play that night, so (defenseman) Jeremy Hepler put on the pads just so we wouldn't have to forfeit the game.

"(Defenseman)Zach Hepler was hurt that night, Beau Zack didn't play because of a hip injury, and they were missing a couple of key people."

Quaker Valley coach Kevin Quinn agreed.

"We had 11 skaters that night because all of our Class AAAamateur players had another game and couldn't be there,"Quinn said. "Neither team will even look at that game in getting ready for this one. Just throw away that video."

Freeport enters its first-ever Penguins Cup title game riding a 12-game winning streak. The Yellowjackets were 6-16 only three years ago.

Quaker Valley has won 21 straight games, lost only one game all of last season while winning the Penguins Cup and state championships, and outscored the opposition 149-23 during the regular season.

Freeport has defeated Quaker Valley only once, knocking the Quakers out of the 2003 playoffs, in the latter program's 13-year history. Quinn has been the team's only coach.

"They are a very good team, obviously, but we've got a lot of experienced guys ourselves," coach Hepler said. "We are the top two seeds in Class Aand we're playing for the title. I'm expecting a very good hockey game."

Zack has scored 38 goals while Patrick Spangler has found the net 37 times for the Yellowjackets. Shane Gallagher has 17 goals.

Zahumensky has a goals-against average of 2.19 and a save percentage of .910.

"Their program has done nothing but rise since the year they beat us,"Quinn said. "We have a lot of respect for the talent level of that team."

Quaker Valley has a pretty good talent level itself. The Quakers return four defensemen, their goalie and 10 forwards from last year's state championship squad.

Goaltender Zachary Zinger recorded his sixth shutout of the year Monday night during a 7-0 victory over Bishop McCort in the semifinal round. His goals-against average is 0.93 and his save percentage is .955.

Breton McNamara tied Zack for the PIHL Class Ascoring title and has 31 goals. Greg Dyer has 21 goals and Colin South has 14, including a hat trick against McCort.

Mikael Lemieux, nephew of Mario Lemieux and son of former NHLplayer Alain Lemieux, has 13 goals in 12 games this season.

"We create match-up problems for our opposition because all of our lines can score,"Quinn said.

Five Quaker Valley players are moving on to college hockey next year. Quaker Valley's program had a player on Rhode Island's national championship team last year.

"It's been rewarding seeing how far our current seniors have come,"Quinn said. "I've been working with those kids in hockey since they were in first grade."

Hepler has a few players like that himself.

His two sons, Zack, Gallagher, Cody Blum and John Reichenbaugh all play Class AAA amateur hockey.

"These kids have been in big games before,"Hepler said.