WARRENDALE— Take a look at the PIHLClass Ahockey scoring leaders and you'll see three Mars High players among the top nine.

• Ian Finney:26 goals, 35 assists, fourth.

• Mike Heltman:30 goals, 23 assists, seventh.

• Jake Robash:26 goals, 23 assists, ninth.

So is that the story of the 2007-08 Planets hockey team?

Hardly.

"We've got something like 12 players with at least 15 points this year," said senior right wing Finney. "It doesn't matter who's on the ice."

Finney, Heltman and Robash combined to score 82 goals during the regular season. The Planets, who scored 182, averaged 8.3 goals per game.

It all added up to a 20-1-1 record and the No. 1 seeding for the upcoming PIHLplayoffs.

"I've used four lines on a regular basis all season,"said first-year Mars head coach Tim Coleman. "There's only been a couple of games when I've used three.

"I believe in chemistry and guys getting used to playing alongside the same people. We haven't done much shuffling."

Heltman, the team captain, centers a line with Finney on right wing and 14-goal scorer Mike Mazzotta on the left.

Robash centers a line with eight-goal scorer Derek Sitterly and Jake Takach.

The Planets' third line includes center Andrew Santa and winger Justin Wingert, who have combined for 19 goals.

"Ian and I have been playing together for years," Heltman said. "The chemistry between us is obviously there."

Besides their years as teammates at Mars, Finney and Heltman spent nearly eight years together playing for the North Hills Vipers.

"Heltman is a left-handed shot playing center and Finney is a right-handed shot on right wing,"Coleman said. "That combination can work wonders together — and those guys do."

Consistency has been the name of the game for this trio. Finney has scored a point in all but two games and has scored a goal in all but five. He has one four-goal game.

Heltman has scored a point in all but one game and scored a goal in all but two. He also has four hat tricks on the campaign.

Robash has registered a point in all but three games and has a pair of hat tricks.

"I scored 39 points last year and led the team,"Robash said. "Another year's experience has helped, but mainly we're succeeding because we're working together."

Finney had more goals than assists last season. This year, it's the other way around.

"He does whatever is necessary to win,"Coleman said.

Most of this trio's production has come at even strength. Finney, Heltman and Robash have combined to score fewer than 10 power play goals. They've scored three goals while shorthanded.

"It's an honor being captain on such a skilled team,"Heltman said. "Our overall team speed is what sets us apart, I think. We've got some good playmakers, too."

Good playmaking means passing the puck well — and Coleman works on that phase of the game religiously.

"There shouldn't be any bad passes on the ice," the coach said. "A lot of people think passing fundamentals are learned at the peewee levels, but we emphasize passing drills in practice all the time."

None of these three is going to win the PIHLscoring title. That honor in Class Awill go to Somerset's Craig Eddy, who has 40 goals and 75 points.

That doesn't mean the Planets don't keep tabs on the competition.

"We sneak a peek at the (scoring) leaders every now and then,"Finney said, smiling. "We want to make sure we're putting up comparable numbers."

No problem there.

"Our offense has been incredible," senior defenseman Sean Roach said. "It's made everybody else's job so much easier."