Getting a shot at Cup
PITTSBURGH— With all the buzz in front of the net, it's a wonder Seneca Valley forward Mike Rohm had time to think about everything that happened.
The senior slipped the puck past Upper St. Clair goalie Matt Wregget with 2:41 remaining in overtime for a 4-3 victory in theClass AAA Penguins Cup semifinals at Mellon Arena Thursday.
With the win, the Raiders (14-5-5) will face Shaler in the championship game at 8:30 p.m. Tuesday at Mellon Arena.
"There was a scrum around the net," said Rohm, who noted that Wregget has a bit of trouble going from side to side. "Logan Pfeffer did all the work. ... He took it wide and threw it up to the net and I threw it into the net."
Ryan Hestin and Brandon Platt were credited with assists on the play in a crowded crease.
Wregget made a kick save with 30 seconds left in regulation that helped force overtime, then the Panthers' Justin Selep hit the post 20 seconds into overtime on a shot that nearly won it for USC.
The Raiders also appeared to have won the game, but a quick whistle negated a goal with 7:31 left in OT.
The game went to overtime when Seneca Valley's Erik Larson scored the equalizer with 7:31 left in regulation.
He gathered the puck after a faceoff in the Panthers' end, made two strides and fired the puck past Wregget, the son of former Pittsburgh Penguins goaltender Ken Wregget.
"I thought it would be a close game," said Panthers coach Larry Marks. "Matt's won a lot of games for us. ... Our kids knew what had to be done. They were upbeat.
"(Seneca Valley) did the same things they did all year. No surprises. They have a good team, very skilled, a very offensive team,"Marks added.
Wregget did have a strong game, making 41 saves, including all 20 he faced in the second period, which allowed Upper St. Clair (15-5-4) to turn a 2-1 deficit into a 3-2 lead.
"I didn't know what to tell the kids," said Raiders coach Denis Kirstein. "On the bench, maybe we were too high. We tried to keep them going, to keep getting the pucks on the net.
"Forty-five shots is a great night for us and four went in," Kirstein added.
A Theo Schnieders power-play goal with 7:41 left in the second period, off a helper by Selep, tied the game at 2-all, then Selep, off assists by Schnieders and James Kline, gave the Panthers a 3-1 lead.
It was Upper St. Clair's first lead since it took a 1-0 advantage just 1:38 into the game. Assists by Stephen Gielarowski and Timothy Graulty helped to set up Zach Feldman's score.
Unbowed, the raiders responded with a pair of goals in a 1:12 span to grab the lead.
Sean Sokolowski took a bouncing puck in front of the net and a touch by Pfeffer to even the score with 6:22 left in the period. Kaleb Schwab followed with a goal with 5:10 left on assists by Taylor Wagner and Larson.
The Raiders will gear up for the Penguins Cup Championship against the Titans, who defeated Seneca Valley 4-3 Feb. 6.
"We have to come to practice, prepare and work on our game plan," Rohm said. "They are a very good team and they're offensively skilled."
