Raiders cave in
WARRENDALE — It was as if the Seneca Valley hockey team played two separate games Tuesday night.
After taking a 3-0 lead in the first period, the Raiders watched it melt into a 7-4 loss to Upper St. Clair at BladeRunners.
"We were skating over pucks, not backchecking hard, not trusting each other," said Seneca Valley coach Denis Kirstein. "All those things add up."
The game pitted two PIHL heavyweights, as the Panthers (8-4-1) and Raiders (10-4) entered the game in first place in their respective divisions.
In the early going, it appeared the Raiders would run away with the game after Kevin Rohm, Sam Jarrett and Tyler Mesisca all scored in the first period.
"We came out flat tonight," said Panthers coach Larry Marks. "Seneca Valley took it to us."
But by the end of the second period, the Panthers had a 4-3 lead.
Stephen Gielarowski got the Panthers' first goal during 4-on-4 action 1:27 into the period.
Chris Murray tallied the next two scores, the first on a power play and then short-handed.
USC took the lead for good when Mike Segerdahl's wrist shot beat SV goalie Ryan Schutte, who made 19 saves, later in the second period.
"It starts with coaching and I'm not blaming any single person," said Kirstein. "We thought we had them beat.
"I'd rather be the underdog," he added. "When we're the underdog, we get after it. We can't come into games thinking we're just going to roll over the other team."
The Raiders tried in vain to regain momentum in the third period, when USC extended its lead to 6-3 on a pair of goals by Jimmy Kline.
SV's Derek Hathazy did beat USC goalie Matt Wregget with a wrist shot with 7:13 left, but the Raiders would score no more.
Wregget, son of former Penguins goalie Ken Wregget, made 20 saves in the win and stopped 11 of the 12 shots he faced in the final two periods.
"He's a rock in there for us," said Marks about Wregget, who has a 91.7 save percentage. "He's been that way all year."
Trailing by two goals late in the game, SV pulled Schutte and Justin Selep scored an empty-net goal with 15 seconds left.
The Raiders, who lost their previous game 6-2 to Shaler Jan. 11, try to get back to their winning ways Monday when against North Hills.
"Our experience was supposed to be our strength," said Kirstein. "We have 15 seniors, but we're playing like a Squirt Division team."
USC had not played an official PIHL game since battling Canon-McMillan to a 3-3 tie Dec. 14.
A home game against Wheeling Park Jan. 4 was postponed by bad weather, but the Panthers did compete in and win a tournament at Bethel Park last weekend.
