PITTSBURGH — The University of Pittsburgh’s inline hockey team rose to unprecedented heights this year.

And a Seneca Valley connection was right in the middle of the Panthers’ success.

Two sophomores and SV graduates — C.J. Bohn and Adam Gaus — started at defenseman and goalie, respectively. They helped Pitt reach the final eight of the National Collegiate Roller Hockey Association’s Division II Championships, held April 6-10 in Madison, Wisc.

The team went 20-7-3 overall this season.

Adam Gaus’ father, Kevin, was Pitt’s head coach while C.J. Bohn’s father, Barry, served as an assistant. Both are Cranberry Township residents.

The Panthers went 3-3 at nationals, finally bowing out with a 5-4 loss to Bethel (Tenn.) University in the quarterfinals.

“That game was a nail-biter and we just ended up on the wrong end of a close game,” Coach Bohn said. “It was a big stage for the boys to play on and was a great experience.”

“Every team at nationals was fast,” said Adam Gaus. “The games were very competitive.”

The NCRHA is divided into seven regions. Pitt, which had 10 players on its roster this season, competes in the East Coast Region.

After going an impressive 14-1-3 in the regular season, the Panthers placed second in their regional tournament, losing to Binghamton University 3-2 in the finals. Soon after, they were invited to the national championship event.

The Panthers’ inline team, which has club status and receives some financial support from the university, played most of its East Coast Region games at rinks near Philadelphia or Harrisburg. Pitt made that trip twice a month and played between two and four games every visit.

“With us playing games so far away and the fact that there are so many other activities at Pitt, support from the student body was pretty much non-existent,” said Coach Gaus. “We had a few parents who followed us around and that was about it.”

The driving time alone showed how committed the players were.

“It can definitely be challenging,” said Adam Gaus. “There were times we’d get out of class on a Friday and hop in the car and drive to Harrisburg or Philadelphia for a game.

“But we had a good group of guys,” he added. “We never got down on each other about a game and always seemed to find a way to pull it out in the end.”

Kevin Gaus’ older son, Ryan, and another Seneca Valley grad, Adam Bayliche, helped start Pitt’s inline program in 2002.

It rose to Division I status, but fell on hard times several years ago.

“Two years ago, we were on the brink,” said Coach Gaus. “We were still Division I at the time, but we went 2-22 and most of our losses were blowouts.”

Pitt was moved down to Division II for the 2009-10 season and managed a 9-9 record with just six or seven players for most games.

That move back to respectability was key for the Panthers.

“I thought we had a good chance to go far this season,” C.J. Bohn said. “We had a lot of potential.”

Division II includes 72 teams across the country, but with its recent success and many of its current players expected to return next season, a move back to Division I could be in Pitt’s future.

“This sets the foundation for the program to move forward,” said Coach Bohn.