WARRENDALE — Seneca Valley hockey coach Anthony Raco is hoping his team can hold onto the momentum his team gained in Monday night's game against Central Catholic — not just because it was a win, but also the manner with which it was achieved.

After the Raiders came up empty on their first 26 shots of the night, they scored five times in the next 16 minutes, including four goals in the third period, in a 5-1 victory over the Vikings on Senior Recognition Night at Baierl Ice Complex.

Central goalie Nathaniel Cava, who helped the Vikings reach the Class AAA Penguins Cup final last season, frustrated the Raiders early Monday, including making saves on SV's six shots during a power play in the second period.

“I thought he played well in net for much of the night,” Raco said. “He steered the puck away quite a bit with his blocker and didn't give up many rebounds.

“He's a big goaltender and takes up a lot of space.”

Hunter Mueller finally found the net with 4:32 left in the period, thanks to a wrist shot from the left wing.

“We felt as long as we kept the shots coming, eventually, he (Cava) would give in,” said SV forward Michael Spokane, who leads the team with 10 goals this season. “This was our strongest game, from start to finish, this season.”

It did not take long for the Raiders (12-3-2-0) to increase their lead once the third period began. Austin Albert scored 2:11 in, followed by goals from Reese Garvin, Bryce Korner and Mueller again. Seneca Valley ended the game with 41-12 advantage in shots on goal.

“In the first period, we had a lot of chances and were getting access to the middle of the ice,” said Raco. “We talked about it on the bench, we were doing the right things and just had to remain patient.”

Seneca Valley has, at times, struggled to score this season. The Raiders have been held to no more than one goal in six games, yet their latest win has them in position to gain the top seed in the upcoming playoffs, depending on what Peters Township does.

“What other teams do, that's out of our control,” Raco said. “We're focused on what we can control and that's our (regular-season finale) against North Allegheny next Thursday.

“What I like about that game is that it will come against a good, well-coached team. We're looking to build some consistency entering the playoffs, beginning with tonight.”

Most importantly for the Raiders, the players believe in themselves.

“If everybody plays their best and we pick each other up, no one can stop us,” said Spokane.

Central fell to 4-11-2-0 with the defeat.

Logan Johnson and Alexander DeDionisio, both seniors, split time in net for the Raiders and combined for 11 saves.