Winning Ways
WARRENDALE — On pace to earn the top seed in the PIHL Class 3A playoffs, Seneca Valley dropped its final two games of the regular season, dropping the Raiders to No. 3 for the tournament.
Monday’s quarterfinal against Mt. Lebanon gave the team a chance to return to winning hockey and SV did so in impressive fashion.
Four different players scored and the Raiders out-shot the Blue Devils 42-16 in a 4-0 victory at the Baierl Complex.
“I wasn’t concerned that we lost those two games (4-3 to North Allegheny and 1-0 to Peters Township),” said Raiders coach Anthony Raco. “In both cases, we controlled play for much of the game, but ended up losing. I told our guys, that other than the final result, I wouldn’t change how we played.”
The Raiders defeated Mt. Lebanon twice during the regular season by scores of 4-3 and 7-6.
“I did not play well enough in those games,” said SV senior goalie Cenzo DiTullio. “As a team, we did enough to win, but I did not play well.”
DiTullio stopped every shot he faced Monday and he was handed a 4-goal lead with four and a half minutes remaining in the second period.
“Our wingers were getting back deep in the (defensive) zone and our defense was throwing its bodies around,” added DiTullio. “I didn’t have to do much.”
While DiTullio’s play improved, so did the play of SV’s defense.
“Mt. Lebanon’s top three guys (Sawyer Klasnick, Xavier Bias and Conner Ribstein, 37 combined goals) are a dangerous group,” Raco said. “We had to think defense first tonight and limit their odd-man rushes.”
The Raiders seemed to limit just about everything the Blue Devils (12-8) tried to do. Mt. Lebo forced DiTullio to make just four saves in the first period.
Once the Raiders hit their groove offensively, a number of players found the net. After having nothing to show for their first 12 shots on goalie Quinn Lynam, Vinci Villella got the Raiders on the board with his first varsity goal this season. His wrist shot from inside the blue line deflected off a Blue Devils defender and into the net with 2:05 left in the opening period.
In the second period, Jimmy Murtha and Jacob Komaniak scored even-strength goals and Stephen Longwell, another defender, scored on a power play with 4:28 left.
“We don’t have to rely on one or two guys finding the net,” said Raco. “Everybody does the little things and they trust each other.”
Lynam made 38 saves in defeat. Ethan Lindberg and Andrew Malichky both tallied a pair of assists for the Raiders.
“It feels good to celebrate with the guys,” said DiTullio, “but the key is we don’t get complacent.”
SV (16-5) will face North Allegheny in a semifinal at 9:15 p.m. next Monday at Robert Morris University’s Island Sports Center.
