Seneca Valley wins the 2025 PIHL Class 3A Penguins Cup against South Fayette on Monday, March 17, 2025, at UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex. Jared Todhunter/Special to the Eagle

Seneca Valley's student section celebrates a goal against South Fayette in the PIHL Penguins Cup Class 3A championship game Monday, March 17, 2025, at UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex. Jared Todhunter/Special to the Eagle

Seneca Valley's Collin Weston (19) passes from behind his net against South Fayette in the PIHL Penguins Cup Class 3A championship game Monday, March 17, 2025, at UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex. Jared Todhunter/Special to the Eagle

Seneca Valley's John Sroka III (59) celebrates a goal against South Fayette in the PIHL Penguins Cup Class 3A championship game Monday, March 17, 2025, at UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex. Jared Todhunter/Special to the Eagle

Seneca Valley's John Sroka III (59) takes a face-off against South Fayette in the PIHL Penguins Cup Class 3A championship game Monday, March 17, 2025, at UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex. Jared Todhunter/Special to the Eagle

Seneca Valley's Christopher Nichols (40) makes a save on a South Fayette shot in the PIHL Penguins Cup Class 3A championship game Monday, March 17, 2025, at UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex. Jared Todhunter/Special to the Eagle

Seneca Valley's Carter Hoehn (29) takes the puck around a South Fayette player in the PIHL Penguins Cup Class 3A championship game Monday, March 17, 2025, at UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex. Jared Todhunter/Special to the Eagle

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  Seneca Valley wins the 2025 PIHL Class 3A Penguins Cup against South Fayette on Monday, March 17, 2025, at UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex. Jared Todhunter/Special to the Eagle
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  Seneca Valley's student section celebrates a goal against South Fayette in the PIHL Penguins Cup Class 3A championship game Monday, March 17, 2025, at UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex. Jared Todhunter/Special to the Eagle
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  Seneca Valley's Collin Weston (19) passes from behind his net against South Fayette in the PIHL Penguins Cup Class 3A championship game Monday, March 17, 2025, at UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex. Jared Todhunter/Special to the Eagle
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  Seneca Valley's John Sroka III (59) celebrates a goal against South Fayette in the PIHL Penguins Cup Class 3A championship game Monday, March 17, 2025, at UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex. Jared Todhunter/Special to the Eagle
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  Seneca Valley's John Sroka III (59) takes a face-off against South Fayette in the PIHL Penguins Cup Class 3A championship game Monday, March 17, 2025, at UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex. Jared Todhunter/Special to the Eagle
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  Seneca Valley's Christopher Nichols (40) makes a save on a South Fayette shot in the PIHL Penguins Cup Class 3A championship game Monday, March 17, 2025, at UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex. Jared Todhunter/Special to the Eagle
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  Seneca Valley's Carter Hoehn (29) takes the puck around a South Fayette player in the PIHL Penguins Cup Class 3A championship game Monday, March 17, 2025, at UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex. Jared Todhunter/Special to the Eagle

CRANBERRY TWP — It was a night Seneca Valley hockey will never forget.

A very long one, at that.

Marshall Hewitt’s rocket shot over goaltender Jackson Ankrum’s glove hand ended the Raiders’ marathon battle with South Fayette on Monday night, the goal winning his top-seeded team the PIHL Class 3A Penguins Cup final 4:31 into the third overtime.

“Our coach was telling us to get shots, but we were all dead tired,” Hewitt said after the 3-2 win at the UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex. “We all took our chances, but I finally got it in.”

Seneca Valley wins the 2025 PIHL Class 3A Penguins Cup against South Fayette on Monday, March 17, 2025, at UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex. Jared Todhunter/Special to the Eagle

In the state title game Saturday, Seneca Valley (18-5) will face the winner of Wednesday’s Class 3A Flyers Cup between LaSalle and Holy Ghost Prep. That contest will take place at Robert Morris University’s Island Sports Center.

Hewitt had scored on a tough-angle goal 8:32 into the third period, a tally that appeared to be the decider before Robert Chiappeta found the back of the net with 1:11 remaining in regulation. The Lions (12-11) had pulled Ankrum for an extra attacker just over a minute earlier.

The sides combined for 116 shots on goal. It was the longest game Raiders coach Tyler Mesisca had been behind the bench for and, quite likely, the same for the players.

“I think that takes the cake, for sure,” Mesisca said after letting out an exasperated breath. “It was so much fun, though. I’ll remember this forever.”

“We knew that the longer the game went on, (if) we could keep it close, the more the pressure was on them as the one seed. We liked where we were at,” Lions coach Matt Schwartz said.

It was a scenario Seneca Valley was familiar with. The Raiders beat Upper St. Clair on overtime in the semifinals. Awaiting the result, however, wasn’t any less nerve-wracking.

“It’s hard because you’ve got to stay calm,” Mesisca said. “The kids need to feel that, so we just kept at it, stayed positive. We were playing well in overtime. We carried a lot of the play, I felt like.”

Ankrum was tough for the Raiders to figure out, making an impressive 62 saves. That performance was stained by Hewitt’s second goal of the night, from between the two circles after traversing past Nathaniel Keller’s outstretched stick.

“I saw ice when I came around the net with the puck,” Hewitt said. “I took it. Coach has been telling me to shoot it all night, and I finally hit the net for a score.”

Seneca Valley's John Sroka III (59) celebrates a goal against South Fayette in the PIHL Penguins Cup Class 3A championship game Monday, March 17, 2025, at UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex. Jared Todhunter/Special to the Eagle

“We just felt like if we just keep putting pucks on net in overtime, one was going to go in,” Mesisca said. “That was kind of the mentality was just, ‘Keep getting shots up.’ We like to kind of get a little more extra traffic around (in) front of the net and rebounds. That was kind of our key going into the game.”

Seneca Valley goalie Christopher Nichols made 49 saves on 51 shots faced. South Fayette’s Trevor D’Allesandro evened the score at 1-1 with a breakaway goal 2:15 into the second period.

None of that mattered to Nichols, who turned away a total of 18 shots in the extra periods.

“It’s one I’ll always remember,” Nichols said. “Take it one save at a time, but at the end, it’s the best feeling ever.”