KITTANNING - The hole was deep, but the Butler hockey team climbed out of it - and it's now looking to continue to climb even higher.

Thanks to a pair of goals by Greg Rogerson, the Golden Tornado defeated Hempfield 5-1 at the Belmont Ice Complex Wednesday.

The win was Butler's sixth in the past eight games after an inauspicious 0-11 start.

Sixteen teams in the PIHL Class AAA will qualify for the playoffs. Butler's 6-13 mark would put the Tornado in the 15th spot if the playoffs were to start today.

"If you look at our schedule for the first six games, there were just two games - Fox Chapel and Seneca Valley - I thought we could've won," said Butler coach Leo Cancilla. "Other than that, we've been in every game.

"We've allowed 16 goals in the last eight games. In the first two games, we had 21 goals against and 31 in the first three," he added.

Butler made sure to keep rolling when it needed just 2 minutes, 25 seconds to score Wednesday when Rogerson's slap shot to the left of the net zipped past Spartans goalie Bryce Musa.

Less than three minutes later, Butler doubled the lead when David Schultz's shot trickled past Musa in front of a crowded net.

When Steve Stepanian scored his first goal of the season with 29 seconds left in the first period, Butler possessed a 3-0 lead and all the momentum it needed.

Butler goalie Kim Antonetti got the nod in net against Hempfield and wound up making 17 saves to keep the Spartans at bay.

As has been the case for most of the season, Cancilla started a different goalie after each loss.

Kris Rhodaberger had been the hot hand in net, but following the team's loss to Franklin Regional last week, Antonetti's got her chance again.

"It was her turn to play and she hadn't played in a month," said Cancilla. "She proved she can do it."

Rogerson added his second goal of the night with 6:15 left in the second period when he deflected Rob Ramirez's shot in front of the net.

Antonetti allowed her only goal of the game with 2:31 left in the frame when Mario Siard knocked the puck past her off a sideline pass.

The game's final goal came when Mike Guentner fired a shot past Musa just 53 seconds into the final period. Musa finished with 37 saves.

"(Hempfield) was down 4-1, and with the season they've had (2-17), when you're down, you're not looking to come out," said Cancilla. "They're not going to gain anything but pride."

The Tornado will host Meadville in a key matchup tonight at the Belmont. A win would move the team up to the 14th spot, which would be helpful considering it begins a tough stretch of opponents that include North Allegheny, Erie McDowell, Central Catholic and Plum.

The biggest difference now is the Tornado are playing stronger and with more confidence.

"My players have rallied around each other so much," said Cancilla. "There have been some discrepancies, but they've put it aside and said, 'Hey, we're in a playoff run. Let's have some fun.'"