Early showdown
WARRENDALE — Neither Pine-Richland coach Matthew Richert or Seneca Valley coach Denis Kirstein knew what would happen in Thursday's PIHL hockey contest.
They both agreed it was going to be a good early-season test.
Bryan Watt's second period goal broke a stalemate to give the Rams a lead it would not surrender in a 2-0 PIHL Class AAA victory at BladeRunners.
"I knew Seneca Valley was a tough team," said Richert. "I didn't expect the boys to play as well as they did. Our defensemen did a great job. Seneca Valley has a lot of good forwards."
"The game really reflects two good teams," said Kirstein. "I expected it to be a hard-nosed game. Give credit to (Pine-Richland). They played a great defensive game."
Seneca Valley goalie Ryan Schutte had made a pair of point-blank saves — one in the first period, another in the second —before Watt found the top right corner of the net to give the Rams (6-0) a 1-0 lead.
"Ryan played a lot last year and he's a quality athlete,"said Kirstein. "He helped us in giving us chances."
Pine-Richland goalie Dan Szymanski was equally up to task, making 13 saves over the first two periods.
Pine-Richland doubled its lead when Kyle Adams battled for a puck against the board inside center ice, broke free and rifled a shot by Schutte with 12:28 remaining in the third period.
Despite the two-goal cushion, Richert wasn't taken anything for granted.
"(Seneca Valley) is a very dangerous team," he said. "You'd never take them lightly. Even when we got the lead, they can get a couple of goals pretty quick."
The Raiders (3-2) are primarily a young team, but Kirstein doesn't want to use that as an excuse.
"We have to be more focused," said Kirstein. "We have a lot of young kids on the team and we're trying to get them on the ice, but they're learning. We have to try and mature the kids.
"This would have been a great game to get a win. Hats off to Pine-Richland. Maybe we just need to be a little tougher. We'll see what happens,"Kirstein added.
The Raiders honored Charley Stunkard with a brief ceremony before the game. Stunkard, 17, of Cranberry Township was killed last Friday in an automobile accident along with Jessica Peluso, 16 of Glenshaw.
A sign saying "Heart Means Everything" — Charley was posted on the glass. Among the tributes were a moment of silence, a 50/50 raffle, the singing of "Amazing Grace" and the release of balloons outside the rink after the ceremony.
"The 'C' on the jersey does not stand for captain but for Charley," said senior forward Michael Rohm during the tribute.
Stunkard was a member of the school's roller hockey team.
"I knew he was popular with the kids," said Kirstein. "They approached me and wanted to do something for Charley and Jess. They thought they deserved it. And Pine-Richland was very nice because that's ice time. To let us do that says a lot about the community."
