CASTLE SHANNON— From all losses to all-stars.

The hockey road has been an interesting one for the Donnelly family.

Two years ago, Shane and Neal Donnelly were a sophomore and freshman, respectively, on a Knoch hockey team that finished 0-22.

"Including the freshman team, we went a span of 48 games without getting a win,"said their father, Knoch assistant coach Pete Donnelly.

But that's all changed. The Knights won eight games last season and entered Monday night's home game with Mars sporting an 8-5-1 record, good for sixth in PIHLClass A, and are headed toward a playoff berth.

"We just didn't have enough players before,"said team captain and senior Shane Donnelly. "Now we've got the numbers and some experience to go with it."

Besides the Donnelly brothers, who play for the Pittsburgh Huskies amateur team as well, the Knights had only one other player who played for another hockey team two years ago.

This year, two-thirds of the Knoch roster also plays hockey elsewhere, meaning the players are getting on the ice five or six days a week.

"We're obsessed,"assistant captain Neal Donnelly said. "That's the best way to put it."

Both Donnelly brothers played in Saturday's PIHLClass AAll-Star Game at Ice Castle in Castle Shannon. Shane scored two goals while Neal had two assists.

That's par for the course. Both have been steady scorers all year.

Shane, who has played forward and defense this season, has nine goals, 17 assists and 26 points. Neal, strictly a forward, has 15 goals, 16 assists and 31 points.

Knoch's leading scorer, Evan Gorse, has 13 goals and 21 assists, and Knights goaltender Ryan Naples leads PIHLClass A with a .902 save percentage.

"The players we've had have stuck with it and we've been adding quality depth,"Knoch coach Rick Justice said. "As the team keeps winning, more kids become interested in joining.

"There's plenty of hockey players in our district who still don't play for the high school team. We're hoping that changes."

So do the Donnellys.

"We talk to kids we know and encourage them to come out, "Neal said.

Neal Donnelly played football his sophomore year before deciding to concentrate on hockey this year. Shane played offensive line and defensive end for the Knights football team and was a starter last fall.

"Our dad always dreamed of being a football coach,"Shane said. "He thought that was the direction we were heading."

One of seven children while growing up in Buffalo, N.Y., Pete Donnelly never played organized hockey.

"I knew the game and loved the game, but we could never afford it,"he said. "We played a lot of pond hockey when I was a kid.

"Shane originally got into basketball when he was little. A friend of mine had a son playing for the Mars Orbits hockey team, Neal saw him and wanted to play.

"Once Shane watched Neal play hockey, it looked fun to him, too, and they've both been heavily involved in it ever since," their father added.

The Donnelly brothers were 8 when they began playing hockey. Now they don't want to stop.

"They're hard workers and solid leaders on the ice,"Justice said. "We've put together an unselfish group of guys who enjoy playing together."