JACKSON TWP — The Seneca Valley ice hockey program has been itching for a section title for more than a decade.

This season's team has put itself in position to end that drought.

The Raiders are 14-3 entering Thursday's game against Penn- Trafford and are one of the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Hockey League's hottest teams after winning seven straight contests.

The Raiders, who already have clinched a playoff spot, are tied with North Allegheny (14-3) for the top spot in Section 4.

The two teams meet for the second time this season Feb. 26 at Warrendale BladeRunners.

"The fact that I'm representing my school and Seneca Valley hasn't won the section in a long time, it would mean a lot to win it," said sophomore goalie Ryan Schutte.

One of the reasons SV is rolling is an offense that features four players with at least 10 goals and five players with at least 12 assists.

Senior center Andrew Tang leads the Raiders with 15 goals, while senior winger Matt Jarrett paces the team in assists (20) and points (30).

Sophomores Tyler Mesisca and Logan Pfeffer have added 11 and 10 goals, respectively.

Among the leaders in assists include John Raymus (15), Joe Sasala (14), Sam Jarrett (13) and Tang (12).

"We really don't claim to have a top line," Raiders coach Mike Schall said. "We can throw two lines out there that are as good as each other."

One line consists of Pfeffer at center and Matt Jarrett and Mesisca at the wing positions.

The other line has Sam Jarrett and Raymus at the wings, skating alongside Tang at center.

"We've definitely got a lot of depth on this team," said Matt Jarrett, who made the PIHL Class AAA all-star game for the second straight year this season. "Even the younger kids have stepped up and scored big goals for us this year."

Even if a team is able to contain the Raiders' scorers, it still must break through SV's defense.

Led by senior and PIHL all-star Joe Sasala, the defense has surrendered only 12 goals in the last seven games.

The group also includes standout seniors Ryan Dowd and Rich Schutte, and sophomore Kaleb Schwab.

While defensemen don't tally many individual stats, Sasala points to the two shutouts the Raiders recorded during their current winning streak.

"Shutouts show that we're holding the other team to a minimum number of shots," he said.

And when the puck does find its way to the doorstep of the Raiders' net, they have two capable goalies in sophomores Scott Van Horn and Ryan Schutte.

Van Horn is currently 6-1 while Ryan Schutte is 8-2 and both have a shutout to their credit.

"They're both OK with going back and forth each night," said Schall. "Who we go with on a given night just depends on what I see in practice and who is the better matchup for who we're playing."

The Raiders began the season 4-0 before a stretch that saw them lose three of six games.

The losses came to North Allegheny (3-1), Erie McDowell (6-1) and State College (3-1).

The last of the three losses came on Dec. 21.

"We competed in the Christmas Showcase down at Belmont Arena, and we played some good competition: Shaler, Peters Township, Latrobe, Franklin Regional," said Schall.

"We performed well there, and the kids just carried that into the second half of the season," he added.

After playing Penn-Trafford Thursday, the Raiders face Mount Lebanon Feb. 21 before the pivotal rematch against North Allegheny to close the regular season.

The Raiders know very well what made the difference in the first meeting.

"We played well until the third period, when they just outplayed us," said Sasala. "That's what it comes down to: just finishing."