New Mars hockey coach Tim Coleman moved Ian Finney, above, from center to the wing, but the switch didn't cut down on his scoring.

ADAMS TWP — Many hockey players would need an adjustment period after moving from center to forward.

Judging from his numbers, Ian Finney is doing just fine.

The Mars senior and resident of Valencia led all of PIHL Class A in scoring with 27 points on 11 goals and 16 assists entering Tuesday night.

Finney has played on the Planets varsity ice hockey team since his freshman season. That year, he was a winger.

For the last two seasons, he played center, scoring 33 points at that position a season ago. But first-year coach Tim Coleman moved him back to the outside.

"I'm glad I'm back playing the wing," said Finney. "My linemates, (left wing) Mike Mazzotta and (center) Michael Heltman, I think we have a combined 60 points so far this season."

"I moved him back to right wing to increase the production on our top line," said Coleman. "Ian's a good team player. Not all kids would be O.K. with moving from center to the wing. Most of them would like to stay at center."

Finney has been playing hockey for 12 years and he played eight years for the North Hills Vipers.

"Playing for the Vipers really helped my development," he said. "Those teams play at least 50 games per year, so you're getting on the ice a lot more."

Many of the Planets have found the net this year, as the team has scored 82 goals in nine games, an average of more than nine goals per contest.

The balanced offense has helped the team start the season 9-0.

"Our offense is run so that everybody on the ice has the opportunity to score," said Finney.

"I've been running three lines out there with confidence," said Coleman. "Against Quaker Valley (a 5-2 win Nov. 27), I put a fourth line out there for a while.

"I really can't imagine us playing better offensive hockey right now."

But for Finney and his teammates, their performance at this point in the season only serves to set the team up for what they hope is a March to remember.

Last season, the Planets lost to Freeport in the Penguins Cup semifinals, the equivalent of the western semifinals.

"We do think about that," said Finney. "Coach keeps stressing that every game is as important as the next."

And that's the key for the Planets: not to get ahead of themselves.

"We don't want to have any type of letdown," said Coleman. "We've got to stay focused."