Spoil sports

By JOHN ENRIETTO Eagle Sports Editor

March 07, 2007 Last Updated: March 07, 2007 01:52 PM High School

Sitting behind Seneca Valley's Andrew Tang, the Fox Chapel bench reacts to a play in front of the goal Tuesday in the Raiders' 8-5 PIHL playoff victory.

Foxes rally to tie, but Raiders blow past them

WARRENDALE — Fox Chapel used nearly 15 minutes of clock time to wipe out a four-goal deficit Tuesday night.

Seneca Valley needed only 12 seconds to spoil the effort.

Matt Jarrett snapped a 5-all tie by scoring a goal with 5:52 left in the game, sparking the Raiders to an 8-5 PIHLClass AAA first-round playoff victory at Warrendale BladeRunners.

Jarrett's go-ahead goal occurred only 12 seconds after Fox Chapel's Justin Kreps netted his third goal of the evening to knot the score.

"When(Jarrett) scored so quickly ... it broke us,"admitted Fox Chapel coach James Damp. "We were trying to force the issue there when we didn't need to.

"Any momentum we had gained, we lost."

The Raiders (13-9-0) were cruising along with a 5-1 lead midway through the second period and had not taken a penalty all night.

But after Jarrett scored an unassisted goal to give Seneca Valley that four-goal cushion with 7:50 left in the second period, the Raiders found themselves shorthanded for nine of the next 13 minutes.

Twice, the hosts were down two players for more than a minute during that stretch.

"I have to watch what I say here,"Raiders coach Mike Schall said of the penalties. "Our guys were doing what I was telling them to do, and we kept finding the box. It was unfortunate."

And the Foxes kept finding the net, scoring three power play goals to cut the gap to 5-4. Kreps tied the game by poking a loose puck behind goaltender Tom Comunale during a scramble in front of the net.

"As soon as they scored, I knew the line to put out there,"Schall said. "Matt Jarrett, Andrew Tang and John Raymus have been playing great together."

The Raiders won the faceoff after the tying goal and immediately flipped the puck into the Fox Chapel zone before Tang got control of it behind the net.

"I was the third man into the zone on that play, so I went to the top of the slot,"Jarrett said. "I was able to slide down closer and Andrew put the puck right on my stick."

Standing all alone in front of goaltender Chris Gizzi, Jarrett wristed the puck behind him. He added a power-play goal with 4:28 left, his wrist shot from center point sailing through a maze of players and into the net.

Mike McChesney added an empty-net goal with 1:18 left to seal the win.

"The positive side of this game is that we stuck together and found a way to win in the end,"Schall said.

Jarrett's hat trick was his first of the season. McChesney scored two goals and Nick Jones had a goal and two assists for the Raiders.

Seneca Valley's eight goals marked a season-high. The Raiders will likely play top-seeded Bethel Park in the next round.

Fox Chapel ended its season at 8-13-1. Kreps had three goals and an assist for the Foxes.

Fox Chapel 1 2 2—5Seneca Valley 2 3 3—8First PeriodFox Chapel-Jared Bayer 4 (unassisted) 2:51;

Seneca Valley-Mike McChesney 6 (Luke Martin)7:34;

Seneca Valley-Nick Jones 19 PP(Brandon Platt) 12:31

Second PeriodSeneca Valley-Mike Mesisca 8 PP (Platt, Ryan Dowd) :23;

Seneca Valley-Sam Jarrett 1 (Jones) 5:33;

Seneca Valley-Matt Jarrett 15 (unassisted) 7:10;

Fox Chapel-Justin Kreps 15 PPGreg Lorenz, Zack Crowe) 12:29;