OT winner sends Seneca Valley into Penguins Cup 3A finals vs. South Fayette
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Tuesday, March 11, 2025 | 12:15 AM
Seneca Valley’s Tyler Maxwell (24) celebrates with Carter Hoehn after Hoehn’s game-winning goal in overtime to beat Upper St. Clair, 3-2, during the PIHL Penguins Cup Class 3A semifinals Monday at RMU Island Sports Center.
South Fayette teammates celebrate with Mason Imler after Imler’s goal against North Allegheny during the PIHL Penguins Cup Class 3A semifinals Monday at RMU Island Sports Center.
South Fayette goaltender Jackson Ankrum makes a save against North Allegheny during the PIHL Penguins Cup Class 3A semifinals Monday at RMU Island Sports Center.
South Fayette’s Eli Petter (l) celebrates with Trevor Dalessandro after his goal against North Allegheny during the PIHL Penguins Cup Class 3A semifinals Monday at RMU Island Sports Center.
South Fayette goaltender Jackson Ankrum makes a glove save on North Allegheny’s Ed Scherer during the PIHL Penguins Cup Class 3A semifinals Monday at RMU Island Sports Center.
South Fayette’s Mason Imler’s shot beats North Allegheny’s Cam Junker during the PIHL Penguins Cup Class 3A semifinals Monday at RMU Island Sports Center.
South Fayette goaltender Jackson Ankrum makes a glove save on North Allegheny’s Kyle Imm during the PIHL Penguins Cup Class 3A semifinals Monday at RMU Island Sports Center.
Upper St. Clair’s Jackson Gostic’s shot beats Seneca Valley’s Christopher Nichols during the PIHL Penguins Cup Class 3A semifinals Monday at RMU Island Sports Center.
Seneca Valley’s Owen Martin watches John Sroka III’s shot as it beats Upper St. Clair’s Owen Laurent during the PIHL Penguins Cup Class 3A semifinals Monday at RMU Island Sports Center.
Seneca Valley’s John Sroka III beats Upper St. Clair’s Owen Laurent in the first period during the PIHL Penguins Cup Class 3A semifinals Monday at RMU Island Sports Center.
Seneca Valley’s John Sroka III celebrates his second goal against Upper St. Clair during the PIHL Penguins Cup Class 3A semifinals Monday at RMU Island Sports Center.
Seneca Valley’s Carter Hoehn celebrates with the student section after his game-winning goal to beat Upper St. Clair, 3-2, during the PIHL Penguins Cup Class 3A semifinals Monday at RMU Island Sports Center.
Upper St. Clair’s Nevin Shegan Siniawski (91) celebrates his game-tying goal against Seneca Valley during the PIHL Penguins Cup Class 3A semifinals Monday at RMU Island Sports Center.
The first night of semifinal action in the PIHL Penguins Cup playoffs kicked off Monday at the Robert Morris University Island Sports Center, with the Class 3A final four taking the ice.
In the opener, top-seeded Seneca Valley edged Upper St. Clair, 3-2, in overtime. In the nightcap, it was South Fayette defeating North Allegheny, 4-2.
Junior defenseman Carter Hoehn was the hero for the Raiders, firing home a wrist shot from the high slot 3:22 into overtime. The unassisted goal was Hoehn’s first of the playoffs.
“I caught the puck and was just looking around for anything,’ Hoehn said. “I was looking for pass, rebound, shot. I decided to throw it low, and it worked out for me.”
Hoehn was excited to help the Raiders move into the finals for the first time since 2022, when they finished as runners-up to Peters Township.
“Pure excitement, shock — it’s one of the best feelings I’ve ever had in my life,” he said.
Seneca Valley scored on its first shot on goal when John Sroka netted his first goal of the playoffs on a rush down the left wing at 1:21. Matthew Bailey picked up the assist.
Upper St. Clair’s Jackson Gostic took advantage of a turnover in the neutral zone to score his first of the postseason at 8:07. Jackson Rose assisted on the tying goal.
The 1-1 score held up until the third period when the Raiders took advantage of their first power-play opportunity. It was Sroka once again, deflecting home a Tyler Garvin pass with 6:07 remaining to give Seneca Valley a 2-1 lead.
But the Panthers again had the answer. Nevin Shegan Siniawski took a feed from in the high slot and found the net with a strong wrist shot to tie the game 2-2 at the 12:18 mark. Dylan Yealy and Owen Mucho were credited with assists on the play.
First-year Seneca Valley coach Tyler Mesisca pointed to his team’s resilience as a big factor in the overtime win.
“This group, it’s been resilience all year,” he said. “We always say, ‘Don’t get too high or too low,’ and that’s the best part about this group, that no matters what happens, they just work hard.”
Chris Nichols made 20 saves for Seneca Valley (15-5-2-0). With wins in both playoff games for the Raiders, Nichols now has 14 total on the year.
Owen Laurent had 21 saves for the fifth-seeded Panthers, whose season ends at 10-10-1-1.
Mesisca said the seniors on this year’s team were freshman when the Raiders last appeared in the finals.
“It’s a hungry group,” he said. “This is a good core group of kids that has moved along in the organization for a while. I’m so happy for them and the organization in general to see where we’ve grown and where we’ve gotten to.”
Seneca Valley will face South Fayette in the finals. The teams split two games during the regular season.
South Fayette’s Mason Imler picked up a loose puck at the bottom of the right circle, and his wrist shot found its way into the net for a 1-0 lead at 14:35 of the first period. Nathaniel Keller and Dannol Hudson picked up the assists on the goal.
The Lions went up 2-0 with a power-play goal 2:35 as Trevor Dalessandro scored with a wrist shot from the bottom of the right circle. Robert Chiappetta and Eli Petter assisted on the PPG.
Anthony Lucas took advantage of a strange hop off the boards to bring North Allegheny within a goal. Jackson Ankrum was able to keep the puck out of his net with a diving save for the Lions, but Lucas tucked the puck in to make the score 2-1 at 3:44 of the second period.
South Fayette took advantage of a three-on-two when Robert Chiappetta took a pass in the right circle and fired a wrist shot top shelf at 2:41 of the third period to put the Lions in front 3-1. Hudson Vennum and Petter had the helpers.
Dalesandro netted his second goal of the game, scoring on a rebound to make the score 4-1 South Fayette in the third period. The rebound came of a shot from the near circle from Dylan Mach, with Vennum adding his second assist.
Ed Scherer scored a shorthanded goal late for North Allegheny to make the final score 4-2.
Ankrum made 30 saves for his second playoff win for South Fayette. The seventh-seeded Lions are now 9-9-3-1.
North Allegheny, appearing in the semifinals for the 10th time in 11 seasons, excluding the covid year, saw its season end at 10-9-3-0. Cam Junker stopped 21 shots in his final appearance for the Tigers.
South Fayette, which won the 2A Penguins Cup in 2023, will be appearing in the finals for the second time in three years.
The 3A finals are set for Monday night, with a 6:15 p.m. faceoff at the UPMC Lemeiux Complex in Cranberry.
Tags: North Allegheny, Seneca Valley, South Fayette, Upper St. Clair
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