Central Bucks West Bucks

HARMARVILLE - Bethel Park coach Jim McVay does some great impersonations when speaking about his two-time defending state championship team. The best one is his explanation of how Bethel Park should not be ranked # 1 in the polls. Hey Mort, we may have been born at night, but it wasn't last night ! Central Catholic coach Kevin Zielmanski wasn't buying any and called his team into a meeting to try to solve what Western Pennsylvania has been trying to solve for a few years now. The championship game had a feeling out process in the first period as each team was intent on making the first mistake. Then Central put BP on the power play and at the 6:48 mark Tom Starkey banged home a cross ice feed, while camped in front of Russ Hefner to give Bethel Park a 1-0 lead. After a glut of penalties on both teams, midway through the 2nd, Rob Donatucci picked up a loose puck and rifled a wrist shot past Matt Fiege to tie the game at one apiece and send the CC faithful into a frenzie. The Vikings stay in a tie on some terrific goaltending by Hefner, who stopped 19 of 21 shots, many which were quality opportunities for Bethel. Late in the third, with the game still tied Central went on the power play, but the Hawks turn them back with textbook penalty killing. With under a minute to play, Bethel estbalished play in the CC zone and pelted Hefner with many chances. The old adage is play til the whistle, and Lee Volensky found a free puck in fort and pocked it by Hefner with just 11 seconds remaining to give BP a hard fought victory 2-1. The Hawks outshot the Vikings 21-18.