Down 2-0 to Bethel Park midway through the second period in the Penguin Cup finals, it appeared the Pine-Richland championship streak was about to come to an end. The Rams couldn't stay out of the penalty box, and were forced to run their penalty kill unit more than they are used to.

"When we were down 2-0, they wanted to play as individuals," Pine-Richland head coach Bob Kennedy said of his players. "I didn't think their defense could contain us and I knew we would get more than two goals."

Kennedy was right. The Rams looked more like every man for himself, in some respects during the first period and a half, but their rough start was merely an aberration, as they rallied behind freshman forward Brandon Saad for a 5-3 win to bring home their third Penguins Cup in a row.

With time running out in the second, Brandon scored off an assist from his brother George Saad to cut the Bethel Park lead to a goal and give the Rams reason for optimism heading into the final period.

"I had a feeling about Brandon tonight," Kennedy said. "He is so good, and only a freshman, I knew he could be the key tonight."

The Rams wanted to score on their first shift of the third, and they did, as the Saad connection struck again, with George feeding Brandon to tie the game.

Before the announcer could finish the previous scoring summary, Pine-Richland's Eric Febert gave the Rams their first lead of the game, as the Rams scored on their first two shots of the period.

"Coach talked to me after the second, and told me I had to pick up my game," Febert said.

The Rams stunned Bethel Park, but the Black Hawks don't have any quit in them. They scored their second power play goal of the game to tie the game at 3-3. With three being the operative number, Brandon made it three goals for himself on the evening, as his unassisted goal gave the Rams the lead for good.

"I came in and worked hard," Brandon said. "I had no clue I would have a hat trick in the Penguins Cup. Our line has perfect chemistry."

Febert would put the game out of reach with his second goal off an assist from Jared Bagnato.

"This is great for our seniors and captains, they worked hard," Febert said. "We all did.

"Brandon is amazing. He is the best player I have ever played with."

This senior class for Pine-Richland has helped set quite a standard, as they were freshmen during the Rams first of four trips to the title game.

"This win feels great," said senior forward Tyler Deal. "We knew what it was like to lose, and we definitely wanted to go out on top. It worked out for us, and to win it by coming from behind, made it that much better."

With the win, the Rams will now have the chance to make it three state titles in a row, as they will play LaSalle at 3 p.m. on Saturday at the War Memorial.