When a hockey line jells, it's almost like the players share a telepathic bond.
The chemistry can take some time to come to fruition, but once it starts to click, the players seem to know where linemates are going to be on the ice at every moment.
Freeport's top line of Stone Haberstroh, Robert Reichenbaugh and Mickey Frazetta have played together since they were in middle school.
“It's something that doesn't just start in high school. You've got be playing together for years,” Haberstroh said. “It was bound to happen that we would just start clicking.”
The line is hitting on all cylinders. Through 17 games, they've combined for 66 goals and 128 points.
Because of their strong season, the trio was selected to the PIHL All-Star game. They will be joined by their teammate, goaltender Matt Huston.
Kiski Area's James Ayers also was selected.
The PIHL All-Star games are Sunday at Brady's Run Ice Arena in Beaver. The Class A game is scheduled for 3 p.m.
Reichenbaugh, a junior, is third in Class A with 53 points, and Haberstroh ranks seventh with 42 points. Frazetta, who joined the team five games into the season after he finished playing golf, averages almost three points. Haberstroh and Frazetta are seniors.
Frazetta will play in his third PIHL All-Star game, and Haberstroh is going to his second. It'll be the first trip for Reichenbaugh.
While all three are going to the event together, they're not sure whether they'll play on the same team. Instead of splitting the teams by conference, the PIHL is mixing the conferences together and forming two teams, which means teammates might face each other.
“I've played against Stone Haberstroh a couple of times, but that's about it. It'd be a new experience for me,” Reichenbaugh said.
Said Haberstroh: “We could be playing against each other for all we know. That'd be pretty cool, but if we're all together, I think that'd be one heck of a line for the all-star game.”
They also could end up trying to score against Huston, which hasn't been easy lately. In Huston's last two starts, against top teams West Allegheny and Bishop McCort, he stopped 61 of 67 shots for a .910 save percentage.
“I know some of (Huston's) moves, but he knows some of mine too, so it's probably even,” Reichenbaugh said.
Kiski Area is in the thick of the playoff race in its first season back after a three-year hiatus at the varsity level. Ayers, a sophomore, has been a big part of the Cavaliers' success. He has scored a team-high 19 goals. Ayers plays with Reichenbaugh on the Pittsburgh Huskies under-18 club hockey team.
“It was one of my early-season goals, so when I found out I was pretty excited. I know some of the players from playing travel hockey,” Ayers said. “I think it'll be pretty fun to play a fast-paced game.”
Jerin Steele is a freelance writer.
