John Heller, Post-Gazette Tony Valerino: 36 goals, 41 assists this season. Click photo for larger image.

When Tony Valerino was a freshman on the Mt. Lebanon High School hockey team, he was only 5 feet 4, 120 pounds. Still, coach Paul Taibi saw potential.

"I knew he'd be good in the future," Taibi said. "I just didn't know he'd be this good."

Valerino turned out to be better than good. This season, he was the best.

Valerino, a senior at Mt. Lebanon, is the Post-Gazette Player of the Year for Southwestern Pennsylvania and he leads the PG's Stellar Six all-star team. Valerino grew plenty after his freshman season. He is now 5-9, 170 pounds. His talents grew with him.

"Even when he was a small freshman, he would go into the corners and check the biggest guys on the team," Taibi said. "He had no fear. He grew the last couple of years and became one of our leading scorers. This year, he really took a leadership role and was our team captain."

During the regular season, Valerino, a forward, led the PIHL in scoring with 77 points -- 36 goals and 41 assists. He helped Mt. Lebanon to a 24-3 record and the Class AAA semifinals of the Penguin Cup.

Valerino's worth to his team was evident in the semifinals against Bethel Park. He did not play because of appendicitis and Mt. Lebanon lost, 4-0. It was the only time this season Mt. Lebanon was shut out.

"I never thought he would produce offensively like he did, but he always had the hockey sense you just can't teach," Taibi said. "He's a very aggressive player with a very hard shot. But I think what's most impressive about him is he reads the play better than anyone I've seen. He knows where to be."

Valerino also made his teammates better. Mt. Lebanon's Tyler Murovich and Shane Ferguson were among the top 10 scorers in Class AAA.

"The other impressive thing about Tony is every time he puts on the skates, whether for a practice or a league game, he plays like it's the Stanley Cup finals," Taibi said.

Valerino plans to attend the University of Kentucky and hopes to play on the school's club team.

Here is a look at the other players on the Stellar Six:

Josh Fodor, Pine-Richland

Pine-Richland finished 20-6 and made it to the Penguin Cup Class AA championship. Fodor was one of the main reasons. A 5-10 junior forward, he was the sixth-leading scorer in Class AA during the regular season with 29 goals and 27 assists. He was considered one of the best all-around players in the PIHL.

"He's just an explosive player and a powerful kid," Pine-Richland coach Jimmy Black said. "He sees the ice completely different than the way everyone else sees it. He has the ability to completely dominate on his own, just because of the way he sees the ice."

Phil Mains, Plum

Mains was one of the top defensemen in the PIHL and helped the Mustangs earn a Class AAA playoff berth. While known for his defense, he also was a capable scorer, tallying 17 goals and 29 assists this season. He had three goals in the first round of the playoffs.

Mains, a senior, is a good athlete. He is the starting center fielder on Plum's baseball team that is ranked No. 2 in WPIAL Class AAA by the Post-Gazette. He also played football for Plum.

Paul Dittrich, North Allegheny

Dittrich was an outstanding defensemen for a North Allegheny team that lost in the Penguin Cup Class AAA final to Bethel Park. A junior, he had nine goals and 34 assists during the regular season and also was excellent at killing penalties.

"I coached against Paul in amateur and travel leagues about four years ago," North Allegheny coach Tom Pandolfo said. "At that time, Paul was quite frankly just an average player. But he's a very determined kid who worked to improve."

Mike Diethorn, Bethel Park

Diethorn, a senior forward, played the final three games of the season with a broken wrist. He still managed to score the game-tying goal in the Class AAA state championship game against Malvern Prep. Bethel Park went on to win the title.

"He's only about 5-8, but he's a strong, tough kid," said Bethel Park coach Jim McVay. "He set our bench press [weightlifting] record this year. I think what he did with the injury was very impressive."

Diethorn tied for Bethel Park's second-leading scorer during the regular season, one point behind leader Tim O'Brien. Playing on a team that features balanced scoring, Diethorn had 12 goals and 28 assists.

He hopes to play next season at Penn State.

Rob Madore, Peters Township

Madore is only a sophomore, but many considered him the No. 1 goaltender in Western Pennsylvania.

Madore had an .890 save percentage during the regular season.

Madore missed some Peters Township games while playing for the Pittsburgh Hornets amateur team. But he still helped the Indians win the Class AA state championship. In the title game, Madore shut out Haverford, 4-0. In the Penguin Cup title game against Pine-Richland, he stopped 25 of 27 shots in a 6-2 victory.