There was nothing weird about the North Andover boys hockey team beating Andover, 6-3, to start its season, but the Knights skated to victory thanks to three shorthanded goals. Jimmy Boyle scored twice for the winners.
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Boys Ice Hockey, 12/14/19 » 0 Comments & 0.0 Stars
Michael Brothers made 28 saves for his first varsity shutout as Central Catholic beat traditional powerhouse Catholic Memorial 2-0 in its season-opener. Jake Doucette and Charlie LeCain each scored a goal for the winners.
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Boys Ice Hockey, 12/12/19 » 0 Comments & 0.0 Stars
Michael Brothers made 28 saves for his first varsity shutout as Central Catholic beat traditional powerhouse Catholic Memorial 2-0 in its season-opener. Jake Doucette and Charlie LeCain each scored a goal for the winners.
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Boys Ice Hockey, 12/12/19 » 0 Comments & 0.0 Stars
Zach Alfonzo made a whopping 50 saves and Colby Scott scored two goals, including the overtime game-winner, as Methuen opened its season with a 4-3 victory over Concord-Carlisle. Aidan Hollingsworth and Ethan Schena each added a goal for the Rangers.
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Boys Ice Hockey, 12/12/19 » 0 Comments & 0.0 Stars
Jake MacKinnon netted a hat trick and freshman Andrew Heinze of North Andover had 18 saves as Brooks improved to 2-0 in boys hockey with a 5-2 win over BB&N.
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Boys Ice Hockey, 12/07/19 » 0 Comments & 0.0 Stars
Stephen Higgins and Charlie Alcorn each scored twice as Brooks won its hockey opener, 9-2, over Pingree. For the 0-3 highlanders, Sam Murray of Andover scored both goals.
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Boys Ice Hockey, 12/06/19 » 0 Comments & 0.0 Stars
MANCHESTER, N.H. — The game was within Salem’s reach as the clock wound down.
Trailing by just a goal with 3:40 left in the game, the Blue Devils earned a power play, and began an attack on the Trinity goalie.
But despite a few shots that looked destined for the net, Salem could not find the equalizer when it needed it most, and fell a win short of its first trip to the state championship game since 2004-05 season.
The No. 9 Blue Devils could not convert on a few late chances, and fell to No. 5 Trinity 4-3 in the New Hampshire Division 1 semifinals at the JFK Memorial Coliseum on Wednesday night.
“We had our chances, but we just couldn’t bury the puck,” said Salem coach Mark McGinn. “We got some good shots. We were getting to the middle and getting clean shots, but the goalie was making saves. We just couldn’t put it into the net at the end.”
Trinity (14-5-1) advances to play No. 3 Bedford (16-3-1) in the Division 1 championship game on Saturday (6 p.m.) at the SNHU Arena in Manchester. The Bulldogs beat No. 2 Concord in overtime 2-1 in the other semifinal.
Salem closes out its season 11-12-1, 10-10-1 in Division 1. It was the Blue Devils’ second semifinal appearance in three seasons after having not made it since 2005-06.
“We came out a little flat,” said McGinn. “We could have come out stronger given the situation. But then we turned it on a little. At times we were taking it to them some. But their goalie played well.”
Salem took the lead just 2:44 into play, when Ryan Pappalardo went into a scrum in front of the net and powered the puck home. Assists went to Austin Salvetti and Anthony Survilas.
But Trinity responded quickly with a pair of goals just 2:57 apart to take a 2-1 lead after a period.
The Blue Devils tied it with 6:15 left in the second. Tri-captain Ryan Martin took a pass from Aiden Chane and fired a shot that hit the right post, bounced off the goalie’s left pad and found the back of the net.
Then, some controversy struck with 0:20 left in the second. An attacking player ran into Salem goalie Brady Roux, sending him sprawling into the net. The play was not called dead, and the Pioneers scored to make it 3-2 with 0:20 left in the second.
“It was a goal,” said McGinn. “You have that big pile-up in front of the net, and things like that are frustrating. But that was a clean goal.”
Trinity appeared the ice the win early in the third. First, the Pioneers scored just 2:57 into the period, Then, they earned a 5-on-3 power play and a chance to take full control.
But a few huge saves by Roux (27 saves), including an impressive glove save on a slap shot and going into a split to kick another shot away with his left foot, kept it a two-goal game.
With 8:21 left in the game Salem make it a one-goal game. Pappalardo fired a slap shot from the blue line that Salvetti —who was anchored in front of the net — redirected home to make it 4-3.
The Blue Devils had then had the golden opportunity with the power play with 3:44 left, but came up short thanks to some brilliant work by Trinity goalie Ryan Brewitt (33 saves).
“He played very well,” said McGinn. “I think he as seeing the puck a little too well, and he made some great saves. Brady also played very well at times. He made a few saves he probably shouldn’t have.”
Salem now hopes to build off this playoff run. The Blue Devils expect to return Roux in net and three of their top four goal-scorers — Pappalardo (team-high 16 goals), Salvetti (12 goals) and Ryan Allard (10 goals) — are sophomores.
“We hope so,” said McGinn. “It was an awesome run. I wish the regular season had been a little better. But it was a good run. The seniors are disappointed now. But it’s a great experience for the younger kids. If we get all the pieces back, and add a few more, I think we can have a strong team.”
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Boys Ice Hockey, 03/06/19 » 0 Comments & 0.0 Stars
Sam Murray buried a rebound off a Shane Lachance shot with six minutes left in the third, and No. 4 Andover held strong to beat No. 5 Burlington 3-2 in the Division 1 North quarterfinals on Sunday.
The Golden Warriors took a 1-0 lead in the first on an Anthony Previte goal, and Michael Feeney made it 2-0 with a goal early in the second period.
Burlington tied it late in the second, but Murray delivered the winner in the third.
Andover (14-6-2) advances to play No. 8 St. John's Prep (12-7-3) in the Division 1 North semifinals on Thursday (7 p.m.) at the Tsongas Arena in Lowell.
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Boys Ice Hockey, 03/03/19 » 0 Comments & 0.0 Stars
HOOKSETT, N.H. — With well earned sweat dripping from his brow and a smile from ear to ear, Brady Roux summed up the moment in two perfect words.
“Anything’s possible!” said the ecstatic Salem goalie.
Roux delivered the performance of his life, making 42 saves to protect a one-goal game until the final 1:05.
And as the final buzzer sounded, the netminder was mobbed my his teammates after No. 9 Salem shocked top-seeded Pinkerton 3-1 in the New Hampshire Division 1 quarterfinals on Saturday night in front of a rowdy overflow crowd of about 800 crammed into the Hooksett Ice Den.
“This is amazing,” said Roux. “This just keeps on getting better! The boys have been working so hard, and to get this win is just so exciting. There were times during the season we didn’t think we could get here and beat a team like Pinkerton. But it happened, and it’s incredible.”
The upset sends the Blue Devils (11-10-1, 10-9-1 Div. 1) to the New Hampshire Division 1 semifinals on Wednesday (7:30 p.m.) against No. 5 Trinity (13-6-0 Div. 1) at JFK Rink in Manchester. Pinkerton closes out the season 16-3-0
“This is why I play this game!” said Salem tri-captain Brandon Paiva. “It feels amazing to come in as the underdog and upset one of the best teams in the state of New Hampshire and show what we’re about. We came into this game with a lot of confidence, and knew if we played our game we could win.”
This marks the second time in three seasons Salem has advanced to the Division 1 semifinals. The Blue Devils are now one win from their first state title appearance since 2004-05.
“This team is really starting to come together,” said Salem coach Mark McGinn. “We have believed in this team from the start. Because of injuries, and this and that, we hadn’t had a full team until recently. In the preseason we thought we could be here, even if others didn’t. I told them it doesn’t matter what seed you are.”
Salem took the lead 5:51 into the first period on a shorthanded goal. Chris Wilson tapped a pass ahead to Anthony Survilas, who skated in on a breakaway and slid the puck home for his eighth goal of the season.
Pinkerton tied the game with 5:33 to go in the first, on an Ethan Burgess tally.
But Salem took the lead right back 1:26 into the second. Ryan Pappalardo fired a pass in front to Ryan Allard, who tallied his 10th goal of the season.
“That first goal was huge because it shifted the momentum to us and gave us the upper hand for the entire game,” said Paiva. “Then, after they scored, we just had to get our head right and put in another goal. And we did it.”
From there, it was all Roux.
Pinkerton continued to pressure the sophomore goalie throughout the game, managing a few huge flurries of shots. But Roux simply would not relent.
The crowd went wild when Roux kicked away a breakaway shot with his right foot. Then, he turned away eight shots in the final moments as the Astros had two power plays.
“I just tried not to think about that we were only ahead by one goal,” said Roux. “I just had to track pucks and make saves the way I can. The guys in front me were making it a lot easier, even if I saw 42 shots.”
With the clock ticking down, the Salem fans chanting his name on two occasions.
“Our goalie was the difference today,” said McGinn. “He was calm and seeing and anticipating well. He was naturally there for a few tough shots. We knew he had it in him. A lot of stuff has to happen in front of him, and everyone played great.”
After Pinkerton pulled its goalie, Austin Salvetti iced the victory with 1:05 left, scoring an empty net goal from the opposite blue line.
“There was no lack of effort from our guys,”said Pinkerton coach Sam Littlefield. “But they played very well, and their goalie played terrific. He was outstanding, and you can’t beat a hot goalie like that.”
After the celebration, Salem set its eyes on the semifinals, against a Trinity team that beat the Blue Devils 6-2 on Dec. 22
“We never doubted ourselves,” said Roux. “We’re going to focus on that game, and start preparing. It should be a great game and it will be amazing to be there.”
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Boys Ice Hockey, 03/02/19 » 0 Comments & 0.0 Stars
HOOKSETT, N.H. — As the final seconds ticked off the clock, Salem players dropped their sticks and flew towards the rowdy Blue Devil fan section, each taking their turn jumping into the boards in celebration.
“This feels amazing to get this win,”said Sam Maietta, who scored two goals. “We felt ready to fight today. We knew it was going to be a good battle, but we knew we had it in us to win. We had the intensity, and the team played lights-out.”
No. 9 Salem opened the tournament with a bang on Wednesday, rolling past No. 8 Londonderry 4-0 in the New Hampshire Division 1 first round at Tri-Town Rink.
The Blue Devils (10-10-1, 9-9-1 Div. 1) took the lead 4:41 into play on a Austin Salvetti goal, and never let up to down a Lancers (8-10-1 Div. 1) team they had beaten twice in the regular season.
“It feels awesome to get this win,” said co-captain Chris Wilson. “We’ve worked all season for this. We had beaten Londonderry twice, but it was a clean slate today. We battled and got the result we wanted.”
With the win, Salem advanced to face top-seeded Pinkerton (16-2-0) in the Division 1 quarterfinals on Saturday (6:30 p.m.) at the Hooksett Ice Den.
“They’re the top team in the state,”said Maietta. “It’s going to be a good fight. But if we bring the same intensity to the second round, we believe we can do it.”
Salvetti set the tone in the first, taking a pass from Nolan LaBossiere and burying a wrist shot.
Thanks to some brilliant work from goalie Brady Roux, it stayed 1-0 until there was 5:42 left in the game. That’s when some dirty work in front of the net paid off for Wilson.
“Anthony (Survilas) was worked hard down low and got the puck on the boards,” said Wilson. “I went down into the slot in front of the crease. I got the puck and banged it home.”
Just 20 second later, Maietta found himself living out a teammate’s premonition.
“Before the game, Ryan Demers told me I was going to score on a breakaway with a shot under the blocker of the goalie,” said Maietta. “And, sure enough, I got the puck and put it right under his blocker. It felt amazing.”
Maietta, who entered the game with seven goals, then chipped in with his second of the day with 2:01 left in the game. From his knees near center ice, he gathered the puck and flipped it into an open net for the 4-0 final.
“I though it was going to hit the post, but it swerved right and went in,” he said. “Everyone played a great game. Brady was lights-out in net.”
Roux, just four days after earning his first high school shutout in the regular season finale, made 20 saves for his second straight shutout. He was especially tough in the second, keeping the Blue Devils in the lead.
“I went into the game wanting to do everything I could,”said Roux. “The boys made it easy to track the pucks and make saves. We felt confident after the Windham win to end the regular season, and we carried that momentum into today.”
Salem will next hope to earn an upset over a Pinkerton squad that beat the Blue Devils 4-3 on Feb. 16 at the Ice Den.
“Our focus has shifted to Pinkerton,”said Roux. “They’re great. It’s going to take a lot of hard work, but we are going to do our best.”
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Boys Ice Hockey, 02/27/19 » 0 Comments & 0.0 Stars
