RallyNorth.net

Salem falls in state semifinals

Wednesday, March, 08 By David Willis
Staff writer

MANCHESTER, N.H. — Salem head coach Mark McGinn did his best to reflect on the bright side as Concord celebrated on the opposite side of the glass.

“Hey, it’s always better to play in the big game than watch it from the stands,” said McGinn with a hint of optimism. “At least we were here. But they were the better team today.”

No. 3 Salem fell behind midway through the first period, and never recovered, suffering a 4-0 loss to  No. 2 Concord in the New Hampshire Division 1 semifinals on Wednesday at the JFK Arena.

“They were on us early and we couldn’t respond,” said McGinn. “We had our chances. We battled hard. But they would manage one break and it would be in our net. Our guys battled, but Concord just did a few things better and they deserve the win.”

The loss snapped a 10-game winning streak for the Blue Devils (14-4-2) which included a 4-3 victory over Concord (17-3-0) on Feb. 17.
The contest marked Salem’s first trip to the state semifinals since the 2005-06 season, two years after winning their first and only state title in program history. It was quite a rebound from a disappointing 2015-16 that saw the Devils go 6-12-0 and miss the tournament.
“I think we over-achieved getting to the semis this year,” said McGinn. “The loss doesn’t take away from a great season. We made a huge jump in one year. They bonded and I am so proud of the guys.”
Salem, however, had no answer for Concord, which became just the second team to shut out a Blue Devils offense that averaged 4.2 goals per game including 5.1 during their winning streak.
“There were nerves facing a great Salem team and program,” said Concord goalie Spencer Burgess (21 saves). “We knew they had a great offense, but we just tried to block it out.”
Salem struggled to build an attack in the first, managing just two shots on goal.
One of those shots, however, nearly gave the Devils the lead. Superstar center Mitchell McGinn took a shot from the point that eluded the goalie but squirted just outside the post. Salem didn’t have a chance for the rebound as the play was then blown dead.
Concord carried a 1-0 lead through one period, and scored twice in just under two minutes in the second to take firm control at 3-0.
Salem had a few chances in the third, including a blast by Sebastian Farah that clanked off the post. But the Blue Devils couldn’t find the net, and Concord added one more to ice the victory.
“They did so well holding the puck in our zone,” said Mark McGinn. “We were in our zone so much and our centers and wings were spending so much energy on defense that when we had a rush they were out of gas.”
Despite the loss, however, there is plenty of reason for optimism for Salem, which has the potential to bring back a monster offensive attack.
Eagle-Tribune area goals leader Matty Pappalardo (24 goals) is just as junior while Mitchell McGinn, who leads the area in points (19-25—44) is only a sophomore.
“We have some real good players coming back,” said Mark McGinn. “I have some good goaltending behind (graduating starter) Paddy (Capsalis), some defensemen waiting for the chance to step up and we should have two very strong lines up front. I want to savoir this season, but the future is definitely bright.”