Make no mistake this was do or die for a Salisbury team who struggled early in the season but has gone on a 12-1-0 in their last 13 games and was fighting for an Elite 8 playoff berth hanging right on the cusp. A win would likely put them in and and a loss likely put them out and they came out with that playoff atmosphere from the student section down the players on the ice.
The Knights had a game plan to keep it simple, get pucks in deep and play physical which they certainly executed on. Avon who is a team built on speed and skill struggled to break pucks out cleanly and generate much offense through the neutral zone and Salisbury did a nice job keeping them to the outside, chipping pucks in the corners and creating off the cycle. The first period ended in a 0-0 tie but the Knights had the better of the chances out-shooting Avon by a 9-3 margin.
“We were well aware of Avon’s depth and skill so I was very pleased with our effort in playing smart and disciplined,” said Salisbury Head Coach Andrew Will.
Salisbury didn’t take long to score in the second period as Ty Creech, a forward who has converted to defense this season to help the backend, made a subtle walk on the blue line and fired a low wrister through traffic and tricked in the 5-hole for Connor Callaghan. Avon responded just a minute later off a play that was started by Avon senior Matt DiMarsico and finished by DiMarsico; he got the puck on the wall, walked a defender and fed Brennan Ali in the high slot who made a clever behind the back drop pass to the point who fired it and got it blocked then the puck trickled out to DiMarsico and he buried it beside the net.
Both teams exchanged some chances and the game seemed to open up at bit which played to Avon’s favor as the faster of the two teams. At the 8 minute mark DiMarsico and Ali were at it again this time on a 2v1 where DiMarsico slid a perfect pass across the slot to give Ali a grade A chance and he slide the puck left to right for the backhand and had the Salisbury goalie beat but he extended the pad just in time to get his toe on it and stop the scoring chance. The Knights responded less than a minute later as Lee Parks won a puck battle in the corner and drove the net which created chaos at the net front and a loose puck squirted out to Ryan Walsh who scored through a pile infront just inside the far post to take the 2-1 lead.
Salisbury had the momentum after that and kept their foot on the gas with several scoring chances that could have put the game more out of reach, especially Dylan Hryckowian who had two chances in alone on the goalie with slick deke moves but couldn’t convert as Callaghan stood tall in net and kept the Winged Beavers in the game.
Heading into the third period the shots were almost 2:1 Salisbury to Avon but the game was closer than that would indicate. No penalties had been called and you got the sense that the next team to score would likely win. It was fast paced, back and forth action but neither team was able to generate much by way of scoring chances until the 11:31 mark when Avon had an uncharacteristic turnover on a bad bounce that the puck just shot off a stick blade in the corner off a D to D pass and ended up in the slot where Salisbury senior Trey Deere buried it in the slot. Deere is a scholarship lacrosse commit to Syracuse University but provides key minutes for Salisbury and was a factor in all phases this game.
Avon would get the lone power play in the period but was unable to generate any zone time and failed to get a shot off. Salisbury did a nice job tightening up in the neutral zone, getting pucks behind the Avon defense and playing safe, low-risk, physical hockey throughout the game which limited what Avon could do offensively.
Overall it was a well-executed attack by Salisbury from start to finish playing a gritty, physical, balanced game that they needed to put them in position for an Elite 8 berth. For Avon, this wasn’t their best game, they had a few chances, but weren’t able to generate off the rush which is a key to their game. Both teams however showed they have playoff caliber rosters who can make a run for the Elite 8 title.
“It was a good, fast, heavy game today and I thought we competed hard,” said Will who knows the winning formula after winning four NE Prep Championships since 2009.
Three Stars of the Game:
1st Star: Alex Zakrzewski, D, Salisbury
2nd Star: Ryan Walsh, F, Salisbury
3rd Star: Austin McNicholas, G, Salisbury
Photo Credit: Dan Hickling/Hickling Images