Beverly boys hockey overpowers Big Blue

SALEM – Though not quite matching its average output of five goals per game, offense proved to be the best defense in the Beverly High hockey team’s 4-1 shutdown decision over Swampscott on Saturday afternoon at Salem State University’s Rockett Arena.Click here for a photo gallery.The undefeated Panthers (11-0-1) unleashed a relentless forecheck that bottled up the Big Blue (9-2-0) in their own end and yielded a 35-8 edge in shots on net. A strong 31-save performance by Swampscott’s sophomore goalie Trent Gallagher kept his club in it.It appeared Swampscott was committed to packing the prime scoring area in front of Gallagher while yielding long-range shots from the perimeter but coach Gino Faia said that wasn’t the case.”They’re a good team – it’s not a mystery why they’re 11-0-1. We did what we could to try and defend against them but we just couldn’t generate anything on offense. We got a little too passive on defense – we didn’t want them freelancing with the puck at the points and wanted to attack them, but that didn’t happen,” Faia said.Still, that’s precisely how the Big Blue delivered the game’s first strike in the opening minute. Griffin Hunt pickpocketed a Panthers defenseman, set off on a clean breakaway and snapped a mid-range shot over the blocker of Beverly keeper Tim Birarelli for a 1-0 lead with just 51 seconds expired.No matter for the Panthers as they regrouped and tied it 1-1 at 3:33 when Graham Doherty buried his 10th goal of the season, a wrist shot from the right circle that broke through Gallagher’s pads.Though not busy, Birarelli registered key stops in the period’s latter stages, first turning back Nunzio Morretti’s 2-on-1 bid from the right circle, then denying Joey Silva’s screened shot from the left circle. Junior defenseman Jack Morency then gave Beverly a 2-1 lead with 2:54 left in the period as his slap shot from the right point found its way through a maze of players in front and into the corner to Gallagher’s right.Nick Albano’s power play goal at 4:14 of the second period expanded Beverly’s lead to 3-1. Connor Irving threaded a pass from the right dot through the Swampscott defensive box to Albano, well-positioned to drive the puck into a virtually empty net.Any Big Blue comeback hopes evaporated when they didn’t manage a shot on two power plays in the first five minutes of the third period.”We were pressing on the power play, not making good decisions,” said Faia.Connor Irving put an exclamation point on the win with 2:53 to play, snapping a 20-footer from the left circle past Gallagher.Swampscott is back in action this afternoon with a non-league game against Amesbury at the Haverhill Valley Forum.