SALEM — Saturday’s 5-4 win over Peabody at Rockett Arena was a special one for the Swampscott boys hockey team.
Big Blue senior Drew Olivieri recorded his 100th career point, joining his older brother, Louis, who also reached the milestone while wearing the Swampscott uniform.
And the win over the gritty Tanners bumped Swampscott’s record to 6-2, keeping the Big Blue undefeated in Northeastern Conference play at 4-0. Swampscott’s Conor Donovan scored just seconds after the opening face-off but Peabody battled back and never gave in.
“We kind of had them on their heels scoring 26 seconds in on Conor’s goal,” Swampscott coach Gino Faia said. “With the team scoring back and forth, it was good to finally put a 2-goal (5-3) lead on Peabody, we knew they weren’t going to stop skating.”
The final score wasn’t decided until late in the game, when Big Blue goalie Jack Russo stuffed Andrew Phillips, looking for the game-tying goal and his third tally of the game.
After Donovan’s early score, Peabody’s Nathan Lapage knotted the game at 1-1 and it remained deadlocked for the next few minutes. Donovan, on Griffin Bruhm’s assist, put Swampscott back ahead at 2-1. Back came the Tanners thanks to Andrew Phillips’ tally on James Guiry’s assist. The first period ended in a 2-2 tie.
“I tell the guys to have fun, always have fun out there in every situation,” first-year Peabody coach Christian Wright said. “This game is supposed to be fun, it’s a privilege to play hockey, so go out there each time and enjoy yourselves.”
Back and forth they went in the second period. Tyler Seller’s goal in the early stages of the frame gave the Big Blue a 3-2 edge. But the lead, again, was short-lived. Phillips, with assists from Adam Aylaward and Nick Richie, evened the score at 3-3.
Oliveri, picking the right time to reach his career milestone, found the back of the net for his 100th career point and gave Swampscott a 4-3 lead in the process. Donovan followed suit with assists from Olivieri and Chris Barnes, giving the Big Blue much-needed breathing room at 5-3.
Not so fast, said the Tanners.
Lapage closed the gap to 5-4 but Swampscott held down the fort in the final minutes to seal its win. Russo answered the bell with a couple of clutch saves on two late Peabody chances toward the final buzzer.
Swampscott, now on a 4-game win streak, looks to make it five consecutive victories Wednesday night (6) when the Big Blue travel to Dorothy Talbot Rink for a showdown with Gloucester.
With Saturday’s defeat, the Tanners fell to 3-5 on the season are slid into a 3-game skid. Peabody hopes to bounce back with a win over Danvers Wednesday (6) at Endicott’s Raymond Bourque Arena.
