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Strong effort powers Salem to second win

Tuesday, January, 08 By Matt Williams
Staff writer

Salem High hockey coach Brian Addesa is still looking for his team to put a 45-minute effort together. He'll surely take the dominating effort his Witches provided in the first and third periods last night en route to a 3-2 win over Rockport at Salem State College's Rockett Arena.

"We haven't been able to put a strong second period together | that was probably our best one," Addesa said. "Our guys are starting to get it. They're going to enjoy this one. "We're hoping we've turned a corner here."

Salem carried the play with a harsh and physical style that the visiting Vikings (2-4-2) couldn't match. The Witches generated a season-high 36 shots on goal. The biggest factor, though, was the penalty kill. Salem held Rockport 0 for 3 without a shot in the first period and went on to kill 1:30 of 5-on-3 hockey late in the third period.

"Our kill is getting better and a big part of that is the chemistry we're starting to develop," said Addesa.

With just their second victory of the season, Salem snapped a three-game skid and improved to 2-6-0 on the year.

"I'm starting to think about declining those (penalties)," said Rockport coach Mike Greel. "We've struggled on the power play all year. We haven't been able to settle it down and get things set up."

Still, the Witches faltered in the second period. After storming to a 1-0 lead on Kyle Silva's power-play tally in the first, they allowed the Vikings to take control. First the visitors knotted the game 1-1 at the 6:14 mark and though Tyler Daniels knocked home the go-ahead score minutes later, momentum had shifted.

"We didn't come to play and we dug ourselves a hole in the first," said Greel. "We're not a good enough offensive team to dig out of that."

The Vikings nearly did dig out, tying the game again 30 seconds later when a rebound was left in front of Salem goalie Cody Grondin.

The Witches then turned the game around with a perfectly executed face-off play. After Silva won the draw, he made a tape-to-tape pass to Mike Day, who snapped a shot by goalie Brian Greel for the winner.

"That was enormous. I was glad that one went our way," said Addesa. "It took some screaming to get it set up right before the face-off but they got it. You teach and coach and then you get a lot of near misses. When one goes in like that, the kids are saying, 'Ah-ha.' They're getting it."

Seemingly energized by the go-ahead score, the Witches carried the play in the third period. With the exception of the two-man advantage, Rockport couldn't generate any offensive chances.

"I challenged them between periods to win the third," said Addesa. "They're learning how to play late in a game | learning how to play with a lead."

In a physical game that saw 13 penalties doled out between the clubs, the Witches were the bigger and stronger club. "One of our key points is to finish every check. Every time the other team touches the puck, they pay a price," said Addesa. "If we're disciplined and we keep our hands down on those, we'll be doing a lot better."

A stellar effort from Rockport goalie Brian Greel kept it a one-goal game. Greel stopped 33 shots, including all 14 he faced in the third period, to make the Salem faithful hold their breath until the last horn sounded.

"You're looking at quite a lopsided game there without our goaltending," said Mike Greel.

Grondin matched his Viking counterpart with 23 saves of his own, including five on the two-man advantage in the third. He was at his best in the middle period, stopping 13 of the 15 shots he faced.