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Ferreira, Bellomo power Salem rally

Saturday, February, 06 By Jeff Hamrick

SALEM – Just as it has been for much of the season, nothing came easy for the Salem boys Saturday afternoon. But just as they had in their first five games, the Blue Devils once again skated away a winner.

After allowing two Hanover goals in the first 10 minutes at the Icenter, Salem needed most of the next 30 just to forge a tie before sophomore Marcus Bellomo provided the eventual game winner with 5:12 remaining.

A mere half minute after a Brady Ferreira goal provided the tie, Bellomo saw his opportunity when an errant puck headed harmlessly toward Marauder goalie Luke Ives. But a hard skate down the slot had Bellomo in the proper place to take advantage when the puck deflected free off Ives’ stick.

“Declan Burke chipped it off the (side) boards (at the blue line), and I saw it coming,” Bellomo said of his second goal of the season. “I saw a little break and forechecked hard through the zone. I saw the puck break free (from Ives’ stick), and I snuck it in.

“I was just thinking I had to put this one in. I had to give us the lead and give us the momentum to finish off the third.”

That goal not only provided the impetus for a strong finish, but the Blue Devils spent most of the final five minutes on power plays, including a couple two-man advantages, after penalties finished off the frustrated Marauders.

But a couple days after a 2-0 loss to Salem in Hanover, the Marauders came south and controlled much of the match’s first half. They first beat Salem goalie Spencer Deane with a two-on-one break just 3:44 into the game before upping their lead on a put back of a second rebound six minutes later.

“He’s been playing great,” McGinn said of his returning Eagle-Tribune All-Star goalie who was stellar the rest of the way and finished with 29 saves. “Those goals weren’t all on him. It was our whole team defense that broke down a little bit. He’s kept us in there way more than he’s given up goals.”

Although Salem picked up the pace in the second, it wasn’t until there was 1:37 left before the Eagle-Tribune’s reigning MVP Ryan Pappalardo put the Blue Devils on the board when he rammed home a slick pass from Ferreira. It was the senior’s eighth goal of the winter

“We started skating in the second period, said McGinn, whose squad has two overtime wins. “We got some good speed going by that time when we started turning it around and running the plays. But we can’t keep doing that. We can’t keep coming back every game because it’s a tough way to play.”

Salem had its busiest period in the third, attacking Ives with 13 shots in the final 12 minutes.

Ferreira tied the match on his second season goal with a great individual effort that started with his steal at the blue line and ended with a flick of his wrist to Ives’ glove side after deking the goalie.

“Brady just made a nice play cutting the pass off,” McGinn said. “He has such nice hands and made a great move on the goalie. Then Bellomo made the same type of effort … He kept going and made a great play. It was pure effort. Both of those goals were made on effort.

“When we’re skating, we have a pretty good team. When we’re watching, we don’t play so well.”