By Sapna Pathak
Staff Writer

Neighborhood News/Bruce Preston Manchester Memorial junior Kyle Charboneau of Auburn (left) braces himself for a collision with Hanover’s Colin Gormley during the Crusaders’ 4-2 loss on Feb. 18. Charboneau said he can’t wait for a possible rematch in the upcoming Division I playoffs.

When the puck drops to begin this year's Division I ice hockey playoffs, the top teams won't be looking at themselves but will put the spotlight on the opposition.

As of Saturday, Feb. 18, Bishop Guertin of Nashua is on top with a 14-1 record. The Cardinals' only loss was a resounding 5-0 defeat by Salem on Feb. 4.

Guertin's angle

“I wasn't surprised at all [by the loss],” said BG head coach Gary Bishop. “They've got a strong goalie. We were on their ice, which is a larger surface than ours. And they've got two of the best forwards in the state in [Pat] Halligan and [Brendan] Healey.”

Bishop said having the two leading scorers in the division plus a sophomore goaltender – Scott Crowther – with playoff experience was a combination his team could not stop, at least that night.

The BG head coach anticipates facing the Blue Devils in the playoffs and said he won't focus on their weak points, but instead on Salem's strengths, to come up with a way to stop the Blue Devils.

Bishop likes his team's chances. He said one of his top two lines match up evenly with Salem's players at all times.

When Bishop looked at Memorial's roster, the first thing he noted was the Crusaders' depth. The Cardinals faced Memorial in the first game of the season and beat them, 3-2, in overtime.

“They were a good team last year, so we knew they would only get better,” said Bishop. “They're very similar to us in that they don't have one or two standout players, but a lot of good players. They've got numbers like us.”

Bishop said Memorial sometimes gets overlooked because the team played poorly in an 0-4 start. The Crusaders are now 10-6.

Bishop also liked Concord's depth, but was especially impressed with the Crimson Tide keeper.

Freshman goalie Matt Mosca leads the league in shutouts with four, save percentage, and goals against average at 1.5 goals/game.

Those statistics, combined with three or four strong Concord lines, make the Tide a fearsome foe, said Bishop.

Salem's slant

Mark McGinn heads up the skaters of Salem High. The Blue Devils are 10-2-4 and hold fourth place in the standings. The Blue Devils ruined the Cardinals' chance at perfection, but McGinn said that may not be such a good thing after all.

“It's the kiss of death when you account for the only loss on someone's record,” said McGinn. “It gives them the motivation to beat you in the playoffs. That's not good, especially when it's BG that's the motivated team.”

McGinn said BG is clearly the best team in the state. The Cardinals have great depth and great coaching. McGinn added that BG has size, speed, and talent up and down the roster.

Despite the 5-0 win, McGinn refuses to base his team's playoff chances on that one very-well-played game.

On Wednesday, Feb. 23, Salem was scheduled to face Concord in its last game this year.

McGinn has also been impressed by Concord's goalkeeping and defense.

The Tide don't overpower teams offensively, McGinn said, and, like his own team, Concord tends to win games by one or two goals.

McGinn also said his squad beat Memorial, 7-3, when the Crusaders were fighting through a difficult stretch of games in early January.

“They're a younger team like us. I'm sure if we'd played BG earlier in the year, we would have gotten blown out by them. Memorial's hot right now. Teams don't look forward to playing them.”

McGinn noted each team does not have many weaknesses to exploit. He said the playoffs boil down to which team works harder for three periods.

Concord's crystal ball

Third-ranked Concord has a 13-3 record. Head coach Duncan Walsh said BG has proven it is the best team in the league.

Concord lost to BG twice this season, on Jan. 14 and Feb. 1. The pair of 5-3 losses left Walsh with an idea of what it takes to beat the Cardinals.

“They're strong defensively,” said Walsh. “They're big and physical. They'll come at you with three good lines and just wear you out. If we can remember to stay alert, we have a chance to win.”

Walsh watched Salem beat BG and said perhaps the Cardinals were a little too confident. It's easy, according to Walsh, for high school kids to look ahead, leaving them vulnerable to a solid team like Salem.

Concord's regular season closes with Salem. Walsh said Halligan and Healey are the two weapons his team will have to stop if it wants to win.

He did say Salem is not as deep as his team on defense, and, if Concord can score early and keep the puck away from Halligan, there's a good chance his team will win.

Yet Walsh said red-hot Memorial may prove to be the tallest order in Division I right now, with three strong lines translating into fresh third-period legs. Walsh said the Crusaders were not as strong on defense and in goal, two areas Concord exploited in specific instances during its 2-1 overtime win on Jan. 4.

Memorial's position

On Saturday, Feb. 18, Memorial lost to second-place Hanover on its home ice, 4-2.

“We played BG the first game. We couldn't have had it any tougher,” said Memorial head coach, Kyle McDonough. “They have so much depth, they're fourth line is just as talented as the first. If you find any weaknesses on that team, let me know because I didn't see any.”

McDonough said BG has the luxury of being able to start a different line every game and still have the same record it does now. He called the Cardinals a tough, physical team that comes out and plays all three periods with gusto.

In the overtime loss to Concord, McDonough noticed the Crimson Tide have a solid, virtually mistake-free defense, backed by the stingy Mosca.

If Memorial can take advantage of Concord's weaker offense, McDonough said his team could beat the Tide.

Memorial's 7-3 loss to Salem was the only time his team “lost their heads,” said McDonough. It was one of his team's few games decided by more than two goals.

He described Halligan as a “man among boys,” and, coupled with Healey, Salem will be a tough opponent to face in the postseason.

“You can't stop Halligan, he's too strong,” said McDonough. “You're not gonna just knock him down or push him over. You have to get the puck from him or maybe take the passer out before either one can get the puck.”

McDonough said he's now comfortable matching up with Salem.

The Blue Devils, according to McDonough, are vulnerable on defense, and you can outscore them if you outwork them.