When rebuilding, what better way to start than with a brick wall?

The Salem High School hockey team, trying to recover from the loss of five top scorers, turn to defense, led by standout goalie Rob Liveratore.

“Since we are rebuilding, I don’t know what to expect on certain issues this season,” said head coach Mark McGinn. “The kids who are returning we’ll count on heavily. I have a really good goaltender, and we have some decent defensemen to lead the way.”

In addition to losing his top five scorers from last year, Mc- Ginn said he also had his top two lines and two defensemen graduate, tempering his expectations for the current season.

“I think the team may start to find their roles around midway through the season,” said Mc- Ginn. “My expectations are usually pretty high every year, but I am realistic at the same time. As long as they’re trying to learn the system and get better, I won’t be too upset with them. We’re going to hit some bumps.”

McGinn said he expects Liveratore to maintain the consistency he showed last year in net; the junior keeper is the main on-ice cog keeping the Blue Devils’ machinery in motion.

Liveratore made a habit of snagging opponents’ shots with ease as an underclassman, and McGinn is often impressed with what he sees from his spot on the bench.

“He seems to play at a level that everything in front of him is slow,” said McGinn. “He looks so smooth out there, moves well and is our backbone. Our last game and the scrimmages – he makes it look easy.”

In front of Liveratore are experienced defensemen Mark Baroni and Corey Lavallee, while Mc- Ginn said he expects the team’s top scoring line to be seniors Jared Henderson and Joel Vastl, who team with junior Mike Frahm. While Liberatore is a valuable weapon, McGinn said the Blue Devils can’t depend on him to make every save.

“Confidence-wise, it helps a lot having him back there, as long as we don’t get lazy and rely on him too much,” he said. “Statistically, if you give (foes) too many shots, they’re going to get goals. You can make some mistakes in front of him and he’ll bail you out, but we can’t get into bad habits.”

Though currently limited in his offensive options past the top line of Henderson, Vastl and Frahm, McGinn said with Liveratore in net and a sturdy defensive mindset, a few well-timed goals are all Salem needs.

“We don’t score a lot. We’re not going to score a lot. We’ll have to play that way,” said McGinn. “If we can score two or three a game, we’ll win most of those games – especially if we get them early.”