After erasing a 3-0 deficit in the first round of the Division I tournament against West, Salem was unable to hold onto a 2-0 lead versus Bishop Guertin, falling in overtime to the one-loss Cardinals.

On March 4, the Blue Devils won, 5-4, at the Icenter to advance to the quarterfinals on Saturday, March 7, where they nearly pulled off a gigantic upset at Tyngsboro’s Skate 3 before losing, 4-3.

Mike Frahm and Ken Frazier notched first-period tallies to give their team the early advantage on the defending state champs from BG.

The Blue Devils were outshot, 52-22, on the afternoon, but Mc- Ginn said his team executed its pregame strategy.

“(Goalie Rob Liberatore) knew going in that he would see a lot of shots,” said head coach Mark Mc- Ginn. “Our game plan was to keep our defense as tight as we could. Most of the shots they took on us weren’t in the prime scoring areas, so I was happy about that.”

Liberatore managed 48 saves and returns next season as a senior. In overtime, momentum swung back and forth between the two teams.

The Cardinals believed they won the game when a shot hit the post, and several skaters rushed the ice in celebration. Referees ruled there was no goal, and Guertin was instead assessed a penalty.

Salem couldn’t capitalize on the power play, and at 11:37 in the extra session, BG’s Ward Gleason ended the contest when he found the back of the net.

McGinn said entering the game his team felt no pressure as the eighth seed facing a Division I powerhouse.

“I think we were happy to be in that position to even have a chance in overtime,” said McGinn. “Most of the year when we’ve been loose we’ve played really well. When we’re tense and tight, we don’t play that well. We had nothing to lose going into that game, no matter how it turned out.”

When the two teams played in the regular season, the Cardinals topped Salem, 5-2, in a physical, sometimes chippy game. That was not the case in the postseason.

“It wasn’t as … intense as the last one,” said McGinn. “I think we had one penalty, and they had three or four. Last game there were 15 or 16 in the first period. People realized what kind of game it was.”

The Blue Devils lose just three seniors – Joe Simone, Corey Lavallee and John Pettoruto – so Salem stands poised to make a deeper run in next season’s D-I playoffs, led by Liberatore in goal.

“If Rob can see a puck, he’s going to make the save,” said McGinn. “(Against BG) he played what is to me a normal, average game. I see him all the time do those great things, so it’s normal to me. If you haven’t really seen him before, though, you say, ‘Wow. That kid can really stop the puck.’”

Playoff notes
Mike Frahm scored three playoff goals, Bryan Thibodeau added two, and Pettoruto, Lavallee and Ken Frazier all scored one. Pettoruto collected two assists, and Lavallee, Tyler Phair and Shane Delandy dished one helper apiece.