Salmon River boys skate past OFA
FORT COVINGTON — As soon as time expired Salmon River goalie Matt Healy leapt in the air and then emphatically slammed his white stick to the ground twice.
Healy, a senior, made up for his worst performance of the season with a 25-save shutout as the Shamrocks defeated Ogdensburg Free Academy 2-0 to clinch the Northern Athletic Conference Division II championship Tuesday night.
The Blue Devils (13-5 overall, 9-3 division) scored five goals in just two periods on Healy in a 5-4 win over Salmon River on Jan. 24 in Ogdensburg.
“We wanted revenge from the first game,” Healy said. “I didn’t play well personally and neither did anybody else. We knew coming in here we were ready to play this time.”
Watching OFA struggle to produce solid scoring chances Tuesday it seems hard to believe that the Blue Devils scored five goals in the first two periods of the first matchup.
“We started better,” Shamrocks coach Tim Cook said. “We really picked apart what they did last time and we were ready for it, especially on our breakout. What they were doing before really wasn’t working.”
The first game was stunning because in Salmon River’s other 16 games, including Tuesday’s shutout, the Shamrocks have allowed only 17 goals.
“(Healy) was outstanding tonight,” OFA coach Jon Frederick said. “Last time we got to him early. They are very tough to beat in their own rink and I hope to see them in the (Section 10) championship game.”
Salmon River (14-2-1, 11-2) got a sign it may be their night early in the game when a long slap shot from Section 10’s leading scorer, Oakley Thomas, clanged off the goalpost and went into the net at 4 minutes, 5 seconds of the first period.
“My aim was on today,” said Thomas, who now has 18 goals. “It was a nice low shot. I was watching it the whole way, so I had nothing to worry about.”
But Salmon River was unable to build on the lead and gave the Blue Devils a chance to get back into the game in the second period, when the Shamrocks took four penalties.
“I personally like penalty kills, but sometimes it’s tiring,” Healy said. “Our penalty killers are great. They block shots all the time.”
Thomas had two good chances to score in the second period. OFA goalie Dave Prudhomme stopped him on a breakaway with a glove save and then stopped a good scoring chance by Thomas near the side of the net later in the period.
Salmon River gave its fans a chance to relax a bit when Colton Hart scored on a shot from just outside the crease at 2:51 of the third period. A little more than a minute later OFA’s Brandon Mullin had a good scoring chance but Healy robbed him with a glove save.
“I watch all their scores and last week they came back once or twice,” Salmon River coach Tim Cook said. “They are a team that doesn’t give up. You know they can score. It was a good battle.”
Salmon River concludes the division season with a game at Canton tonight and then will take part in the Massena Tournament this weekend. The Section 10 Division II championship game is scheduled for Sunday Feb. 26 at Clarkson’s Cheel Arena.
“There’s teams right up there at the top of our division and any of them can give us a game,” Cook said. “It will be tight all the way through. I like our chances, but we could see these guys again.”
