SALEM— The Gloucester hockey team's backs are officially against the wall.
Following Saturday's 6-3 loss to Beverly at Salem State University's Rockett Arena, the Fishermen (6-7-5) have virtually no margin for error in their final two games of the season needing three points in two games against Northeastern Conference Titans Winthrop (Wednesday, 6:00 p.m., Talbot Rink) and Danvers (Saturday, 6:00 p.m., Talbot Rink). Gloucester posted a 0-1-1 mark against the Vikings and Falcons in early season meetings, a loss in either game means its tournament hopes are dashed.
"It's pretty much win or go home for us now," Gloucester head coach Don Lowe said. "We need to play with the urgency and desperation that should have been there today."
The Fishermen nearly mounted a third period comeback as the entered the frame down 4-1 and scored a pair of goals in the first 5:16 of the frame.
Junior Alex Webb made it 4-2 Panthers when he put home a wrist shot just after a Fishermen faceoff win. Two and a half minutes later Mike Russo lit the lamp to cut the deficit to 4-3 when a pass from Ben Favazza through the crease deflected right to Russo in the slot.
The Fishermen seized the momentum for the next several minutes and had a few chances to tie the game, none better then junior Peter Mondello's wrist shot on a rush up the ice that was stopped by Panthers goalie Tim Birarelli with a nice glove save with 4:11 to play.
With Gloucester showing desperation and taking more chances late in the third, Beverly capitalized when Brendan Mitchell put home his third goal of the game converting a nifty feed from Andrew Irving on a 3-on-2 break to make it 5-3 Panthers with 3:42 on the lock. Two minutes later Andrew Irving delivered the dagger in the form of a goal after forcing a Fishermen turnover at his own blue line making it 6-3.
"We showed a lot of heart coming back in the third period," Lowe said. "We just couldn't do it. The effort was there it was just too much to overcome."
Beverly head coach Bob Gilligan praised his team's aggression on the final two goals.
"We didn't want to sit back and let them come to us," Gilligan said. "We were the aggressors late and we did not want to allow them to skate into our zone without any disruptions. Gloucester can wheel and they hung tough but we held our composure, played well five-on-five and we stayed with our game plan."
Beverly took a 1-0 lead in an evenly played first period on a goal from Brendan Mitchell after a rebound opportunity sat in the slot where Mitchell had the momentum to let one rip. Gloucester tied it 17 seconds into the second while on the power play on a Matt Brennan shot from the point, but it was all Panthers for the rest of the period.
Just two minutes later Connor Irving put Beverly back up 2-1 on an outstanding shorthanded goal. Irving caused Gloucester to turn the puck over in its own end and then beat Fishermen goalie Jesse Glidden with a top shelf snipe that no goalie would have stopped.
In the middle of the frame Beverly essentially put the game away with a pair of power play goals, both on deflected Nick Albano shots from the point. Matt Hamor made it 3-1 when he got in front of the net for the tip in. Two minutes later it was Mitchell that deflected the Albano shot past Glidden to make it 4-1 after one.
Beverly then put the defensive clamps on in the second as they held Gloucester to just 23 shots in the game, well below its season average.
"Beverly played good defense down low," Lowe said. "They outplayed us in the second, won a few puck battles and converted on their chances. Now we have to come back and win our next two games to get into the tournament. It's going to be tough, we just have to come out with intensity and work hard for 45 minutes."
Beverly 6 Gloucester 3
at Rockett Arena, Salem
Gloucester012—3
Beverly132—6
1st Period: B, Brendan Mitchell (Connor Irving, Matt Hamor) 11:07.
2nd Period: G, Matt Brennan (Ben Favazza) ppg :17; B, Conor Irving (un.) shg 2:18; B, Hamor (Nick Albano, Andrew Irving) ppg 7:33; B, Mitchell (Nick Albano, Connor Irving) ppg 9:20.
3rd Period: G, Alex Webb (Mike Russo) 2:44; G, Russo (Favazza, Johnny Interrante) 5:16; B, Mitchell (Andrew Irving, Connor Irving) 11:18; B, Andrew Irving (un.) 13:13.
Saves: G, Jesse Glidden 24; B, Tim Birarelli 20.
Records: B, 11-5-1; G, 6-7-5.
