Trinity boys hockey survives against Salem to win D1 semifinal

MANCHESTER - It was a wild contest in the Division I boys hockey semifinal at JFK Coliseum, and it was fifth-seeded Trinity High School escaping the chaos and defeating No. 9 Salem 4-3 to advance to its first state title game since 2011.

The Pioneers came back from an early 1-0 deficit to secure the victory. The win was Trinity’s eighth in a row.

“When you get to this building both games are usually pretty tight,” Trinity coach Mike Connell said. “Salem’s a good team, well-coached. Not a team that anybody would be taking lightly. I thought our guys did a good job of focusing on the task at hand.”

The game was an intense, emotional affair, with the teams combining to rack up 24 penalty minutes.

Trinity (14-5-1) found ways through the haze when it needed to to get the victory. A massive goal from Ryan Glass with 20 seconds left in the second period in a scrum in front of the Salem net gave the Pioneers a 3-2 lead.

Senior James Kosiarski poked home a rebound just under three minutes into the third to give Trinity all the insurance it would need. The captain also assisted on Glass’ goal.

“I was looking for the faceoff to go back for a shot up top so I could get in front and pick up the garbage,” Kosiarski said of his goal. “Luckily it squeaked through. All instinct from there.”

The Blue Devils (10-10-1) jumped ahead just 2:44 into the game when sophomore Ryan Pappalardo wristed home a power play goal. Trinity responded with a pair in the back half of the period by freshman Jack Hutchins and sophomore Anthony DiZillo.

Salem outshot Trinity 17-4 in the first period but junior keeper Ryan Brewitt stood tall for the Pioneers. He would finish with 32 saves.

“He has done a fantastic job for us all year,” Connell said of Brewitt. “Right from the get-go, you could tell his confidence was starting to grow. Over the last 10, 12 games I think he’s not only become a starter, but he believes he is a starter. Believing is a powerful thing, and that’s what’s going on in the locker room.”

The game was marked by a dozen power plays with five coming in the third period alone. While Salem killed an extended five-on-three, it was Trinity’s penalty kill on a Glass penalty with under four minutes left that shined brightest.

The Pioneers also didn’t let the Blue Devils get many quality chances when they pulled the goalie for an extra skater in the final minute.

“They’re power play is very good,” Connell said. “I thought we did a good job of staying focused on what we were supposed to do. We got lucky in a few places (Wednesday) where the puck bounced our way, but I thought the guys did a great job of staying focus.”

Ryan Martin and Austin Salvetti each finished with a goal and an assist for the Blue Devils.

The win sends Trinity to just its sixth state title game in program history, as the Pioneers will play Bedford at SNHU Arena on Saturday. Trinity beat the Bulldogs 5-4 back on Feb. 16.