Soucy’s hat trick helps Salem boys hockey knock off Nashua South

NASHUA – The Salem High School boys hockey team was able to get to the top of the Division I standings without its lineup at full strength.

Now that senior Cody Soucy appears to be a hundred percent, the Blue Devils might be the team to beat.

Soucy recorded a hat trick in Salem’s 6-1 win over Nashua South at Conway Arena on Monday, giving him four goals and four assists in his last three games. The win improved the Blue Devils record to 9-1, to keep them ahead of St. Thomas (8-1-1) and Londonderry (8-2) in the division.

“(Soucy) is a kid that we’ve been counting on and we’ll continue to count on, and he’s just finally hitting his stride,” Salem coach Mark McGinn said of Soucy, who missed time at the beginning of the year with an illness. “When he came back, he still, muscle-wise, he wasn’t ready. I can see the development and strength coming back.”

Brian Frazier added a goal and an assist for Salem while Kyle Nagri and Alex Svenson also scored. Chris Lemay, Alex Ring, Matthew Hayes and Paul Antowiak had two assists each.

A.J Bender and Alissa Bennett combined to stop 34 shots for the Panthers. Cameron Boisvert had the lone goal for South (1-7-2), scoring off an assist by Owen McNalty with 39.7 seconds left in the first period.

That score made it a 2-1 lead for Salem at the first intermission, and the Panthers opened the second period with a couple of opportunities to tie the game. But Salem goalie Sam MacDonald (12 saves) came up bit keep the Blue Devils in front.

“We had some shifts and some streaks where we looked good and we played hard, and then we had some shifts where guys weren’t doing the things that we’re trying to go over,” South coach Eric Momnie said. “We were going for high-tempo, bring the body and try to take them off their game. I thought in the second, we did that, but then they came out in the third, got a couple of quick ones and that just killed it.”

Salem led 3-1 going into the third, but made it a three-goal lead just 1:32 into the period on Soucy’s second goal. Svenson made it 5-1 about five minutes later when he scored from behind the South goal by putting the puck in off Bender’s skate.

“That’s part of the game,” Momnie said. “A couple bounces one way, couple bounces the other way, it’s a different game. We didn’t get the bounces.”

McGinn felt the game followed a script the Blue Devils have been playing out all season.

“It seems like, the first period, it takes us a while and then the second and third, we go, to follow on the trend of all year,” he said. “Plenty of all shots, but their goalie played really well.”

South returns to the ice Wednesday against Pinkerton, while Salem is back on the road to take on Manchester Memorial on Thursday.