As Beverly’s first line jumped back onto the ice, a big hit on Danvers led to senior captain Andrew Irving swiping the puck away. He dashed down the ice while edging away a defender to his left, and swiftly snapped a one-timer past Danvers goalie Alex Taylor for the first score of the game.

If an onlooker blinked, he may have missed the entire sequence, showcasing the elements of speed, strength, and skill that contributed to Beverly’s unbeaten start.

Although the Panthers netted two more goals in the second period, the first tally was enough, thanks to the stellar play of sophomore Tim Birarelli , who registered a 30-save shutout, his fourth whitewash of the season.

“He’s been playing great for us, really standing strong in net,” said senior captain Tom Lingren of Birarelli, who allowed just five goals in the first seven games.

In their unbeaten start, Beverly recorded back-to-back shutouts against Saugus (7-0) and Peabody (6-0) in December, and a 4-1 victory after Christmas to win the Cape Ann Savings Bank Tournament.

While the Panthers have posted consecutive 16-6-1 seasons — losing to eventual Division 2 state champion Tewksbury in the semifinals two years ago and a heart-breaking 5-4 first-round overtime loss to Saugus last season — they’ve come out blazing with a different type of edge this season.

Head coach Bob Gilligan  describes his team as “pretty solid” with “some skill guys,” but notes the Panthers are still a young team with only two seniors on the roster.

Gilligan is fairly humble though, and, to be honest, “solid” may be selling Beverly short.

Quite often, a team rallies around a cause, be it a player sidelined, an ailing fan or a relative, and the result can be a special season that can change the culture.

Beverly is rallying around Gilligan, its respected 10-year coach.

Despite the program’s recent success, the Panthers’ start is nothing to scoff at, and it becomes even more impressive when one considers the plight of Gilligan, who considers himself fortunate to still be around.

Two years ago, during a routine physical, the then 57-year-old Gilligan, a self-described “life-long athlete who keeps himself in shape,” was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, a type of cancer.

“It came out of the clear blue,” he recalled, “but I ended up going through it very well. The doctors were amazed.”

Gilligan, whom Irving describes as “mentally strong, motivational, and hyper,” pushed through the disease, never missing a game all season and directing the Panthers to the state tourney.

He thought he was cured, but eight months later, he started having headaches. Upon examination, doctors discovered the cancer had returned, this time spreading into the bone marrow and spinal fluid in the back of his brain.

Gilligan was suffering from nerve damage that impaired his vision, speech, and ability to swallow.

“I have trouble tying my shoes,” explained Gilligan. “If you had seen me last year . . . what I do for a living, you’d be a little dumbfounded.”

With the very real possibility that the team would be without its head coach, the Panther captains had to prepare for the unknown.

“It’s definitely a big concern,” said junior captain Connor Irving , Andrew’s cousin. But we have a good relationship with [assistant coach] Justin [Shairs]  and the other coaches. We were confident. We know how coach Gilligan is — he never stops fighting. It was known he would try to fight through it.”

The captains were not alone in their concern. Boston Bruins assistant coach Doug Houda learned of the coach’s health, stopped in at practice, and presented Gilligan with his own Bruins’ jersey.

“My family, the community, the hockey kids, the athletic department, and the administration — the whole city and hockey people in general have been tremendous,” said Gilligan. “It’s given me something to push for when they didn’t think I was going to come out of it six months ago. I’ve been very fortunate.”

Gilligan, one of 10 children growing up, always stressed to his players how important it was to appreciate your parents, your ability to play hockey, and waking up every day.