WHS sports roundup
Vikings wins pair; ranked #4 in Div. 2
Senior captain Sam Yarrow scored a goal with 27 seconds to play to give the Winthrop High hockey team a dramatic 2-1 victory over Bishop Fenwick last Thursday at Larsen Rink.
Prior to Yarrow’s heroics, the two squads had battled to a 1-1 deadlock through the first 44:33 of the contest. The Vikings took an early lead on a goal by Andrew DiMento, assisted by Noah Evangelista and Yarrow, in the opening period.
After a scoreless middle frame, the Bishops finally broke through the Winthrop defense and goalie Ryan Skocyzlas (a superb 25 saves on the night) in the third period to bring the contest back to level at 1-1.
That set the stage for Yarrow, who broke down the wing after taking a nice pass from fellow captain Chris Finn, to reach the back of the Bishops’ net for the game-winner (Sam’s 11th goal of the season) against a Fenwick team that is a Division 1, non-league opponent.
Two days later the Vikings hosted long-time Northeastern Conference foe Saugus and skated to a 3-1 triumph in similar fashion.
Winthrop once again seized the initiative, grabbing a 1-0 in the first period on a goal by Corey Cherico, assisted by Yarrow and Joey Holgersen, only to see Saugus knot matters with a lamp-lighter in the second period to leave matters at 1-1 entering the final 15 minutes of play.
However, this victory would not prove to be quite as dramatic as the Fenwick triumph. Freshman JD Parker scored an unassisted goal and assistant captain Luke Evangelista, assisted by Finn (his seventh assist, tied for second-best on the team) and Yarrow (a team-high 14 assists), gave the Vikings some insurance with his team-high 15th goal of the season.
The Winthrop D and netminder Skocyzlas (23 saves) once again were solid in the manner of a typical Viking squad that has been a trademark of Winthrop High hockey under head coach Dale Dunbar, a former star defenseman at WHS, Boston University, and the NHL.
The victory over Saugus (which was beaten 5-0 by Fenwick this past Monday) propelled the Vikings (9-3 overall, 5-1 in the NEC North Division) into sole obsession of first place in the NEC North and into the fourth spot in the Division 2 rankings on Hockey Night in Boston.
Dunbar and his crew, who need just two points to qualify for the state tourney, have three NEC North contests this coming week, starting at Peabody last night (Wednesday). The Vikings will host Medford Saturday afternoon at Larsen at 1:30 and then will trek to Salem State College next Wednesday evening to take on Marblehead (ranked #7 in D-2) in a battle that could determine the NEC North championship.
WHS girls hockey defeats Medford, 2-1
The Winthrop High girls hockey team kept alive its hopes for a league title and moved one step closer to qualifying for a berth in the post-season state tourney with a 2-1 victory over Medford Wednesday evening at Larsen Rink.
The win was a come-from-behind effort for the Lady Vikings, who found themselves trailing 1-0 after the first period thanks to five penalties that produced the Medford goal on a power play.
Emma Carleton brought Winthrop back to level in the second period on a nice shot, assisted by Bella Perotti, to leave matters even-steven at 1-1 entering the final 15 minutes.
The third period proved to be a hard-fought battle, but neither team was able to break the deadlock until, with just under five minutes to play, Olivia Driscoll scored the eventual game-winner, assisted by Carleton.
“That whole line (Carleton, Driscoll, and Mia Martucci) has been big for us all year, but that goal was huge,” said WHS head coach Anthony Martucci. “It bailed us out when we needed it most.â€
However, Martucci and Lady Vikings fans still had to undergo some tense moments down the stretch when a Winthrop penalty gave Medford a power play, which then became a 6-on-4 advantage when the Lady Mustangs pulled their goalie.
Although Medford had some chances, the Lady Viking defense and goalie Summer Tallent held firm to preserve the victory.
“Summer was unreal again,” noted Martucci. “She has been all-world for us this whole season. If Summer can continue to play like she has, she gives us a chance to win every game we play, and we can do some damage should we get into the state tourney.â€
Martucci also lauded the play of captain Emma Carleton as a huge reason why this team has been able to win key games.
“Emma has a way of raising her level of play with the importance of the game in front of her,” said the coach. “She is just the type of kid that has ice in her veins. The bigger the game, the better she plays. She treats every game like it was the season-opener. Big moments are nothing to her. She finds a way to get it done, and carry the team.”
Martucci also mentioned the play of Carleton’s linemate, Olivia Driscoll.
“Olivia has become a go-to player for this team,” added Martucci. “She has played in all situations, and can be counted on in all of them.”
The Lady Vikings now stand at 8-3 on the season and, with seven games left to play, they are just one victory (or two ties) shy of qualifying for the state tourney, which requires a .500 record.
Martucci and his crew were set to meet Beverly last night (Wednesday). The Lady Vikings then will take on two non-league rivals in the coming week, traveling to St. Mary’s of Lynn on Saturday for the teams’ annual battle and hosting Belmont on Monday evening at 6:00.
WHS girls track strolls past Salem, 69-15
The Winthrop High girls indoor track & field team cruised to a 69-15 victory over Salem in their meet last Tuesday that was held at the Revere High field house..
The Lady Vikings took first place in eight of the nine individual events: Olivia Brandi-Miller, who was a double-winner in the high jump with a leap of 4′-4″ and in the 300 dash in 56.2 seconds; Marykate Pote with a shot put toss of 30′-2″; Daniella Zanelli in the hurdles in a time of 8.4; Nora McCaffrey in the 600 in 2:05.5; Devon Barry in the 1000 in 4:12.7; Camilla Miranda-Llovera in the mile in 5:54; and Anyra Silva in the two-mile in 14:38.
Earning three points for the Winthrop side of the scoresheet with second-place finishes were: Sydney Crotty with a high jump of 4′-2″ Clare Nargi in the hurdles in 8.7; Charley DeAngelo in the 300 in 58.2; Catherine Zuffante in the 1000 in 4:15.1; Isabel Skomro in the mile in 7:38; and Adrianna Hester in the two-mile in 16:47.
Adding single points with third-place efforts were: Crotty in the hurdles in 9.5; Alexandra Gibbons in the dash in 7.6; Anallese Bruno in the 300 in 58.4; Kat Thano in the 600 in 2:13.9; Mary Teixiera in the mile in 7:31.8; and Gianna Doherty in the two-mile in 17:17.
The Lady Viking 4 x 400 relay quartet defeated their Salem counterparts handily by 24 seconds with a clocking of 4:40 to Salem’s 5:04.
The Winthrop girls were scheduled to take on Lynn Classical yesterday (Wednesday) at Revere.
Hubert, MacPhail win for boys vs. Salem
Bobby Hubert and Cormac MacPhail grabbed first place in their individual events for the Winthrop High boys indoor track & field team in the Vikings’ meet with Salem last Tuesday that was held at the Revere High field house.
Hubert sprinted to victory in the 50 yard dash in a time of 5.9 seconds. Cormac captured top spot in the 1000 meter run with a clocking of 3:03.2.
Ryan Khoury earned three points for the Vikings with his second-place performance in the 300 meter dash in 42.5 and Matt Skoboleff likewise scored three points for his second-place effort in the 600 dash in 1:45.7.
Adding single points to the Winthrop tally with third-place finishes were: Ryan Buccini in the 300 in 45.7; Ryan Cash in the mile in 6:34.9; and Michelangelo Marcoccio in the two-mile run in 13:50.
The Vikings were scheduled to meet Lynn Classical yesterday (Wednesday) at Revere.
Girls basketball battle fiercely against Everett
Although the Winthrop High girls basketball team came out on the short end of a 54-49 decision this past Friday to Everett at the WHS gym, the Lady Vikings once again displayed the sort of resilient, never-say-die attitude that has been their trademark this season.
The visiting Lady Crimson Tide led at all the junctures, 13-12, 27-23, and 42-35, but could not shake the Lady Vikings, who made a comeback in the closing minutes that turned the contest into a one-possession game down the stretch.
Maura Dorr and Lily Pulsifer paced Winthrop in the opening period, scoring five points apiece. However, poor Winthrop free-throw shooting (1-for-4 in the second period, five misses in the third) allowed Everett to expand its margin to seven after three frames.
Undaunted, the Lady Vikings continued to play hard and started their comeback, led by Dorr (who hit for nine points in the final period), and eventually drew within three points, 52-49, with possession of the ball and a baseline inbound under the Everett basket with eight seconds to play.
However, a Lady Crimson Tide defender made a fine play on the inbounds pass and tipped the the ball to a teammate. Winthrop hastily committed the foul, but the Everett shooter sank both free throws to seal the contest.
“I was proud of the girls,” said WHS head coach Rick Pulsifer. “They played hard and never gave up. “
The difference in the contest was evident from the free throw statistics. Everett shot 85% from the line and hit 7-of-8 attempts from the charity stripe in the fourth quarter, while Winthrop managed to sink just 35% of its attempts on the night.
“Despite our poor free throw shooting, we were still right there and had a chance in the end, and that’s all you can ask for,” noted Pulsifer. “It took Everett’s best performance of the season to get the win and break our three-game home win streak.”
Dorr led the Lady Vikings in the scoring department with a superb effort, pouring in 25 points. Emma Turner and Grace Galuris struck for eight points apiece and Lily Pulsifer added six.
Pulsifer and his crew have a busy week ahead with four games in eight days. They were set to take on Revere this past Tuesday and will play at non-league rival Lynnfield this evening (Thursday). They will host Malden tomorrow (Friday) evening at 7:00 and will trek to Marblehead next Tuesday.
WHS junior varsity girls play well vs. Everett
After a slow start, the Winthrop High junior varsity girls basketball team turned in an overall fine effort against Everett, though eventually coming up short by a score of 35-27.
The Lady Vikings’ offense started slowly and found themselves trailing, 8-4, after the first period. However, the Winthrop squad picked up the pace in the next eight minutes, scoring 10 points to leave the floor at the half trailing by three, 17-14.
Everett increased its advantage to 25-17 after three frames and maintained that margin over the final period for the 35-27 finale.
Molina Bell led Winthrop with seven points. MacKenzie Acevedo and Emma Forsyth hit for six points apiece.
Winthrop’s Boyajian laces up skates to fight cancer on Feb. 2
Winthrop resident Rich Boyajian, will be among the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute doctors, researchers, and staff who will play a charity hockey game against Boston Bruins Alumni to benefit adult and pediatric cancer care and research at Dana-Farber. The 5th annual Dana-Farber Rink Rats game will be held Saturday, February 2 from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. at Warrior Ice Arena in Boston.
Boyajian is a Director of Virtual PSA Monitoring Program at Dana-Farber and has committed to raise $1,200 to play in the Feb. 2 game. The event is open to the public. Game tickets for spectators are $20 for adults and $10 for children (10 and under) and are available online at JimmyFund.org/RinkRats and at the door.
The event is sponsored by The Donald C. McGraw Foundation, SFJ Pharmaceuticals, and Pure Hockey.
Parking is available. To support a player or for more information, please visit www.jimmyfund.org/rinkrats.
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Dana-Farber sits at the center of a wide range of collaborative efforts to reduce the burden of cancer through scientific inquiry, clinical care, education, community engagement, and advocacy. Dana-Farber/Brigham and Women’s Cancer Center provides the latest in cancer care for adults, Dana-Farber/Boston Children’s Cancer and Blood Disorders Center for children. The Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center unites the cancer research efforts of five Harvard academic medical centers and two graduate schools, while Dana-Farber Community Cancer Care provides high quality cancer treatment in communities outside Boston’s Longwood Medical Area.
Winthrop girls basketball team falls to Revere High, 36-27
The Winthrop High girls basketball team failed to sustain a consistent offensive attack and fell to Revere High, 36-27, Tuesday night at the Roland Merullo Fieldhouse.
Winthrop had four single-digit quarters (three 7s and a ‘6’) and as legendary Viking coach Ron Spinney will tell you, that type of point production will not win many basketball games.
The Winthrop defense was effective, especially improving sophomore point guard Carolyn Kinsella, who helped limit Revere’s leading scorer, Erika Cheever, to nine points. Kinsella had seven points and three assists while delivering the basketball to teammates for good scoring opportunities.
Winthrop trailed 23-21 after three quarters, but Revere went on an 8-1 run to open the fourth quarter. A basket by Kinsella and a three-pointer by Pulsifer closed the margin to 34-27 but Revere’s Katie O’Donnell sealed the victory with a basket in the final minute. Revere freshman Skyla DeSimone led all scorers with 11 points.
Caroline Earl led Winthrop with eight points. Pulsifer had two three-pointers for six points. Maura Dorr netted four points while Emma Turner had one basket for two points.
Winthrop coach Rick Pulsifer said the Vikings’ offense was “sluggish†in the cavernous Revere gym that has vast open space behind each basket and thus hamper long-range attempts.
“The offense was a little sluggish, but I thought both teams really played hard defense,†said Pulsifer. “We got some looks, but a couple of baskets didn’t drop, and it came down to free throws. Revere made theirs and we struggled from the line.â€
Winthrop has a 5-5 record at the halfway point in the season. The Vikings have a key game against Lynnfield Thursday. Lynnfield is a Division 3 opponent and the Lady Vikings can qualify for the State Tournament (via the Sullivan Rule) by winning two of their three games against Lynnfield (2) and Austin Prep (1).
“But I’m still betting on these girls that we’re going to have a record over .500 and get in to the playoffs that way,†said Pulsifer.