WHS girls hockey opens with 3-1 win over Beverly
The Winthrop High girls hokey team opened its season on a winning note with a 3-1 victory over Beverly, one of the Lady Vikings’ chief rivals in the Northeast Hockey League, last Saturday afternoon at Larsen Rink.
Mia Martucci earned the distinction of scoring the first goal of the season for Winthrop, assisted by Julia and Emma Holmes, to give the Lady Vikings a 1-0 lead in the opening period.
Julia Holmes, assisted by Olivia Driscoll, reached the back of the Belmont net on a power play in the middle stanza and Sami DiMento added an extra insurance goal in the final period, assisted by Lily Tallent.
The visiting Lady Panthers broke up WHS goalie Summer Tallent’s shutout bid with a goal in the final 40 seconds when Beverly pulled its goalie for an extra skater.
Tallent was immense in the Winthrop net, turning aside 39 Medford shots on goal.
“It was a good game, all-around,” said WHS head coach Anthony Martucci. “Believe it or not, Beverly had more shots, though a lot were from the perimeter. Plus, we took a few penalties and that did not help.
“Summer Tallent was incredible, stopping 39 shots,” added Martucci. “Many of those shots were from the outside, but still, there were some beautiful saves just the same. Summer is one of the top goalies in the state, and she is only a sophomore.”
Winthrop exhibited its depth, playing all four of the teams’ four forward lines: Mia Norris-Olivia Driscoll-Syd Mignosa; Julia Holmes-Emma Holmes-Mia Martucci; Jenna Lindinger-Jenna Dorr-Maddie Deeran; and Lily Tallent-Hannah Parker-Sami DiMento.
All four of the Lady Viking defensive tandems, Elle English-Fallon Hurley; Abby Holmes-Antea Schlicting; Brooke Costin-Amelia Spencer; and Casey Petersen-Adrianna Rizzotto, also saw action and played well.
“Our defense is pretty much all-new this year after the departure of a ton of great senior leaders,” noted Martucci. “They played excellently.”
Looking ahead to the coming season, Martucci expressed optimism about his young team.
“We are very young this year, but are looking forward to a great season,” said the coach. “This is one of the most intelligent teams I have ever had, as we have a very unique distinction. We have all four Winthrop High class presidents on our team. Senior class president Ryan Parker, junior class president Jenna Dorr, sophomore class president Mia Martucci, and freshman class president Mia Norris.”
Winthrop will be led by four captains, seniors Olivia Driscoll and Sydney Mignosa and sophomores Summer Tallent and Mia Martucci.
“Olivia Driscoll is a great, all-around person,” said Martucci. “Not only does she lead on the ice, but she is a leader in the classroom and in her everyday life.
“Sydney Mignosa is an absolute beast,” continued the coach. “She is so strong, and knows how to lead as she also served in the captain’s role for the soccer team.
“Summer Tallent is one of the top goalies in the state, but it is her work ethic and drive that make her a leader-by-example,” Martucci added. “Mia Martucci is the one that I can always count on to be there; she is so dedicated and loyal to this program. She has a huge passion to win. We will lean on all four of our captains all season long.”
The Lady Vikings once again will play in the NHL with fellow league members Peabody, Masconomet, Marblehead, Medford, and Beverly.
“We hope to reach the three goals we set as a team every season: Win our conference, make the state tourney, and play at the TD Garden for the state championship,” said the coach.
Martucci and his crew were scheduled to host Medford last night (Wednesday) at Larsen and will trek to the Salem State University rink on Saturday to meet Marblehead.
“These are two more league games that we need to win in order to stay in line to win the conference,” Martucci added.
Viking skaters take on Mansfield Saturday
The Winthrop High boys hockey team is seeking its first victory of the season this week after tying non-league rival Dedham, 1-1, in the season opener last Wednesday and then dropping a 4-1 decision to Northeastern Conference North Division rival Beverly this past Saturday.
The Vikings’ rivals in the NEC North for the 2020 campaign are Beverly, Marblehead, Danvers, and Gloucester. There are four teams in the NEC South: Lynn, Peabody, Saugus, and Swampscott.
Coach Dale Dunbar and his crew were scheduled to play at Lynn last night (Wednesday) and will travel to the Foxboro Sports Center on Saturday to face Mansfield.
The Vikings will return home to host non-league foe Oliver Ames next Thursday at 1:30 at Larsen Rink.