MIAA Hockey Tournament: Vikings Shut out the Competition in First-Ever Playoff at Larsen Rink

Freshman Mike Holgersen had two goals and an assist and senior goaltender Anthony Indrisano made 15 saves as the Winthrop High School hockey team defeated Rockport, 4-0, in a first-round state playoff game Saturday before a huge crowd at the Larsen Rink at the Mike Eruzione Center.

The Vikings were set to play Shawsheen Tech in a second-round, home playoff game Wednesday night.

Making his first-ever post-season appearance as a Viking, Holgersen opened the scoring with a first-period goal, assisted by Pete Silverman.

Holgersen struck again in the second period to give the Vikings a 2-0 lead. Silverman notched his second assist while Jack Hayes also assisted on the tally.

Senior captain Joey Hayes made it 3-0 with a goal in the third period, with Holgersen registering his third point of the night. Senior James Sicurella closed the show with a goal, with Silverman earning assist No. 3.

“We had a strong team-wide effort,” credited Winthrop head coach Dale Dunbar.

The Defense Rules

Anthony Indrisano kept the visiting Vikings from reaching the scoreboard with saves on some testers by the Rockport forwards.

“Anthony played very well,” said Dunbar, while also lauding senior defensemen Joe Hayes, Ari Hain, and James Sicurella for the shutout. “The senior leadership on defense was really good.  And when Anthony is focused, he’s tough to beat. This was the best game our defense played all year. They were just awesome, breaking pucks out, defending the zone. They were really, really good.”

Freshman Success

Mike Holgersen has had an All-Star caliber freshman season in the program. “Mike has played very well,” said Winthrop head coach Dale Dunbar. That first line (Mike Holgersen-Jack Hayes-Pete Silverman) has really been clicking for us.”

The second line of JD Parker, Nate Evangelista, and Phil Boncore also had a strong performance, continuing its momentum from the regular season and Boncore’s hat-trick effort versus Saugus.

Sandwich Awaits the Victor

Sandwich High School, the No. 4 seed in the division, was awaiting the winner of the Shawsheen-Winthrop Round of 16 matchup. Sandwich has defeated Abington (4-1) and Boston Latin Academy (5-2) in the tournament. Winthrop is the No. 5 seed while Shawsheen, a regional vocational school located in Billerica, is the No. 12 seed.