WHS Boys Hockey Edges Masco, Essex To Remain Undefeated and Ranked No. 1 in Division 4
The Winthrop High boys hockey team posted two more victories this past week to improve its record to a sterling 10-0-1 overall and remain in sole possession of first place in the North Division of the Northeastern Conference (NEC). The Vikings also retained their number one ranking in the MIAA’s Division 4 power ratings.
Coach Dale Dunbar and his crew made the long trek Saturday evening to the Haverhill Valley Forum to take on Masconomet, which entered the contest trailing Winthrop by just one game for the top spot in the NEC North and is ranked 12th in Division 2. The two foes have been fierce rivals in recent years and Saturday’s contest proved to be no exception, with the Vikings prevailing by a score of 4-3 in a fast-paced, up-and-down, overtime thriller.
Winthrop opened the scoring in the first period on a goal by Petey Silverman, assisted by Nick Romano and Mike Holgersen, but Masco scored twice to take a 2-1 advantage at the first horn.
The teams carried their fast and physical play into the second period. Winthrop knotted the score when assistant captain Rob Rich scored an unassisted goal, only to have Masco regain the lead five minutes later — until Phil Boncore brought the contest back to level at 3-3 just 20 seconds later when he tipped home a shot from the point by Hunter Fife.
Both teams had plenty of chances to break the deadlock in the final 15 minutes of regulation, but neither could score the go-ahead goal. That set the stage for an exciting five-minute overtime period in which teams play a free-wheeling 4-on-4 format. That also means that a penalty can be very costly because it gives a team a 4-on-3 advantage. Masco had just that opportunity to start the session, but Viking netminder Mike Donahue rose to the occasion and shut down the Chieftains.
With less than two minutes to go, Winthrop then had a power play and the Vikings capitalized in dramatic fashion with just four seconds to go. Holgersen reached the back of the Masco net, assisted by Silverman (who delivered a nice pass to his teammate), to cap a classic NEC battle. Holgersen and Silverman earned Star of the Game plaudits for their roles in the win.
This past Monday Winthrop hosted non-league opponent Essex Tech (which is ranked seventh in D-3) and skated to a 5-2 triumph in a penalty-filed affair. Silverman, assisted by Holgersen and Phil Boncore, gave Winthrop a 1-0 edge in the opening period. In the middle stanza, Rich (assisted by Aiden Survilas) and freshman Joe Pumphret (assisted by Silverman) offset a goal by Essex to leave matters at 3-1 after two periods. The Vikings upped the count to 5-1 in the third period on goals by Luke Gthinji (from Survilas) and Silverman (unassisted) before Essex scored again for the 5-2 finale.
Dunbar and his crew host NEC South rival Beverly this Saturday at Larsen for a 1:00 opening face-off. The Vikings will travel to Endicott College on Wednesday to take on NEC North foe Danvers at 8:30 in another contest with big implications for the 2024 NEC North title.
WHS Girls Hockey Tops Winchester, 3-0
The Winthrop High girls hockey team turned in what WHS head coach Anthony Martucci termed, “Probably our best game this season,” with a 3-0 victory over Middlesex League opponent Winchester last Wednesday at Larsen Rink.
“We were running on all cylinders, from the goalie out,” said Martucci. “It was our best game. Our structure, our discipline, and the unselfish play was amazing.”
The Lady Vikings received goals from Izzy Cash off a nice rebound of a Talia Martucci shot; Tegan Periera with a missle from the point on the power play; and an empty-netter by captain Sami Dimento to close it out.
“Overall, it was our most complete game of the season against a very good Middlesex League team from Winchester,” said Martucci. “Riley Towse was fantastic with an 18-save shutout. Riley is doing things at a very young age (only a sophomore) that most goalies don’t do for their career. She already is third on the program’s all time-list for wins and shutouts, behind only Summer Tallent (two-time all conference) and Gretchen Howard (the only Herald ‘Dream Team’ player in WHS history).”
This past Saturday, Winthrop earned a 2-2 tie at Northeast Hockey League (NHL) rival Beverly. “We came back to earth in this one,” said Martucci. “We were kind of one-dimensional and not playing our best team game.”
The Winthrop goals were scored by Avalina Coffey on what Martucci described as “an absolute highlight-reel beauty, an end-to-end rush, Bobby Orr-style, with a top corner finish. Just a gorgeous goal from an excellent player.”
Amelia Spencer reached the back of the Lady Panthers’ net with a beautiful backhand goal. “Amelia just kind of bull-rushed through traffic and then made a pretty finish,” said Martucci. “Spence’ can play any style necessary and it is fun to watch.
“However, in this one we just did not have our team game going,” the coach added. “There was no flow and the passing was not there — a lot of individual play and everyone trying to do it themselves. That is not us, and it is not what has made us successful. We played this way four times this season, and it resulted in two losses and two ties. Every other game we played team-first hockey, together.”
On a separate note, Martucci lauded the impressive play of the WHS boys’ team, which has skated to a 10-0-1 start. “I just want to say how impressed I am with our boys’ team,” said Martucci. “Coaches Dale (Dunbar) and Mike (Norris) are doing a tremendous job with that group and they are so fun to watch. The town needs to get behind them and come to see them play. Anyone who has not been to a game of theirs needs to get down to Larsen as soon as possible. What a team that is. The girls’ program is extremely proud of what they are doing so far this year.”
The Winthrop girls will trek to the Edge Sports Center in Bedford on Saturday evening at 8:00 to take on NHL foe Shawsheen Tech. The Lady Vikings, who are ranked 10th in Division 1, then will return home to host NHL opponent Peabody, which is ranked fifth in D-1, next Wednesday at Larsen for a 6:10 opening face-off. Winthrop, which is 6-2-2 overall and 5-2-2 in the NHL, will be seeking to avenge a 2-1 loss from three weeks ago to the Lady Tanners, who presently are in first place in the NHL with a 9-0-0 record.
WHS Girls Basketball Roars Back From Early Deficit to Top Marblehead
The Winthrop High girls basketball team got back on the winning track with a 46-38 victory over Northeastern Conference North Division rival Marblehead this past Monday at the WHS gym.
The Lady Vikings overcame a horrendous start en route to the comeback victory. The Lady Magicians came out shooting the ball at a very high percentage, draining 5-for-5 three-pointers in the first quarter and jumping out to a 24-6 lead with six minutes left in the second period.
“At this point we called our second timeout and talked about how we were going to stick to our game plan,” said WHS head coach Anthony Hatzisavas. “We needed to pick up our intensity on defense and be more aggressive on offense.”
Kaylee Farrell answered the call, scoring the first five points out of the timeout to swing the momentum in Winthrop’s favor. Kaylee’s splurge ignited an 11-0 run for the Lady Vikings that sliced the Marblehead lead to single digits, 24-17, at the intermission.
“At the half we talked about how this upcoming half can be a huge turning point for our season,” said Hatzisavas. “It was time to really step up and that’s what we did.”
Reese Brodin scored 14 of her 16 points in the second half, making aggressive drive-after-drive, finishing through contact. Grace Fleuriel dominated the inside, with 12 of her 19 points coming in the second half.
Farrell almost reached double figures, finishing with nine points. “Grace, Kaylee, and Reese really stepped for us, scoring 44 out of our 46 points,” noted Hatzisavas. “It wasn’t just their offense, but also their leadership on the defensive end. Freshman Angela Tshowa had a great game with nine rebounds and a +22 plus/ minus rating. Sophomore Bailey Ferguson and junior Sophia Lindinger also had great games, moving the ball and playing great defense.
“We are now 4-7 on the season,” Hatzisavas added. “Two of our losses have been in overtime and two have been decided by three points or less. We were just a play or two in each of those games where losses become wins. We have been stressing during our off period (the Lady Vikings had a six-day layoff in their schedule this past week) how important every play of every game matters.
“For me, the biggest takeaway of the win was the energy the bench provided and the whole team in general,” said the coach. “They answered the call at the half and I was very impressed. I truly believe this is a game we will look back on at the end of the season and notice that this turned our season around.”
The Winthrop girls entertain NEC South rival Saugus tonight (Thursday) for a 6:00 opening tip and will host Salem Saturday morning at 10:00. They will make the long trek to NEC North foe Gloucester next Tuesday.
WHS Gymnasts Nip Marblehead
The Winthrop High gymnastics team earned.a pair of victories this past week, defeating Essex Tech and Marblehead.
In the Essex Tech match, Sara Jurovich started the Vikings off on uneven bars with a score of 6.4. Eighth-grader Macy Werstak, competing in the all-around for the first time (only two athletes on any team can do all four events in a meet) scored a 6.7.
“The all-around is usually a position held by the upperclassmen,” said WHS coach Pete Gobiel, “but Macy is ready to accept the challenge.”
Senior captain Shannon Abbott took fourth place with a 6.9. Third place went to senior captain Ellie O’Donnell, scoring a 7.2.
On bars, junior Isabella Rice hit her routine, scoring a season-high 7.85. Capturing first place was sophomore Zoe Rey, who hit her bar routine with a perfect stuck dismount for a score of 7.9.
Heading to the balance beam, the first up for Winthrop was sophomore Jillian Buonopane, who hit her routine, scoring a season high of 8.1 and tying for fourth place. Ninth-grader Charlotte Zarba was up next and scored a 7.3 with a fall. O’Donnell scored an 8.0 with a fall. Rey and Werstak tied with an 8.6. The top performance of the night then was turned in by Rice, who made a strong comeback from the team’s last meet to score a 9.0.
Moving to the vault, Melissa Cash led the way with an 8.0. Abbott and Zarba tied with an 8.3, followed by Jurovich.with an 8.4.
Werstak then performed her signature, full-twisting handspring to score an 8.9 for second place. O’Donnell captured the number one spot with a season-high of 9.0.
The last event for the Vikings, the floor exercise, was led off by Rice, who scored a 7.65. Buonopane and Abbott scored a 7.3. Werstak earned a score of 8.0 for third place and Rey hit her routine for a score of 8.05. O’Donnell won the event with an 8.05.
The final tally showed Winthrop with 130.25 points to 122.9 for Essex Tech.
Winthrop next took on a strong Marblehead squad that was a two-point favorite coming into the match and which is led by senior Maeve McCilroy, who is committed to Brown.
Jurovich led off for Winthrop on bars, scoring a 6.2. Werstak hit her routine for a 7.3. Abbott tallied a 7.0, followed by O’Donnell with a 7.5. Both Rice and Rey hit their routines, scoring 8.0 and 8.25. After the first event, Marblehead held a 31.25-31.05 lead.
The balance beam started off with Buonopane hitting her routine, scoring a 7.9. Zarba was up next with a score of 7.25. Rice fell, but still scored an 8.0.
“Macy Werstak needed to stick her routine if we were going to have a chance of catching Marblehead,” said WHS coach Christa Vaccaro. “She did exactly that, scoring a season-high of 8.2.”
Rey then hit her routine, scoring her season-high of 8.55. Senior captain O’Donnell then showed why she’s a leader, hitting her best routine of the season and scoring an 8.7. However, after two events, Marblehead still held a 65.75-64.9 advantage.
Captains Abbott and O’Donnell brought the team together before the next event, the vault, and told each of their teammates exactly what they had to do to finish with a win and keep their undefeated season going.
Winthrop’s first vaulter, Zarba, stuck her second vault, scoring a 7.4. Abott and Brooklyn Banfield both stuck their handsprings, scoring 8.15. Jurovich also stuck her handspring, scoring an 8.25. After three events, the Vikings had narrowed Marblehead’s lead to a slim 98.75-98.35, which meant that the outcome of the meet would be decided with Winthrop on the floor exercise and Marblehead on the vault.
First up on floor was Buonopane, scoring a 7.35 with a mistake-free routine that got her teammates pumped up. Abbott and Werstak both stuck their routines, scoring an 8.05. Captain O’Donnell then hit her routine with an 8.6, followed by Rey with an 8.5.
When the final results were tallied, Winthrop prevailed by a score of 131.85-129.9. “That was the closest meet we’ve had in a few years,” said Gobiel. “They had to really work hard to catch up and pass such a good team.”
The Vikings, who now are 3-0 on the season, are scheduled to host Peabody tomorrow (Friday) evening and will travel to Beverly next Tuesday.
Boys Hoop to Host Gloucester Tuesday
The Winthrop High boys basketball team will host Northeastern Conference South Division rival Gloucester next Tuesday evening at 7:00. Coach Quintin Dale II and his crew are scheduled to trek to NEC South foe Saugus this evening (Thursday).