Boys hockey moves into 1st place in NEC
The Winthrop High boys hockey team battled the Danvers Falcons to a 1-1 deadlock before a raucous, near-capacity crowd at Larsen Rink Saturday afternoon.
The tie maintained the Vikings’ standing atop the North Division of the Northeastern Conference with a 6-2-1 record, one point ahead of both the Falcons (5-2-2) and Gloucester (6-3-0).
Danvers took an early 1-0 lead with a power play goal, a margin that the Falcons were able to maintain, despite some heavy pressure by the Vikings, thanks to some stalwart goaltending by the Danvers netminder.
However, Winthrop finally broke through midway through the middle period when junior Mike D’Ambrosio did a semi-imitation of Bobby Orr’s Stanley Cup-winning goal (look it up kids!), breaking to the goal and finding the back of the Falcon net while going down as he chipped the puck over the Danvers goalie.
The final 15 minutes proved to be a fast and physical battle between the two NEC foes with neither team proving able to dent the other’s net. The teams went into overtime, and though the Vikings carried the play in the OT session, they could not net the game-winner. Winthrop goalie Dax Sabin made the necessary saves to preserve the tie as the junior once again turned in a strong performance between the pipes to shut down the high-flying Falcons, who had defeated Winthrop 5-1 in their first meeting in early January.
Winthrop set up the showdown with Danvers for first place with a 3-1 victory over NEC South Division foe Peabody/Saugus/Swampscott last Wednesday at Larsen.
After a scoreless first period, Winthrop broke the ice in the middle frame when senior assistant captain Tomas Babine found the back of the net, assisted by captain Paul Ferrara.
Three minutes later, junior forward Nikita Rossi made it 2-0, assisted by Tony Bordanaro, to leave matters at 2-0 after two periods.
Peabody narrowed the gap to 2-1 midway through the third period, but Viking captain Joe Pumphret scored an insurance goal when he picked off a pass and skated in for a breakaway.
Sabin turned in another solid effort in the net for the Vikings to earn the win.
This past Monday the Vikings defeated non-league opponent No. Reading, which came into the game as the 10th-ranked team in D-4, by a score of 4-2 in a fast-paced and physical battle that had the atmosphere of a playoff game.
Winthrop took a 1-0 lead in the opening period when captain Joe Pumphret broke in on the right wing and delivered a beautiful shot under the crossbar. Dom Spinale and captain Paul Ferrara earned assists.
The second period started as the first had ended with big hits and physical play by both teams, with Winthrop holding the advantage that culminated when Pumphret found the back of Hornets’ net for his second goal, assisted by Nick Romano and Spinale.
The Vikings carried their 2-0 advantage into the third period that became a 3-0 bulge when senior defenseman Tomas Babine lit the lamp off some nice passes from Nikita Rossi and Braedon Lounsbury.
However, No. Reading stormed back after pulling their goalie with five minutes to go. The Hornets scored two goals with their 6-on-5 advantage to draw within 3-2 with less than two minutes to play.
The angry wasps continued to buzz around the Winthrop net, but after a couple of outstanding and game-saving stops by Viking goalie Jim Lyman, who turned in an outstanding effort throughout the contest with numerous critical saves, junior Mike D’Ambrosio scored on the open net, assisted by Pumphret and Spinale to seal the victory.
Coach Dale Dunbar and his crew, who are 9-5-1 overall, were ranked #6 in Division 4 in the MIAA power ratings as of last Friday and were ranked #1 by Hockey Night in Boston.
The Vikings will entertain NEC rival Masconomet this Saturday, and then will journey to Dorothy Talbot Rink next Wednesday evening to meet Gloucester in what shapes up as a showdown for the 2026 NEC North title.
The Vikings dropped a 4-3 decision in overtime to the Fisherman in their first meeting in the middle of January.
WHS girls hockey clinches tourney spot; meets Beverly next Wed.
The Winthrop High girls hockey team punched their ticket for a Journey to the Tourney with a pair of victories over Northeastern Hockey League (NHL) foes Peabody/Lynnfield/No. Reading and Masconomet this past week.
This marks the 17th straight season that the Lady Viking program has qualified for the post-season MIAA Division 1 state tourney under the direction of coaches Anthony “Butch” Martucci and Chris Palmer.
In a 2-1 win over Peabody, a power play goal from captain Chloe Couture and a beautiful finish from Amelia Serino proved to be the difference on offense for the Lady Vikings,
At the other end of the ice, the stout defense of captains Avalina Coffey, Tegan Pereira, Fran Indrisano, Avery Shea, Claire Chapman, and Ava Mackenzie helped goaltender Riley Towse earn her 57th career victory, breaking the previous program record of 56 wins held by former Lady Viking standout netminder Summer Tallent.
“Captain Reese Ferrara and Angela Coscia also made some amazing plays in the final minutes to help secure the win,” noted Martucci.
“The coaching staff of head coach Chris Palmer, along with Sean Carleton and Caroline McKinnon, have got the team playing incredible, disciplined hockey,” Martucci added.
This past Saturday, the Lady Vikings broke open a 1-1 deadlock with three unanswered goals in the third period to earn a 4-1 victory over Masconomet.
WHS captain Reese Ferrara, who is the team leader in scoring and having a monster year, gave Winthrop a 1-0 lead with a power play goal in the opening period. However, Masco responded with a PPG of their own before the period ended to bring the game back to level,
After a scoreless middle period, Ferrara notched her second goal of the game that would prove to be the game-winner. Amelia Serino and Angela Coscia also lit the red lamp to provide the extra cushion for the victory.
“Amelia Serino has really found her offensive game,” said Martucci. “She is a strong skater with great size and speed. She has a heavy shot, and is just so tough to defend.
“Angela Coscia is a superb puck-handler who has high-end offensive talent. She is a goal scorer,” Martucci added.
Towse earned the win in net to add to her new program record of 58 career victories.
The Lady Vikings (8-2-3 overall and 7-1-1 in the NHL) are off until this Saturday when they will play non-league opponent Boston Latin at Murphy Rink in South Boston at 5:00. They will trek to Salem State College Sunday morning to take on NHL rival Marblehead at 10:30.
That should set the stage for a showdown for first-place in the NHL with Beverly next Wednesday evening at Ray Bourque Arena at Endicott College at 7:30.
Beverly presently leads the Lady Vikings by a point in the NHL standings. Winthrop edged the Lady Panthers, 2-1, in the teams’ first meeting in mid-January. Winthrop is ranked 23rd in the MIAA’s Division 1 power ratings and Beverly is ranked 17th.
Big win for WHS gymnastics over Beverly
The Winthrop High School gymnastics team earned a big victory this past Saturday afternoon, knocking off a Beverly squad that features one of the top gymnasts in the state by a score of 135.00-133.90.
“Both teams came into the meet scoring around the same throughout the season, with Beverly having a slight advantage,” said WHS head coach Pete Gobiel. “Beverly also has Carli Moran, one of the best gymnasts in Massachusetts, who just recently beat Beverly’s all-around record, averaging over 9.7 on all four events.”
Winthrop started out on the uneven bars with 8th grader Alena Capasso scoring a 6.9. Lily Bayersdorfer went up next and completed her routine for a 7.3. Gaby Ilie hit her best routine of the season, taking fourth place at a 7.9. Callie Anderson hit her bar routine, scoring a 7.5
“But the unsung hero of the uneven bars for us had to be 7th grader Alara Kipley,” said WHS coach Christa Vacarro. “Alara scored an impressive 8.1 for third place, her highest score this season.”
Captain Zoe Rey hit her routine for a score of 8.6 to take second place. First place went to Beverly’s Moran, who scored a 9.7 with what Gobiel called, “Definitely the best bar routine I’ve seen all year.”
The balance beam was next for Winthrop. “In our meet two days before at Marblehead, everyone fell or had a major break,” said Vacarro. “They had to redeem themselves against Beverly.
First up again was Capasso, who stayed on the beam for a season high of 8.3. “When the rest of the team saw Alena’s performance, they didn’t want to be the first to fall,” said Vaccaro. “The pressure was on.”
Charlotte Zarba hit her routine without falling, but did her dismount with one foot and fell, scoring a 7.8. Gaby Ilie definitely felt the pressure, but that didn’t stop her from hitting her routine for a personal record of 8.7 to take third place. Callie Anderson stayed on the beam, scoring an 8.0. Macy Werstak hit her routine, scoring a season-high of 8.6. Capt. Zoe Rey turned in the performance of the season on beam to take second place with a personal record score of 9.0. First place went to Moran with another 9.7.
Vault started off with 9th grader Riya Koemdzhiev hitting her handspring for a score of 8.1. Charlotte Zarba followed with an 8.0. Lily Bayersdorfer, adding a half twist to her handspring, scored an 8.4. Gaby Ilie performed her half-on, half-off routine and hit her season high of 8.6, tying Rey. Macy Werstak hit her full twisting-handspring, scoring an 8.9 for second place behind Beverly’s Moran who once again scored a 9.7.
Heading into the last event, Winthrop had a slight lead, but had to be mistake-free to overcome Moran’s 9.7 floor routine. Alara Kipley led the way, hitting her new tumbling passes, to score an 8.0. Bayersdorfer and Ilie tied with a 7.7. Anderson, who for the first time this season added two new advanced tumbling passes, hit her routine for an 8.8. Werstak, who was nursing a sore ankle, but who didn’t let that stop her, hit her routine, scoring an 8.9. Rey was last up in the competition, needing a flawless routine to seal the win for the Vikings and Zoe did just that, scoring a season high of 9.0.
“I expect the seniors to hit routines in big meets — that’s what we train for,” said Gobiel. “But for our underclassmen to put up mistake-free routines, one after another, while watching Carli (Moran) do some amazing gymnastics, is a credit to them. They won the meet for Winthrop.”
Boys basketball ranked #25 by MIAA in D-4; Senior Night Friday
The Winthrop High boys basketball team, which is ranked 25th in Division 4 in the MIAA’s power ratings, will host Northeastern (NEC) Dunn Division rival Salem tomorrow (Friday) evening. The opening tip-off is set for 7:00.
The evening will be highlighted by Senior Night festivities at which the members of the Class of 2026 will be recognized for their contributions to the Viking boys basketball program.
The Witches should prove to be a formidable rival. Salem is ranked #2 in Division 3 with a 12-1 record and is in first place in the NEC’s Dunn (North) Division with a 9-0 record.
Vikings stood at 4-9 overall (1-8 in the NEC) at the start of this week after dropping contests to NEC Lynch (South) Divison foes Swampscott and Saugus last week.
Coach Quinton Dale and his crew will make the long bus rides to NEC foes Gloucester next Monday and Beverly next Wednesday.