WHS Sports Roundup

Boys hockey team tops Revere, 5-0; Page gets 100th point

The Winthrop High boys hockey team earned a 5-0 victory over Revere in its lone contest this past week. John Orlando, assisted by Steven Goddard and Chris Page, staked the Vikings to a 1-0 lead in the opening period.

Pat Todisco made it 2-0 in the second frame with Page recording an assist, marking the100th point of Chris’s fine career at Winthrop High. Noah Hodgkins added another lamplighter in the middle period, assisted by Sean Gillis.

The Vikings put the contest away in the final period on goals by Dylan Driscoll (from Mark Ferullo) and Zach Mills (from Alex Anzuoni).

Viking goalie Tom DiBenedetto recorded the shutout in net with 21 saves.

Winthrop now stands at 12-5 on the season and has won eight of its last nine games. The Vikings were set to  host non-league foe Concord-Carlisle yesterday (Wednesday) and will travel to Lynn Saturday evening for a 6:30 contest.

Girls basketball team wins three

The Winthrop High girls basketball team continued on its path toward a sensational season with three wins this past week,  including a pair over Northeastern Conference South Division rival Marblehead that clinched a second successive South Division crown for the Lady Vikings.

In Sunday’s contest at Marblehead, which was  a make-up of an earlier game that was snowed-out, Winthrop broke open a 31-31 deadlock after three quarters to pull away for a 49-41 triumph. Winthrop turned to its inside strength, featuring Kristen Siscamanis (six points in the fourth period) and Nina Bartlett (five points in the final frame), to make the decisive move in the victory run.

“We stepped up our defensive intensity in the fourth period and then went down low to Kristen and Nina on offense,” said WHS head coach Ignacio Oyola.

Siscamanis led the Lady Vikings with 16 points and Bartlett hit for 12. Ashelyne Babb also reached double figures with 13 points. Theresa Jones chipped in four and Nikki Tsiotis and Jen Adamson added two points apiece.

The rematch Tuesday night on Winthrop’s home floor proved to be a Lady Viking runaway after three frames. Winthrop held a 21-16 edge at the half that ballooned to a 38-20 advantage by the end of the third quarter en route to a 53-34 victory.

“We played better defense, both in our man-to-man and 2-3 zone after the half,” said Oyola of his team’s surge after the intermission. “We also rebounded very well to hold them to just one shot on each possession “

Babb and Bartlett set the scoring pace with 13 points apiece, with Ashelyne also dishing out six assists and making seven steals. Siscamanis  reached double figures with 10 points and recorded a powerful double-double with 16 rebounds.

Jones scored seven points, followed by Nikki T. with four, Maura Lanza and Adamson with two apiece, and Poli T. and Shannon Mahoney with a free throw each.

Friday evening the Lady Vikings hosted Fontbonne Academy and posted another double-digit victory, 49-36. Winthrop was in control the whole way, leading at all of the quarter poles, 18-8, 25-17, and 36-25.

Siscamanis led the way with 12 points, with Nikki T. hitting for 10. Babb added nine, Bartlett scored eight, and Adamson and Jones contributed five points apiece.

Oyola and his crew, who now stand at 16-2 overall (12-1 in the NEC), travel to Swampscott tonight (Thursday) and will play in the St. Mary’s (Lynn) Tournament during the holiday weekend, starting with a contest against Ipswich Sunday and then facing either St. Mary’s or Cardinal Spellman on Monday.

The Winthrop girls will conclude their regular season next Thursday, hosting Somerville in a match-up that will be highlighted by Senior Night festivities.

WHS girls hockey  team ties Beverly, 2-2

The Winthrop High Lady Bulldog hockey team placed its destiny for a Northeastern Hockey League title in its own hands with a 2-2 tie against Beverly Monday evening at Larsen Rink. If the Lady Bulldogs should win their two remaining NHL contests at Masconomet last night (Wednesday) and against Marblehead Saturday at Larsen, they will clinch an outright NHL title thanks to their better head-to-head record against Beverly, having defeated Beverly in their first meeting this season.

Monday’s contest with the Lady Panthers, which was a make-up of a snowed-out game earlier in the season, was worthy of the two top teams in the NHL and two of the best in the area.

“It was a fast-paced, up-and-down game,” said WHS head coach Anthony Martucci. “Both teams had plenty of scoring chances and great defense and goaltending.”

The Lady Bulldogs struck first, just a few minutes into the contest, when eighth grader Savannah Norcross stole a Beverly pass at the Lady Panther blue line and broke in alone on the Beverly goalie, cleanly beating her with a high wrist shot for a 1-0 Winthrop lead, much to the delight of the big hometown crowd.

Beverly tied matters in the second period, but Winthrop struck back when junior Caroline McKinnon sent a forwarding pass to linemate Norcross. Savannah made a nice move to go around the remaining Beverly defender and then beat the Lady Panther goalie with another top-shelf shot to reinstate the Winthrop lead.

However, Beverly knotted matters before the period ended, scoring on a scramble in front of WHS goalie Gretchen Howard (who turned in another superb performance with 24 saves) to deadlock the game at 2-2, where it remained through a scoreless third frame.

Saturday’s contest with Marblehead at Larsen will have a 6:30 face-off. The Lady Bulldogs will conclude their regular season next Wednesday when they host non-league rival Watertown at 6:10 that will feature Senior Night festivities at which the team’s four seniors, Cat Salvetti, Katie Jeter, Jessica Ford, and Ariana Dembro, will be honored for their contributions to the Lady Bulldog hockey program.

Boys hoop team defeats Innovation

The Winthrop High boys basketball team defeated Innovation Academy, 65-53, to complete a perfect 4-0 record against its Division 4 opponents this season.

Winthrop led throughout the contest, taking a seven point lead at the half and extending the margin in the third frame. Viking senior captain Cody Wasson turned in a banner performance with 27 points and 13 rebounds. Jake Chiudina reached double figures with 16 points, as did Bobby Fisher with 10.

“It was Innovation’s Senior Night, so it was an emotionally-charged game,” said WHS head coach Mike DiMarino. “But we responded very well and did what we had to do.”

Tuesday night the Vikings traveled to Marblehead and came out on the short end of a 58-31 decision. Chiudina led the way for Winthrop with 16 points. Freshman Chris Zuffante and  sophomore Matt Feeley turned in impressive performances off the bench with strong rebounding.

The Vikings will wrap-up their regular season tonight (Thursday), hosting Swampscott in a contest that will be highlighted by Senior Night festivities. Seniors Wasson, Brendan Van Dalinda, Vin Sparacino, and Adam Holden will be recognized for their contributions to the WHS boys program.

The Vikings then will await word of their seeding and first round opponent in the MIAA Division 4 North Sectional of the state tournament.

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