We had the honor of being present for the Winthrop High School boys hockey banquet Sunday at the Winthrop Yacht Club — and what an awards program it was. The Viking Hockey Boosters truly rolled out the red carpet for not only the current Northeastern Conference championship team, but all the alumni and friends who were there for the 50th anniversary of the founding of the WHS hockey program. Coach Dale Dunbar, a former Viking hockey star himself before going on to play at BU and in the National Hockey League, thanked Viking Hockey Boosters Patty DiBenedetto, Susan Griffiths, Mary Gillis, Karen Brogan, Phil Todisco, and Denise Todisco for raising funds and organizing such a wonderful banquet for the varsity and JV hockey teams.
It was great to hear former Viking star Steve Goddard, who was voted one of the best defensemen in Massachusetts, reminisce about the 1976 Division 1 state champion team that went 26-0-1.
We love the director/locker room chairs that were presented at the banquet to each senior and all the tremendous awards that make our hockey program so special. The Boosters deserve a big “Thank you” for making it all happen.
And we’re pleased to announce that coach Dale Dunbar, who has led the program to three NEC titles, will be back to coach the team next season. Winthrop has maintained its status as one of the premier programs on the North Shore under Dale’s reign.
Winthrop is a hockey town — Mike Eruzione put us all on the map in 1980 — and Dale Dunbar continues to lead the WHS program to lofty heights.