The Winthrop High School girls hockey banquet is a one-of-a-kind event.
Coach Butch Martucci, his staff, and the parents go all out to make it a celebration to remember. And as he reminds guests every year, he couldn’t bring it all together without the assistance of his wife, former soccer star Tracey Gigliello Martucci.
The banquet is held at the Cottage Park Yacht Club with the players gathered up front for the awards program and the parents enjoying the scene from their seating area in the large function room. Of course there are speeches from the personable Mr. Martucci and his coaches.
Another item we love about the banquet is that Coach Martucci names his major individual awards after the NHL Awards: Hart (MVP), Norris (Defensive Player of the Year), Ross (Most Points), Calder (Rookie), and Lady Byng (Sportsmanship). Anything that conjures up memories of the great Bobby Orr is a good thing.
Butch Martucci informed the Sun-Transcript during the season that his team had an accomplishment that was likely unprecedented in Winthrop High sports history: Four members of the 2019-20 Winthrop High School girls hockey team – Ryan Parker, Jenna Dorr, Mia Martucci, and Mia Norris were also reigning presidents of their respective classes.
The Transcript hoped to report on the banquet, but due to the COVID-19, the celebration was canceled and there was a virtual ceremony.
Undaunted, we reached out to the four Winthrop High student leaders (Ryan Parker graduated as the Class of 2020 president – a title she will hold forever as she plans class reunions and other gatherings – and is now a freshman at Quinnipiac University in Connecticut.) In an interesting side note about Ryan Parker, courtesy of Mr. Martucci, she shares the same first name as her uncle, Ryan Gaughan, “who was a super athlete at Winthrop High School. He was my teammate on the 1992 Super Bowl team and also a member of the 1993 Super Bowl team.â€
Following are the four student-athletes’ responses to our questions, along with comments about each player from Coach Butch Martucci:
Ryan Parker
Class of 2020 President
For how many years did you serve as a class president at Winthrop High School?
I served as class president for two years.
Did you see yourself as a leader and role model for the other players on the team and your siblings?
I never really thought of myself as a leader, but I have always wanted to help my friends and set a good example for my younger siblings. I have always seen my parents volunteering to help the community, and tried to follow in their footsteps. It never really felt like I was a leader, so much as I was simply helping out where I could. My siblings have also picked up on this, as my brother holds a position on the student council executive board, and my sister was just elected to be the freshman class president.
Do other members of your family play ice hockey?
Yes, my dad has always loved playing hockey, which he instilled in my siblings and me from a young age. We have all played at some point, and loved it.
When did you begin your hockey career in Winthrop and who were your youth hockey coaches?
I began playing hockey when I was eight, with Coaches Sean Carleton and Chris Palmer. I stopped playing when I was 14, but missed it so much that I came back to the team senior year of high school with Coach Butch.
What do you want to say about the leadership and dedication of the Winthrop High girls hockey coaches?
The Winthrop High School girls hockey coaches are all very supportive and dedicated to the team. They made the season so enjoyable, and really motivated everyone to push themselves to work hard and find success. Since they have coached many of the girls since youth hockey, the team really feels like a family.
How is your college academic career going at Quinnipiac? Are you on campus, attending in-person classes, or learning remotely? Have you decided on your field of study?
I am loving my experience at Quinnipiac so far. I have chosen to pursue a job as a Physician’s Assistant, and am enrolled in a 6-year Dual-Degree Masters in Physician Assistant (PA) program, and love my classes so far. We are currently on cam-pus, and attending hybrid classes, where the class rotates through in-person and online classes.
If there is a high school hockey season this winter, do you hope to attend some of your former Win-throp High teammates’ games?
If there is a high school hockey season this winter, I will be so excited to attend games. Throughout the pandemic, hockey games are one of the things that I miss the most. I am so excited to be able to watch my brother and sister play again soon.
Have you viewed any of the movies about the 1980 gold medal-winning USA hockey team captained by Mike Eruzione of Winthrop?
Yes, “Miracle” is one of my favorite movies. My family always watches it and loves to hear the inspirational story of the 1980 team. It was so interesting to come to college and see how influential this team is to the whole country, and how famous the story truly is.
Do you hope to coach hockey in the future?
I’m not sure if I would have the skills to coach in the future, but I would love to continue watching hockey, and supporting the Winthrop High School teams. I love watching hockey and hope it is always a part of my life.
Coach Martucci’s Comments
“As you can see by her responses. Ryan is a class act through and through. She joined our team as the backup goalie, because we did not have one. She improved so much at this position (one that she never played before, she was a forward in her youth hockey days) that she became a very serviceable player for us both in practice and a few games. I was so happy to have her on the team because I have known her family a long time, and I knew how great of a character person she would be for our locker room. She was more than I could have asked for in the role that she played on our team, and I am happy that I got the chance to coach her.â€
Jenna Dorr
Class of 2021 President
For how many years have you served as class president?
I have served as class president for the past 3 years and currently serving this year as senior president.
Do you enjoy participating in student government and planning class activities?
I love being able to host fun events and raise money for the future of our class. Although it is hard to do those things virtually, right now we are just trying to focus on keeping up the moral of students.
Is being a school leader important to you?
I take pride in being president and representing my class.
Have you performed community service in Winthrop in the past?
I have participated in community service through the Winthrop Chamber of Commerce, 21st century, and the Winthrop Town Hall.
When did you begin your hockey career?
Who were your youth hockey coaches?
I have been playing hockey for as long as I can remember, starting with learn-to-skate at age 4. Throughout all of my years playing youth hockey I’ve had the honor to have Butch as my coach.
Do you compete in other sports at Winthrop High School?
Yes, soccer and lacrosse.
What do you want to say about the leadership and dedication of the Winthrop High girls hockey head coach and the assistant coaches?
All of our coaching and staff on the girls hockey team are great leaders, each leading in their own unique ways. It is very motivating, and much needed to make our team the best we can be.
How are you preparing for the upcoming season? Have you been skating regularly and doing off-season conditioning?
Before hockey was shut down, we were able to play and practice once a week. I have been working out and going to the gym on my own time staying in shape for our upcoming season.
Are you hopeful that there can be a girls hockey season and that it can be conducted safely during the coronavirus pandemic?
Hockey is not a high-risk sport and can easily be played with face masks. With the correct precautions taken I think we should be able to have a season.
Do other members of your family play ice hockey or other sports?
My brother sister and I have all grown up playing hockey. My brother Kevin just graduated and played on the boys team and my sister Maura plays basketball on the high school team.
Who is your favorite female college, Olympic, or professional athlete?
I’ve always loved watching Alex Morgan play soccer and been inspired by her.
Have you viewed any of the major movies about the 1980 gold-medal winning USA Olympic team that was captained by Mike Eruzione?
Mike Eruzione has always been a great leader, as shown through the movie Miracle. He still is an inspiration to many and a great role model for young aspiring hockey players. He has given so much back to the Winthrop Youth Hockey program and it is very appreciated.
Coach Butch Martucci’s Comments
“Jenna is a player that I have coached since she was a little kid, and was lucky enough to have her on two of my youth hockey state championship teams as a U-10, and U-14 player. Jenna is a true leader and a class act. She was voted captain of the girls soccer team this year, and will wear a leadership letter for us at some point this season as well. She is an all-around fantastic stu-dent athlete. She is incredible as a defender in both soccer and lacrosse, and has been a great contributor up front at forward for us the last two seasons. Jenna is a very hard working player,she is extremely coachable, and an awesome teammate. I am so happy that I have been able to coach her for so long, and I cannot wait to be her coach for this final season.â€
Mia Martucci
Class of 2022 President
How many years have you served as class president?
I am going on my third year as the president of my class and hope to continue for my senior year as well.
Do you enjoy participating in student government and planning class activities?
Student government is one of my favorite things and I enjoy planning class activities very much!
Is being a school leader important to you?
Being a student leader is extremely important to me, being able to be there for the people of my school is something I love.
Have you performed community service in Winthrop in the past?
Mia’s Lemonade Stand: All proceeds are donated to the children’s hospital. This annual event has raised more than $40,000. I also run a toy drive every Christmas and give the bags to Children’s Hospital so the kids that have to stay at the hospital can get gifts from their parents through the toys donated to the hospital.
When did you begin your hockey career? Who were your youth hockey coaches?
I began my hockey career at a very young age. My father [Butch Martucci] has been my coach and my role model all the way up from U-10s all the way up to high school.
Do you compete in other sports at Winthrop High School?
Yes. I also play lacrosse and soccer along with hockey at Winthrop High school.
What do you want to say about the leadership and dedication of the Winthrop High girls hockey head coach and assistant coaches?
Our head coach puts his heart and souls into our team along with our assistant coaches. Each one of them is truly the best and very dedicated to our team.
How are you preparing for the upcoming season? Have you been skating regularly and doing off-season conditioning?
Right now I am overall just praying that we can have a season due to the pandemic, the girls and I have been skating mostly every Friday and doing other things such as Speed Kills Training and more.
Are you hopeful that there can be a girls hockey season and that it can be conducted safely during the coronavirus pandemic?
I definitely believe that we will be able to have a season this year. I’m hoping the league can figure out a good way to let us be able to play. The team has a lot of potential this year and I am hope we are able to use our abilities on the ice this year.
Is there a former Winthrop High teammate that may have inspired you?
My former captains McKayla Norris and Emma Carleton are definitely two people who inspired me and are role models to me. Both of them were such good leaders and outstanding hockey players and I hope to be as good as a leader and player as they were for me!
Do any members of your family play ice hockey or other sports?
My father had played hockey, football and track in high school. My mother played soccer and basketball and my little sister plays hockey and soccer.
Who is your favorite female college, Olympic, or professional athlete?
My favorite female college/professional athlete is Sam Apuzzo. She was a lacrosse player at BC and has moved forward to play for the New York Flight in the WPLL.
Have you viewed any of the major movies about the 1980 gold-medal winning hockey team that was captained by Mike Eruzione of Winthrop?
Yes. “Miracle†is one of my favorite movies. Being able to watch Mike win with his team, that movie really expresses what it is like to be a team and it is a great movie overall.
Coach Butch Martucci’s Comments:
I have been blessed with one of the most unselfish children in the world. Mia puts everyone else ahead of herself. She is a beautiful person both inside and out. On the ice she is a pass-first player, and is a great teammate. She is a leader by example both on the ice and in the classroom. She is the type of kid that you would never know that she was a three-sport AllStar as a freshman(soccer/hockey/lacrosse). I have been lucky enough to be able to coach her since the first time she laced up a pair of skates, and she is an invaluable part of our team and program.
Mia Norris
Class of 2023 President
How many years have you served as class president?
I was president of my class freshman year, which is the first year I was eligible. Now I have hopes to continue being president throughout high school.
Do you enjoy participating in student government and planning class activities?
I very much enjoy participating in student government and class activities. It is a great experience, it opens up many opportunities and you learn something new every day doing it.
Is being a school leader important to you?
Being a school leader is very important to me because you get to make relationships with your classmates and teachers that will last a lifetime, you get to use your voice and make sure everyone else is heard as well. As a school leader you really try to form an environment that engages every student in the school and make every kid’s high school experience the best it can be.
Have you performed community service in Winthrop in the past?
Yes, I have performed various different community services in Winthrop in the past.
When did you begin your hockey career? Who were your youth hockey coaches?
I have been playing hockey since as long as I can remember. Youth especially was one of the prime times, winning state championships every year. My youth coach almost every year was Butch.
Do you compete in other sports at Winthrop High School?
Yes, other than hockey, I play soccer and lacrosse here at Winthrop High School.
What do you want to say about the leadership and dedication of the Winthrop High girls hockey head coach and the assistant coaches?
Our coaches for the Winthrop High girls hockey team always teach us to lead by example: Do your best, try your best, put your best foot forward.
How are you preparing for the upcoming season? Have you been skating regularly and doing off-season conditioning?
This year has obviously been very weird, but I have been training with [former Winthrop High Super Bowl-winning quarterback] James Fucillo at speed kills training, and I have been skating for the off-season Winthrop team.
Are you hopeful that there can be a girls hockey season and that it can be conducted safely during the coronavirus pandemic?
I am very hopeful that we can have a hockey season this year, hockey season is the best time of the year!
Is there a former Winthrop High teammate that may have inspired you?
I think that I definitely look up to my sister McKayla who was also class president and on the team in years before. She was the first girls’ captain once the Dawgs became Vikings. But a person who really inspired me was Emma Carelton – she was my captain my freshman year and really set a good example, both leading the team and being the top goal scorer.
Do any members of your family play ice hockey or other sports?
My brother Michael and my sister McKayla both played hockey here as well as my dad Mike, who is the assistant coach for the Winthrop High School boys hockey team.
Who is your favorite female college, Olympic, or professional athlete?
My favorite female professional athlete is probably Meghan Duggan.
Have you viewed any of the major movies about the 1980 gold-medal winning hockey team that was captained by Mike Eruzione of Winthrop?
Yes, to the point where I know every line!
Coach Butch Martucci’s Comments:
Mia is another player that I have had the privilege to coach since she was first starting out. She has played on three youth hockey state championship teams that I coached. Mia is a great kid and she has always been a player that I leaned on in important situations. She is very knowledgeable and her hockey IQ is off the charts. It has been a lot of fun watching her grow into a very complete hockey player and I look forward to what she will bring to our team this season.