WHS Girls Hockey Ties Peabody, 2-2
The much-anticipated contest last Wednesday between Northeastern Hockey League (NHL) rivals Peabody and Winthrop, the fifth and sixth-ranked teams in Division 1, proved to be an epic, early-season battle worthy of the two top teams in the NHL.
After 45 minutes of regulation and a five-minute overtime period, the scoreboard at the McVann-O’Keefe Rink showed a level (to borrow the English soccer term) result of a 2-2 tie.
“This was like two heavyweights slugging it out for three periods and an overtime period too,” said veteran WHS head coach Anthony Martucci, whose Lady Vikings finished in second place to Peabody in the NHL last year.
Winthrop seized the initiative early in the contest, taking a 1-0 lead on the second shift of the game thanks to a goal by Julia Holmes, assisted by sister Emma Holmes, on a beautiful move.
The first period ended with Winthrop maintaining its 1-0 advantage, but a Peabody power-play in the middle stanza deadlocked matters at 1-1.
The Lady Vikings regained the lead with a power-play goal when Mia Martucci fired a missile that zinged into the back of the Lady Tanner net, assisted by Emma Holmes.
However, a Winthrop penalty late in the game provided Peabody with an opportunity to level the game once again and the Lady Tanners took advantage of the opportunity to send the contest into overtime.
Under the new MIAA rules, the OT session consists of a five-minute period in which the teams play a 4 v. 4 format that allows for wide-open skating, especially if a team commits a penalty, which results in a 4-on-3 advantage.
However, neither Winthrop nor Peabody were able to break through to notch the game-winner, leaving the fierce foes deadlocked at 2-2.
“I felt like we carried the play for much of the game, including the overtime,” said Martucci, whose squad outshot Peabody by a wide margin of 38-18, “but their goalie stood strong. Summer Tallent was awesome in net for us, stopping 16 shots. It was a great game, between two great teams.
“I was very impressed with the play of our two eighth-grade defensemen,” Martucci added. “Teegan Pereira and Avalina Coffey were outstanding in their first-ever battle against the reigning NHL champs. For two players to come in as eighth graders, and log such important minutes for us against a team like Peabody, was awesome.”
Martucci and his crew, who now stand at 3-0-1 on the season (2-0-1 in the NHL), are scheduled to travel to the Haverhill Valley Forum to take on NHL rival Masconomet this Saturday evening.
Their contest with another NHL foe, Medford, that had been scheduled for last night (Wednesday) has been postponed because of COVID-19 protocols. Medford plays in the Greater Boston League in every sport except girls hockey, but the GBL has ceased all athletic practices and competitions for this week because of the prevalence of the Omicron variant in those schools and communities.
WHS Boys Hockey Earn First Victory
The Winthrop High boys hockey team posted its first win of the season with a 2-1 triumph over Northeastern Conference rival Beverly this past Monday at Larsen Rink.
Sophomore Petey Silverman provided all of the offense that the Vikings would need with a pair of goals in the opening period. Brothers Jack and captain Joe Hayes assisted on the first goal and Jack H. assisted on the second marker.
The visiting Panthers made it a 2-1 contest with a goal in the middle stanza, but the stalwart Viking defense and goalie Anthony Indrisano, who made 25 saves on the evening, preserved the victory through the remainder of the second and all of the third periods.
Coach Dale Dunbar and his crew, who now stand at 1-2 overall and 1-1 in the Northeastern Conference, have a pair of key contests on tap this week against two of their top NEC rivals. Winthrop will take on Marblehead tomorrow (Friday) evening at Salem State University at 7:30 and will return home to host Gloucester next Wednesday at 6:10.
WHS Boys Look to Get Back on Track
The Winthrop High boys basketball team will seek to get back on the winning