Vikings Ground the Falcons, 7-1
The Winthrop High boys hockey team opened its Northeastern Conference (NEC) season with a 7-1 thumping of Danvers this past Saturday afternoon at Larsen Rink.
After taking a 1-0 lead in the opening period on a goal by senior captain Billy Hayes, assisted by fellow senior captain Petey Silverman, the Vikings exploded for six goals in the middle stanza.
Senior assistant captain Rob Rich (assisted by Billy Hayes and Aiden Survilas) got the puck rolling for Winthrop to make it 2-0. The visiting Falcons fought back gamely, scoring a goal to keep matters at a one-goal spread, but the floodgates soon opened as the Vikings rang the back of the Danvers net with five unanswered goals.
Luke Githinji lit the lamp for two goals (assisted by Mike Holgersen & Silverman and then by Hayes & Silverman) to make it 4-1. Survilas upped the count to 5-1 with an unassisted marker and Silverman applied the coup de grace with two goals, one of which was assisted by Holgersen, to cap a five-point night for the reigning MVP of the NEC.
WHS netminder turned in another solid effort, setting aside 25 Danvers shots, to record the victory.
Last Wednesday, coach Dale Dunbar and his crew hosted non-league opponent Triton and skated away with a 5-3 victory in a fast-paced contest that had the air of a post-season tournament game between the two Viking teams.
Silverman gave the home Vikings an early lead when he struck for a goal just 35 seconds after the opening face-off, assisted by Phil Boncore, but the visiting Vikings responded with two markers to move out to a 2-1 advantage. However, Holgersen, assisted by Silverman and Hayes, brought the contest back to level before the end of the action-packed first-period.
The rival Vikings traded goals in the middle stanza, with Silverman, assisted by Hayes, lighting the lamp for Winthrop, setting the stage for an exciting third period.
But it would be the Winthrop Vikings who would prevail, with Holgersen, assisted by Silverman, scoring what would prove to be the game-winner midway through the period. Colin O’Leary sealed the game with an empty-netter with under a minute to play.
Donahue turned in another nice performance between the pipes, making 25 saves.
Winthrop, which is now 3-0 on the season, will play in a Christmas Tournament next week, taking on Boston Latin at noon on Tuesday at Murphy Arena in South Boston, and then will play on Wednesday afternoon at either 2:00 or 4:00 in either the consolation or championship game.
WHS Girls Hockey Records 7-1 Victory
The Winthrop High girls hockey team shook off a slow start, but then erupted for six goals in the middle period to skate away with a 7-1 victory over Northeast Hockey League (NHL) rival Newburyport Saturday afternoon at Larsen Rink.
The Lady Vikings dominated the opening 15 minutes in every fashion except the scoreboard, outshooting the visiting Lady Clippers 17-2, but proved unable to reach the back of the Newburyport net.
“Give credit to Newburyport who came out very physical,” said WHS head coach Anthony Martucci. “They packed it in defensively and blocked a ton of shots. They did a great job at nullifying our attack.”
However, the Lady Viking offense could only be held back for so long. What Martucci termed a “highlight reel goal” by junior defenseman Amelia Spencer opened the floodgates for Winthrop.
“Spennie pinched from the point and pulled a puck off the wall,” said Martucci. “Then she walked right out the front and went bar-down on her backhand. It was an insane goal from a defenseman. I don’t think a lot of people realize just how great of a player Spennie is, but in our locker room, we do.”
The Winthrop offensive then shifted into high gear, with Reese Ferrara, Sami DiMento, Gabby Buonapane (first varsity goal), Angela Coscia (first varsity goal), and Hannah Parker all lighting the lamp for a 6-0 Winthrop lead before the horn sounded.
The third period was running time because of the six-goal lead, but Winthrop continued to carry the play, led by speedsters Chloe Couture, Talia Martucci, and Izzy Cash, who had some nice shifts with new linemates including Stella Pelletier, Avery Shea, and Claudia Alquinta.
Newburyport was able to squeeze a marker past WHS goalie Riley Towse (nine saves) to ruin Riley’s bid for a second straight
shutout. Towse gave way to Hanna Barrett, who closed-out the game with a great glove save.
DiMento grabbed another goal for her team-leading sixth point to account for the 7-1 finale.
“Once again I want to credit our defense for playing such a solid game on the back end and eliminating any real scoring chances for Newburyport,” said Martucci. “Senior captain Adrianna Rizzotto, Amelia Spencer, Tegan Periera, Avalina Coffey, Izi Hain, and Fran Indrisano were all-world once again.”
Martucci and his crew were scheduled to trek to Salem State College last night (Wednesday) to meet NHL foe Marblehead and then will travel to McVann-O’Keefe Rink next Wednesday at 5:15 for a key early-season matchup with perennial NHL power Peabody/Lynnfield/No. Reading.
WHS Girls Basketball Posts Exciting Victory in Final Minute at Saugus
The Winthrop High girls basketball team came through with an exciting, 38-36 victory this past Monday night at Northeastern Conference (NEC) rival Saugus, who shared the NEC South Division title last year with Winthrop.
“Last year we were co-champs with them, so we knew how big of a game this was going to be, especially when they have every player back,” said WHS head coach Anthony Hatzisavas. “We knew we were going to walk into a battle and indeed it was. Saugus is led by sophomore guard Peyton DiBasio, who is as good as advertised. She can cause huge problems for any defense and really understands the game and takes what is given to her.”
The Lady Vikings suffered a major setback just three minutes into the contest when senior captain Reese Brodin left the floor because of an injury.
However, instead of backing down, her teammates moved out to a 17-10 lead at the half, led by Sophia Lindinger, who scored six points, and Grace Fleuriel, who controlled underneath.
“At halftime we talked about how basketball is a game of runs,” said Hatzisavas. “We knew Saugus was going to come back and go on runs of their own — which indeed they did — so it was just a matter of how we were going to respond.”
Hatzisavas’s crew responded well, led by sophomore Bailey Ferguson, who drilled a quartet of treys en route to her game-high 16 points. In addition, with Brodin on the sidelines, Bailey took the responsibility of covering Saugus’s ace, DiBiaso, down the stretch.
“Bailey did a great job on defense on their star player,” said Hatzisavas. “Bailey has shown tremendous leaps in the offseason and is really poised to have a great season “
The coach also had high praise for junior guard Zoey Bogusz.
“Zoey controlled the game with six assists and five rebounds,” said Hatzisavas. “I think she is one of the best passers in the area and it really showed against Saugus. The game slows down for her, which sometimes it won’t for a high school athlete.
“Grace Fleuriel, who has been fighting foul trouble the first couple games, really came up clutch,” Hatzisavas said of the senior captain, who forwarded a double-double with 10 points and 15 rebounds. Fleuriel hit the go-ahead basket with 45 seconds left and then made a huge defensive play to seal the game.
“We are a different team with Grace on the court,” said Hatzisavas. “She is one of the best players in the league.”
With Winthrop clinging to a one-point lead, Kaylee Farrell knocked down a huge free throw, which was followed by a defensive stop by the Lady Vikings to come away with the victory.
“Last year we lost at Saugus, 63-61 in overtime,” said Hatzisavas. “That feeling hurt, but I think it helped motivate us into getting this win.”
Last Tuesday Winthrop traveled to non-league opponent Hamilton-Wenham and lost in overtime, 41-37.
“We came out flat and trailed 17-10 at the half, but we managed to tie it up with a minute left in regulation and had a couple of clean looks for the win, but our shots just didn’t fall,” said Hatzisavas. “But that’s basketball — sometimes the shot doesn’t fall and it’s just how you recover from it. At the end of the day it was a tough loss, but sometimes losses like that are needed in the greater scheme of things.”
Brodin (10 points), Fleuriel (another double-double with 10 points and 12 rebounds), and Farrell (eight points) paced the Lady Viking offense.
Hatzisavas and his crew, who played Fontbonne Academy at Curry College this past Tuesday, will host the David Green Memorial Christmas Tournament next week. The Lady Vikings will meet Gloucester in an opening-round contest at 2:00 on Wednesday and then will play in either the consolation or the championship game on Thursday.
Viking Boys Basketball Hosts Fenway Tonight
The Winthrop High boys basketball team will host non-league opponent Fenway High School of Boston this evening (Thursday). The opening tip is set for 7:00.
First-year head coach Quinton Dale II and his crew, who stand at 1-3 on the season, posted a 55-51 triumph at Ipswich last week in which four Vikings, George Galuris (16 points), Spencer Parco (11), Andrew Faretra (10), and Vasili Tsiotos (10) all struck for double figures. The balanced scoring attack was reminiscent of the Viking team on which Dale played under head coach Dave Brown that won the state championship in 2011.
After tonight’s encounter, Winthrop will host the David Green Memorial Christmas Tournament next week. The Vikings will take on Saugus in an opening-round contest at 4:00 on Wednesday and then will play in either the consolation or the championship game on Thursday.