WHS Boys Hockey Wins Holiday Tournament; Silverman Named MVP
The Winthrop High boys hockey team enjoyed a successful vacation week, capturing the Michael Giordano Christmas Classic that was hosted by Boston Latin last week at the Murphy Rink in South Boston.
The tourney featured four teams, Winthrop, Lynnfield, Hanover, and host Boston Latin, with the Vikings drawing Boston Latin in the preliminary round last Tuesday. That contest proved to be the Petey Silverman Show, as the Viking senior captain scored four goals and assisted on a fifth to lead Winthrop to a 5-2 triumph. Fellow senior captain Billy Hayes also put together a five-point day with a goal and four assists. WHS junior goalie Mike Donahue turned in a solid effort with 26 saves against the Wolfpack, who are a strong Division 2 opponent.
Winthrop then moved on to the championship game against Hanover the following day and skated to a 4-2 victory. Luke Gthinji, assisted by Colin O’Leary, scored a power play goal for an early 1-0 Viking lead, but Hanover returned the favor with a power play goal of its own before the period ended to leave matters at 1-1 at the first horn.
Silverman, assisted by Mike Holgersen and Jackson Andy, made it 2-1 in the middle period, and the Vikings broke the game open in the third period with two goals, the first by Holgersen (from Silverman) and the second by Aidan Survilas (from Phil Boncore and O’Leary). Hanover scored a meaningless goal late in the game for the 4-2 finale, as Donahiue turned in another solid effort between the pipes.
Silverman was named the tournament MVP for his two-game output of five goals and two assists.
Coach Dale Dunbar and his crew, who now stand at 5-0 (1-0 in the Northeastern Conference) will trek to Salem State to take on (NEC) opponent Marblehead this Saturday. Although the Magicians stand at 1-6 thus far on the season, the contests between the NEC rivals always are fierce battles. The opening face-off is set for 5:30.
Winthrop then will entertain NEC foe Gloucester next Wednesday at Larsen Rink at 6:10.
Two 2-1 Losses for Whs Girls Hockey; 41-Game Streak Ends
Last week began on a positive note for the Winthrop High girls hockey team when the Lady Vikings were named the Poland Springs “The Ice Runs Deep” team of the week for week three of the high school winter sports season thanks to their 9-0 victory over Marblehead on December 20. The award is given by the MIAA to the team whose hard work impacts both their school’s hockey program and their community.
That victory extended a 41-game regular-season unbeaten streak (39-0-2) for coach Anthony Martucci’s WHS girls hockey program, a record for any WHS team. (Bob DeFelice’s Viking football teams from 1981-83 put together a 33-game unbeaten skein that included two post-season Super Bowl wins.)
However, whether it was the Poland Springs Award proving to be a jinx (similar to an appearance on the cover of Sports Illustrated) or a belief in the maxim, “All good things must come to an end,” the Lady Vikings dropped a pair of 2-1 contests to Northeast Hockey League (NHL) rivals Peabody/Lynnfield and Gloucester last Wednesday and Saturday, the program’s first regular-season defeats since 2020.
“These were two tough games for us,” said Martucci. “Peabody was a great game, with two great teams battling for the top spot in the conference, and it came down to who made fewer mistakes.”
Winthrop outshot Peabody by a 20-18 margin, but the Lady Tanners capitalized on Winthrop two mistakes, while the Lady Viking offense was able to muster only a power play goal, a bullet off the stick of Tegan Periera, assisted by Chloe Couture and Reese Ferrara.
“This game was a very even match,” said Martucci. “Both teams have great speed, strong goalies, and some really tough defensemen. Although I felt we carried the play for most of the game, Peabody did have some good spurts and it was enough for them to get the win. We lost the game, but we did not get beat. Peabody is a very good, well-coached team, but we are looking forward to them coming to Larsen at the end of January.”
By contrast, Saturday’s 2-1 loss to Gloucester was close only on the scoreboard. The Lady Vikings completely dominated the contest from the outset, outshooting the Lady Fisherman by a wide margin, 30-12, and missed the net with another 20 shots.
“Gloucester played a bend-but-don’t-break type of game and utilized a very strong performance from their goalie to help them secure a huge win for them,” said Martucci. “Again, we made two mistakes and the puck ended up in our net.”
Izzy Cash scored Wnithrop’s lone goal, assisted by Hannah Parker and Sami Dimento, on a nice jam play, taking the first window, and crashing the net. Winthrop also had two goals called back, one off the stick of Amelia Spencer and the other from Talia Martucci, which came at the buzzer ending the second period.
“But no excuses,” noted Martucci. “Gloucester did what they had to do and we did not play enough team-first hockey to deserve the win. Once again, I am looking forward to seeing them at the ‘Fish Bowl’ (Gloucester’s Dorothy Talbot Rink) in a few weeks.”
Martucci and his crew were seeking to get back on the winning track yesterday (Wednesday) against NHL foe Medford and will trek to NHL rival Masconomet on Saturday evening at 7:55 at the Haverhill Valley Forum.
Ariana Cappuccio Wins Long Jump at NEC Fr-Soph
Sophomore Ariana Cappuccio captured the long jump at last Friday’s Northeastern Conference Freshman-Sophomore Meet that was held at Gloucester.
Ariana’s winning leap of 16′-8″ was four inches longer than her nearest competitor. The Lady Viking track star also qualified for the finals in the 55 meter dash and grabbed fourth place with a sprint of 8.08.
Lady Viking teammates who also competed in the meet were: freshman Grace Scorzella, who finished in 17th place in the 300 dash in 54.42; freshman Ella Giacalone, who finished 25th in the 300 in 59.90; freshman Eloise Farnsworth, who came across the line in 18th place in the 1000 in 5:44.78; sophomore Annabelle Giardino, who finished sixth in the mile in a clocking of 6:14.24; and sophomore Chelsea Long, who finished eighth in the 55 meter hurdles in a time of 12.38.
WHS Girls Split in Green Tourney
The Winthrop High girls basketball team split its two games last week in the third annual David Green Memorial Tournament. The Lady Vikings dropped the tourney opener to Gloucester, 45-42, in overtime and then defeated Stoneham in another tight contest, 51-50, in the consolation game.
“We were in control of the Gloucester game most of the way, but we let them hang around until the end,” said WHS head coach Anthony Hatzisavas. Sophomore Bailey Ferguson led the way for the Lady Vikings in the scoring column with 17 points. Senior Reese Brodin also reached double figures with 10 points.
“We had a great opportunity to win the game in the last couple of seconds, but the shot just didn’t fall,” said Hatzisavas. “But that’s basketball — shots fall some nights, and some nights they don’t.
“Gloucester really beat us up on the glass in the second half, which proved to be the difference,” Hatzisavas continued. “We didn’t have Grace Fleuriel, which proved to be a huge difference.”
The Stoneham match followed the same script, with Winthrop in control the entire way, but fortunately for the Lady Vikings, the story had a happier ending.
“We were in control for most of the game, but couldn’t pull away,” said Hatzisavas. “We were back at full strength and spread the ball well where Kaylee Farrell was our leading scorer with 15 points, Grace Fleuriel had 14, Bailey Ferguson scored 12, and Reese Brodin had 12 points and 11 rebounds for her first career double-double.
“For us to be successful, we need to move the ball well and have multiple people fill the stat sheet, and that’s what we did very well with Stoneham,” the coach added.
Hatzisavas and his crew hit the road for their next three games, traveling to Division 1 Malden Catholic tomorrow (Friday) evening, to Danvers on Monday, and then to Peabody next Thursday.
David Green Tourney Once Again a Success
The Winthrop High boys and girls basketball teams hosted the 3rd annual David Green Memorial Basketball Tournament last week. The tournament was graciously sponsored by the Viking Pride Foundation, which has continued to sponsor the tournament since its inception.
The tournament hosted eight teams (four boys and four girls) from the North Shore. The boys’ division was comprised of Winthrop, Saugus, North Reading and Greater Lawrence Tech. The girls’ division consisted of Winthrop, Gloucester, Stoneham and Hamilton Wenham.
In the first-round girls’ matchups, Hamilton-Wenham topped Stoneham, 53-45, and Gloucester edged Winthrop, 45-42. On the boys’ side, Greater Lawrence topped No. Reading, 59-47, and Saugus defeated Winthrop, 48-32.
On the second day in the consolation games, the No. Reading boys defeated Winthrop, 53-48, and the Winthrop girls nipped Stoneham, 51-50. In the championship encounters, Greater Lawrence took home the boys’ title, defeating Saugus, and Hamilton-Wenham won the girls’ trophy with a win over Gloucester.
Greater Lawrence Tech’s Jadan Baralt was named the tournament MVP for the boys. The boys’ all-tourney team consisted of Winthrop’s George Galuris, North Reading’s Jason Berry, Saugus’s Danny Shea, and GLT’s Albert Diaz and Willy Concepcion.
Hamilton Wenham’s Annie Moynihan was named the girls’ MVP. The girls’ all-tournament team consisted of Winthrop’s Bailey Ferguson, Stoneham’s Alessandra Carpentieri, Gloucester’s Jordan Purdue-DelTorchio, and Hamilton-Wenham’s Gabby Campbell and Sadie Gamber.
The tourney is named after lifelong resident and former Winthrop High star athlete David Green, who was shot in the summer of 2022 during a race-motivated hate crime in which Green, a retired State Trooper, came to the scene of the shooting and is credited with saving the lives of fellow residents.
WHS Boys Hoop To Host Danvers, Peabody Next Week
The Winthrop High boys basketball team, which makes the long trek to Gloucester tomorrow (Friday), will return home to host Northeastern Conference rival Danvers this coming Monday and NEC foe Peabody next Thursday. The opening tip for both encounters is set for 7:00.