Winthrop High girls hockey coach Anthony “Butch” Martucci is not one to mince his words when it comes to his highly successful program. Win or lose, Martucci tells it like it is, with a lifetime of hockey-playing and coaching experience to back it up.
“It’s hard to win games when you give up two power-play goals and a shorthanded goal,” summarized Martucci following his team’s 3-2 loss to Westford Academy in an MIAA Tournament first-round game Tuesday night at Larsen Rink at the Mike Eruzione Center.
Westford Academy took advantage of the extra-skater advantage for its first and third goals, the latter with 4:25 left in the game to break a 2-2 deadlock.
There was a controversial sequence that preceded Westford’s final power play opportunity. After the referee assessed Winthrop a tripping penalty, play ensued in the zone and it appeared that a Winthrop player had been tripped by a Westford player, but no equalizing call was made.
Winthrop kept the pressure on the Westford defense throughout the game. One of Winthrop’s major contributors all season, senior captain Hannah Parker used her skating ability to produce some excellent scoring opportunities.
Talia Martucci netted both Winthrop goals, the first coming on a dazzling assist from behind the net by Izzy Cash. After Martucci directed the puck to the far corner, Cash neatly eluded two Westford players before delivering a perfect pass to Martucci who one-timed it past the Westford goaltender for a 1-0 lead.
“That was a really beautiful pass,” lauded Butch Martucci about Cash’s Derek Sanderson-style assist (to Bobby Orr).
Westford (8-10-3) tied the game at 1-1 in the second period after a scramble in front of the net. Winthrop then went on the power play, but it was Westford that scored the go-ahead, short-handed goal on a breakaway.
Martucci scored her second goal 90 seconds later to tie the game at 2-2. Freshman Amelia Serino won a battle along the boards and directed the puck to Martucci, who fought off a defender herself and unleashed a hard shot into the net.
The third period featured some outstanding goaltending by Winthrop’s Riley Towse (20 saves) and Westford’s Kiera Tucker (15 saves), and an overtime period looked more and more like a distinct possibility. However, Winthrop committed its fifth penalty of the game with 4:47 remaining and Westford’s Jacqueline Chace scored the go-ahead goal 22 seconds later to make it a 3-2 game.
Following a Westford penalty, Martucci strategized to pull his goaltender for a 6-on-4 edge, but the visiting Ghosts held on to their one-goal edge.
“I thought it was a well-played game,” said Martucci. “Westford’s record doesn’t indicate what kind of team they are. They play in a very strong league. They play Shrewsbury, Haverhill, and North Andover twice and those are all playoff teams.”
Martucci Moves to Within One of the 100-Point Milestone
Assistant captain Talia Martucci’s two goals give her 99 points for her career. She finished her All-Conference junior season with 14 goals and 18 assists.
“Talia had a good game [versus Westford),” said her father, Butch Martucci. “She was really focused and really wanted to win the game.”
Lauding the Seniors
Coach Butch Martucci thanked his three seniors – Adrianna Rizzotto, Samantha DiMento, and Hannah Parker – for their leadership and their dedication to the program during their careers.
“They were really good leaders for the team,” said Martucci. “They’re great kids, heart and soul players.”
Towse Continues the Tradition of Fine Goaltending
Butch Martucci said this year’s team “was built strictly from the goaltender out.”
“We’ve been that way for years, when we had Katie Burt, and then Gretchen Howard, Summer Tallent, and now with [All-Star selection] Riley Towse,” said Martucci. “We’ve always been very strong defensively. Adrianna Rizzotto will be going on to play hockey at Framingham State next year. Avalina Coffey, Tegan Pereira, and Amelia Spencer had phenomenal seasons and they’re all returning. We have two players, Francesca Indrisano and Izzy Hain, who got some experience this year and hopefully they’ll be ready to go for next year.”