Winning Formula

Martucci, Pereira, Towse power Winthrop to 3-0 start

By Cary Shuman

Winthrop High girls hockey coach Butch Martucci couldn’t be happier with his team’s 3-0 start to the new season.

Senior captain Talia Martucci has five goals and one assist in three games – including a huge game-winner in a 2-1 decision over Leominster Saturday. Junior defenseman Junior Tegan Pereira has been a force at the blue line, netting two goals in three games.

Meanwhile, junior goaltender Riley Towse is climbing the all-time shutout ladder with two blankings in the trio of victories.

“Our success starts from the net out, and Riley has been absolutely dialed in and completely laser-focused,” credited Butch Martucci. “Also, in front of her, our defense is not giving up a ton of shots. Our defensemen (Amelia Spencer, Tegan Pereira, Avallina Coffey, Francesca Indrisano, and Izi Hain) have been unbelievable.”

Pereira’s two goals have been sizzlers from the point. “She’s shooting the puck really well. And Amelia [Spencer] has a goal as well,” noted Coach Martucci.

With wins over Medford, Leominster and Bishop Fenwick (3-0) Monday, the Vikings sit just outside the top 10 in the statewide rankings.

Amelia Serino broke a scoreless deadlock versus Fenwick in the second period, with senior captain Amelia Spencer notching an assist. Pereira made it 2-0 on a goal assisted by Chloe Couture and Avalina Coffey. Martucci scored an unassisted goal in the third period.

Winthrop claimed a hard-fought 2-1 win over a fast and physical Leominster team.

Pereira opened the scoring in the second period, assisted by Coffey. Leominster tied the game at 1-1 in the second period.

But Talia took over late in the third period, netting the game-winner in unassisted fashion. Martucci skated around a defender and ripped a shot on net for the scoreboard decider.

Martucci has been drawing considerable attention from opposing defensive corps, with teams assigning multiple players to try and contain the Salem State-bound star.

Viking Notebook

Talia Martucci, who earned Boston Globe “Star of the Week” honors for her 100th career point and hat trick (versus Medford), is moving up the WHS list of all-time scorers with 105 points, two shy of current assistant coach Caroline McKinnon’s total. Former assistant coach Taylor Brown is at 109 points. McKinnon played college hockey at Salem State while Brown was a captain at Nichols College.

Former WHS superstar Emma Holmes, who had 146 career points, is skating for the Plattsburgh State (N.Y.) Cardinals, along with her sister, Julia Holmes.

Like Tony Fucillo, Ron Spinney, and Larry Keegan and other coaches in Winthrop’s proud athletic history, Butch Martucci is fielding teams that are winning big against much larger high schools. Leominster, for example, is a city of 43,000 and has a school enrollment of more than 1,000 students – and it’s a co-op girls hockey program bolstered by the towns of Hopedale, Ayer, and Shirley.

Continuing its homestand, Winthrop hosts Arlington Catholic (Saturday, Dec. 28) and Longmeadow (Saturday, Jan. 4).

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