WHS boys hockey defeats Marblehead, now alone atop NEC
The Winthrop High boys hockey team earned a pair of big victories this past week over Northeastern Conference (NEC) North Division rivals Danvers and Marblehead to remain undefeated and in sole possession of first place in the NEC North with a 6-0 record.
Coach Dale Dunbar’s Vikings traveled to Endicott College in Beverly last Wednesday to take on Danvers at Ray Bourque Arena and skated home with a 3-1 triumph.
Junior forward Nick Romano got Winthrop off to a quick lead with a goal in the opening period, assisted by senior Jay Fotiades. The Falcons took advantage of some Viking penalties in the middle frame to knot matters at 1-1, but the Vikings were the ones who came out flying to start the third period.
Sophomore Joe Pumphret, assisted by junior Tomas Babine, lit the lamp for the eventual game-winner and senior captain Mike Holgersen, assisted by Fotiades, slid home an empty-netter to seal the deal.
That set the stage for a classic battle for first place this past Saturday when Winthrop hosted Marblehead, which entered the contest tied with the Vikings atop the NEC North with a 5-0 league mark, before a standing-room-only crowd of fans (including many from Marblehead) at Larsen Rink.
Both teams came out on fire, but their up-and-down, physical play ended with the score deadlocked at 0-0 after one period.
Winthrop appeared to have the momentum in the middle period, carrying the play at both ends, but proved unable to dent the Marblehead net thanks to some fine play by the Magician goaltender.
Marblehead closed out the period by taking advantage of a Winthrop penalty and scored on the power play (with under 30 seconds left on the penalty) to take a 1-0 advantage heading into the final period.
But the Vikings remained undaunted and came out of the locker room after the break on a mission. Sophomore Pumphret, assisted by senior captain Phil Boncore and Fotiades, brought the game back to level, igniting the boisterous Viking fandom. Minutes later, Boncore found the back of the Magicians’ net, assisted by Pumphret and Dom Spinale, to give Winthrop its first lead of the game to the delight of the Winthrop partisans in attendance.
At that point, the vaunted offense of the Magicians, the defending Division 3 state champs who entered the game ranked at #4 in D-3 the MIAA’s power rankings, was stymied by a staunch Viking defense, led by senior Aiden Survilas, and backstopped by senior captain Mike Donahue, the returning NEC all-conference netminder, who made big save-after-save in the Winthrop net to deny the Magicians the game-tying tally.
Boncore then put the game away with his second goal, assisted by asst. captain Luke Githinji and Babine, for the 3-1 finale.
Winthrop, which now stands at 9-4 overall on the season and is ranked #5 in D-4, will host NEC North rival Gloucester this Saturday for a 3:00 opening face-off at Larsen. The Vikings then will trek to Salem State University (SSU) next Wednesday (February 5) for a rematch with Marblehead at 7:30. A large contingent of Winthrop fans is expected to make the trek to SSU’s Rockett Arena to root on their Vikings.
WHS girls hoop hosts Masco tonight
The Winthrop High girls basketball team is scheduled to host NEC North foe Masconomet this evening (Thursday) and NEC South opponent Salem on Tuesday, with both of those contests tipping off at 6:30 on the Chris Tsiotos Court at Winthrop High.
Coach Anthony Hatzisavas and his Lady Viking crew had been ranked at #30 in the MIAA’s Division 4 power rankings as of last Friday, a rating that would have guaranteed them a spot in the post-season state tournament. However, they have fallen to #34 as of this Tuesday after coming up short at non-league opponent Hamilton-Wenham and Northeastern Conference foes Marblehead, Swampscott, and Saugus in recent contests.
After the two home contests, the Winthrop girls, who stand at 4-10 on the season, will make the long trek to NEC South rival Gloucester next Thursday.
WHS gymnastics team edged by Beverly by 0.20
The Winthrop High gymnastics team hosted its first tri-meet of the season, entertaining rivals Peabody and Beverly at the Winthrop Gymnastics Academy.
The Vikings anticipated a close match with Beverly (Peabody is amidst a rebuilding of its program and brought only six competitors) and the match played out as expected, with the visiting Panthers prevailing by the narrowest of margins (two-tenths of a point to be precise), 130.95-130.75.
The contest started out with Beverly on the balance beam and Winthrop on the uneven parallel bars. Senior Sara Jurovich hit her routine, scoring a season-high 7.5, tying her with teammate Callie Anderson. Eighth-grader Gaby Ilie scored a 7.3. Macy Werstak performed a good routine, scoring a 7.9. Senior Isabella Rice hit her highest score of the season, an 8.8. Last up for Winthrop was junior all-around Zoe Rey, who scored an 8.9, her best score of the year.
The Vikings’ fine performances after the first event left Winthrop with a 33.1-31.0 lead.
Beverly then switched to the uneven bars and Winthrop went to the balance beam. Charlotte Zarba opened for the Vikings, scoring a 7.2. Gaby Ilie and Callie Anderson tied with a 7.3. Isabella Rice and Zoe Rey scored 7.8 and 7.9 respectively. Senior Julia Hurley, still working her way back from a cheerleading injury, hit her routine for an 8.25, good for second place.
However, after two events, Beverly now held a slim advantage, 67.64-67.40.
Winthrop next headed to the vault and Beverly to the mat for the floor exercise. Mackenzie Lynch did her handspring vault, scoring an 7.85. Sara Jurovich followed with an 8.1. Zoe Rey stuck her second vault, earning an 8.4, Zoe’s highest score of the season. Brooklyn Banfield hit her first vault, scoring an 8.2. Isabella Rice hit her first flipping vault, scoring her highest tally yet with an 8.8. Last up was Macy Werstak, who hit her handspring, full-twist, scoring an 8.9.
When the scores were totaled after the three events, the teams were deadlocked at 98.65.
Winthrop’s last event was the floor exercise, with Beverly competing on vault. Sara Jurovich started the Vikings off with her new routine,”pumpkins,” scoring a season high of 7.3. Brooklyn Banfield received a 7.6 with no major breaks. Callie Anderson, Julia Hurley, and Zoe Rey all tied with an 8.0. Isabella Rice earned Winthrop’s highest score with an 8.1, which was good for second place.
The final tally showed the Panthers prevailing by just 0.20 of a point, 130.95-130.75.
Winthrop will be back in action tomorrow (Friday) evening at 7:00 with another home match at the Winthrop Gymnastics Academy.
Two for the road for WHS boys hoop
The Winthrop High boys basketball team will be on the road this coming week, traveling to Northeastern North opponent Masconomet this evening (Thursday) and making the long trek to NEC South opponent Salem next Tuesday.
Coach Quinton Dale and his crew will return home next Friday (Feb. 7) when they will host NEC South rival Gloucester for a 7:00 opening tip on the Chris Tsiotos Floor at the WHS gym.