WHS sports roundup

David Green Memorial hoop tourney set for Monday and Tuesday

The Winthrop High boys and girls basketball teams will host the 5th Annual David Green Memorial Tournament over the holiday break next Monday and Tuesday, December 29 and 30.

The Winthrop boys will host Excel Academy at 12 noon and the Lady Vikings will meet Gloucester at 4:00 in their tourney openers on Monday.

Both teams then will play in either the championship or consolation games on Tuesday afternoon.

The full schedule for the tournament is as follows:

Day 1

Monday, December 29:

Boys: 10 am North Reading vs Arlington Catholic

Boys: 12 pm Excel vs Winthrop

Girls: 2 pm Stoneham vs Lynnfield

Girls: 4 pm Gloucester vs Winthrop

Day 2:

Tuesday, December 30

10 am: Girls consolation

12 pm: Girls championship

2 pm: Boys consolation

4 pm: Boys championship

Viking boys hockey edges Dover-Sherborn

The Winthrop High boys hockey team rebounded from a heartbreaking 3-2 loss to Lynnfield last Wednesday to record a 2-1 victory over 4th-ranked Dover-Sherborn/Weston (DSW) Saturday afternoon at Larsen Rink.

The contest had the feel of a playoff atmosphere among the large crowd at Larsen, channeling the memories of the epic 2024 Division 4 state tournament semifinal contest between the two rivals in which DSW ultimately prevailed in a dramatic shootout.

The teams did not disappoint the fans, as both sides skated in up-and-down fashion from the opening faceoff, creating many scoring opportunities.

However, it was Viking sophomore Braedon Lounsbury, assisted by senior assistant captain Bert Kline, who managed to break the ice to give Winthrop a 1-0 lead after one period.

The Vikings maintained their one-goal lead through the middle frame, thanks in large part to the stellar goaltending of junior Jimmy Lyman, who made numerous superb saves.

Midway through the third period, Dom Spinale, assisted by captain Joe Pumphret and Paul Ferrara, reached the back of the DSW net for the all-important insurance goal to make it 2-0. DSW got on the board with about five minutes to go, but Lyman and the Viking defense held firm the rest of the way to secure the victory.

The win was a perfect bounce-back game for coach Dale Dunbar and his crew after their tough loss last Wednesday against a fast and very physical Lynnfield team.

WHS captain Nick Romano, assisted by Pumphret, gave the Vikings a 1-0 lead in the opening period when he went top shelf to beat the Pioneer goalie.

Lynnfield tied the score in the middle stanza, but Spinale restored the Winthrop advantage on a nice individual effort for an unassisted goal to leave matters at 2-1 at the second buzzer.

That set the stage for the dramatic third period. Viking junior goalie Dax Sabin, who was making his first career varsity start, made numerous key saves, and a solid Winthrop defensive effort preserved the Winthrop lead for 14:59 until Lynnfield lit the lamp with less than one second showing on the clock to bring the contest back to level at 2-2.

The teams then went into an overtime period in which the Vikings had some excellent opportunities, but just missed converting. The Pioneers then reached the back of the Winthrop net with less than a minute to play in OT to claim the 3-2 win.

Dunbar and his crew, who now are 3-1 overall and 2-0 in the NEC North, were scheduled to travel to Norwell, another perennial D-4 powerhouse, this past Tuesday.

The Vikings will compete once again in the Michael Giordano Christmas Classic vs. D-3 Hanover at 2 p.m. this Friday (December 26) at Murphy Memorial Rink in South Boston.

Winthrop then will meet either Lynnfield or Boston Latin on Saturday in either the consolation game at 10 a.m. or the championship game at 4 p.m.

Viking girls hockey blanks Newburyport

The Winthrop High girls hockey team bounced back from its first setback of the season last Wednesday, a hard-fought 3-2 loss to non-league opponent Grafton, to record a 5-0 shutout victory over Northeastern Hockey League (NHL) rival Newburyport this past Saturday afternoon at Larsen Rink.

The Lady Vikings were led on offense by Tegan Periera, who scored what WHS head coach Anthony Martucci termed, “two incredible goals on the power play. “Tegan has an absolute bomb of a shot,” said Martucci, “and when she is getting it away, it is a problem for all goalies. Her two goals were bullets.”

Seniors Avalina Coffey and Reese Ferrara also reached the back of the Newburyport net. “Both Avalina and Reese have played incredibly in the first three games, leading the team by example in both our games and practices.”

The Lady Vikings’ final goal was scored by junior Amelia Serino on a perfectly- placed, top-corner shot. “Amelia is a strong kid and plays with a lot of power,” said Martucci. “On that goal she just used her speed, and ripped one where ‘mom hides the cookies’.”

WHS goalie Riley Towse, “who has also been amazing to start the season,” said Martucci, earned the shutout, moving Riley within striking range of the program record.

As for the loss to Grafton, “This was a great high school hockey game between two teams who are fairly closely-matched, and both went after the win,” said Martucci.

The visiting Gators took an early lead, capitalizing on a pair of Winthrop penalties to score a goal on a 5-on-3 power play. However, after the Lady Vikings killed-off the rest of the power play, they tied the score on a PPG when Abby Githinji lit the lamp on what Martucci called  “a very smart walk out” to leave matters at 1-1 after one period.

Winthrop broke the deadlock in the second period when Chloe Couture won a face-off perfectly and Angela Coscia was able to pick up the puck and, after making an elite move, put home a pretty snap-shot.

The Lady Vikings maintained their slim advantage until the waning moments of the contest when the Gators scored the tying goal with 33 seconds to go on a 6-on-4 power play after pulling their goalie.

The teams then went into overtime and exchanged a bunch of scoring chances before Grafton was able to light the lamp and claim the win.

“Regardless of coming out on the losing end, I thought we played great and really showed a ton of grit and toughness,” said Martucci. “We skated well and worked together. We do have to work on closing-out games, for which this was a good lesson.”

Martucci and his crew engaged in what he termed “a monster game” this past Tuesday with non-league opponent Arlington Catholic. They will host NHL foe Gloucester next Tuesday for a 6:10 face-off at Larsen.

Winthrop boys hoop comes up short to Swampscott, Danvers

The Winthrop High boys basketball team Vikings delivered a gritty, hard-fought effort last Monday night on the road, but ultimately fell to Swampscott, 73–59. Despite the final score, Winthrop once again made a statement with its defensive intensity and balanced contributions from both veteran leaders and emerging underclassmen.

Senior standout Noah Bayersdorfer continued his strong start to the season, recording his second straight 30-point performance. Noah was a perfect 9-of-9 from the free-throw line. His aggressive drives and confident shot-making consistently kept the Vikings within striking distance.

A major bright spot for Winthrop was the play of freshman Lucas Gabriel Souza,  who turned in an impressive performance. Lucas finished with 10 points on 4-of-6 shooting, added four rebounds, and showed poise and energy on both ends of the floor. His steady presence provided a spark throughout the game.

Winthrop also received solid contributions from Nico Ruggieri, who scored nine points, and Joseph Schettino, who added seven points.  As a team, the Vikings were solid at the charity stripe, converting 14-of-15 free throws, and remained disciplined defensively despite Swampscott’s advantage from beyond the arc.

This past Friday, the Vikings went toe-to-toe with the Danvers Falcons in a tightly-contested matchup — Winthrop pulled within a point in the final minute — but timely perimeter shooting by Danvers proved to be the difference as the Falcons prevailed, 60–54.

Winthrop battled fiercely from the opening tip, but early turnovers allowed Danvers to jump out to a quick lead. Winthrop settled in as the game progressed, responding with strong defensive pressure and physical play in the paint. Leading the charge was senior captain Noah Bayersdorfer, who finished with a team-high 22 points. Bayersdorfer kept the Vikings within striking distance all night, attacking the basket, knocking down key shots, and pulling down six rebounds.

Winthrop found success shooting from the paint and received a major spark off the bench from freshman Lucas Souza Dos Santos. Dos Santos provided energy on both ends of the floor. Lucas was nearly automatic in the paint, connecting on 4-of-6 shots and converting all four free throws to finish with 12 points and five rebounds.

Defensively, Winthrop made Danvers work for its offense, holding the Falcons to just 36 percent shooting on two-point attempts. However, Danvers countered by stretching the floor and capitalizing from long range. The Falcons knocked down 13 three-pointers, using their outside shooting to create separation and to swing the momentum at crucial points in the game.

However, the Vikings refused to go away. Junior guard Nico Ruggieri contributed a strong all-around performance with six points, seven rebounds, and three assists, while senior captain Nick Correa chipped in with seven points and played tough perimeter defense throughout the night.

Nick drilled a clutch three-pointer with under a minute remaining to cut the deficit to just one, silencing the Danvers crowd and giving Winthrop hope down the stretch. Ultimately however, Danvers answered once again from the outside to seal the win.

Despite the loss, the Vikings showed toughness, resilience, and battled until the final buzzer. With balanced scoring and strong rebounding, coach Quinton Dale’s crew continues to develop on both ends of the court. Despite the setbacks, the Vikings demonstrated that they can compete with anyone on their schedule as the season moves forward.

The Vikings will host the David Green Memorial Tournament next week (see accompanying story above).

WHS girls drop openers

The Winthrop High girls basketball team came up on the short end of its season-opening contests with Northeastern Conference rivals Swampscott (53-27) and Danvers (65-23) last week.

Coach Anthony Hatzisavas’s squad was scheduled to meet non-league opponent Arlington Catholic this past Tuesday and then will compete in the David Green Memorial Tournament at Winthrop High next week (see story above).