Sports 01-12-2017

WHS SPORTS roundup

WHS boys hockey team tops Fenwick

The Winthrop High boys hockey team skated to a 4-1 victory over Bishop Fenwick last Wednesday evening at Larsen Rink to improve their record to a sterling 6-1 for the season.

After the teams battled to a scoreless deadlock in the first period, WHS captain Charlie Page lit the lamp twice for the Vikings in the middle stanza. Cap’n Charlie put the puck in the back of the Fenwick net in the third period for the hat trick and linemate Henry Brooks notched an empty-net goal to put the game on ice.

The lone down note for Winthrop was the departure of sophomore goalie Ryan Skoczylas, who had made 18 saves in another solid effort. with an injury with about six minutes to play. Patrick Sennott came on for the remainder of the contest and made four saves.

Page now has 99 points in his WHS career and was shooting to reach the 100-point milestone when coach Dale Dunbar’s Viking crew took on Northeastern Conference North Division rival Saugus last night (Wednesday). Winthrop (which is 1-0 in the NEC North) hosts NEC North foe Beverly Saturday at Larsen Rink at 3:30 and will entertain East Longmeadow next Thursday evening at 6:00.

This past Saturday’s encounter with NEC North opponent Marblehead at Salem State College was postponed because of the snowstorm and has been moved to Feb. 13.

WHS girls hockey edges Algonquin, 3-2

Mckayla Norris scored a goal with less than two minutes to play to give the Winthrop High Lady Bulldawg hockey team an exciting 3-2 victory over Algonquin Regional Sunday afternoon at Larsen Rink.

“Mckayla and her linemates, Kelsie Griffiths and Emma Carleton, have really developed into an offensive force for us,” said WHS head coach Anthony Martucci. “They are a threat to score every time they step on the ice.”

The teams battled to a nil-nil standoff in the opening frame before Lady Bulldawg assistant captain Sydney Adamson broke the ice in the middle period with a goal on which her hard work paid dividends.

Sydney forechecked an Algonquin puck-handler, lifting up her stick to take away the puck, and then moved quickly on the Algonquin goal, letting go a quick wrist shot to the far corner that cleanly beat the Algonquin goaltender.

“Sydney made her move so fast that it caught the Algonquin goalie by surprise,” said Martucci. “It was a great heads-up play.”

Abby Stafford, assisted by Bella Perrotti and Norris, then made it 2-0. Perrotti made a savvy pass when she skated behind the Algonquin net and spotted an open Stafford near the blue line, from where Abby shot the puck through the congestion in front of the Algonquin net.

“Bella made a perfect pass to find the open girl and Abby finished it nicely,” said Martucci.

However, Algonquin struck for two goals in the latter half of the final frame, the first of which came when an Algonquin skater stepped out of the penalty box and caught the Lady Buldawgs off-guard. Algonquin  brought matters back to level with a 2-on-1 break with about 6:00 to go, and then had an opportunity to take the lead  with a power play.

However, the Lady Bulldawgs successfully killed the penalty, setting the stage for Norris’s heroics when she slammed home a rebound of a shot by Griffiths.

“The third period was a roller coaster in terms of momentum swings,” noted Martucci. “We thought we had the game comfortably in the bag, but then Algonquin tied things up and had a chance to pull ahead before Mckayla gave us back the lead.”

In addition to his goal-scorers, Martucci lauded the efforts of Katie O’Shea and Ashley Miles for their usual excellent, two-way performance. “Both Katie and Ashley do a  great job for us every minute they are on the ice,” said the coach.

Martucci and his crew, who now stand at 4-2 on the season, were set to play Medford last night (Wednesday) and will host Marblehead Saturday for a 1:30 face-off at Larsen. They will entertain Plymouth this coming Wednesday at 6:10.

WHS boys basketball

defeats Saugus, 75-59

Tayjuan McKenzie turned in a superb, all-around performance to lead the Winthrop High basketball team to a 75-59 win over Saugus last Tuesday evening at the new WHS gymnasium.

Tayjuan poured in 30 points, draining five three-pointers and shooting 9-for-10 from the charity stripe, and keyed a fourth-quarter outburst in which the Vikings broke open a tight 52-51 contest to run away with the triumph.

Tayjuan was immense at both ends of the floor, pulling down 10 rebounds for a powerful double-double, dishing out six assists, making four steals, and blocking two Saugus shots.

Teammate Devin Pulsifer also had a big night offensively, pumping in 23 points, including a trio of treys, and hauling in nine rebounds.

Viking Chris Zuffante played a key role in the win, reaching double figures with 14 points (including a pair of threes), making five steals, and hauling in eight boards.

Alex Dernier chipped in five points and Johnathan Van Dalinda added three points.

This past Friday the Vikings trekked to Lynn Classical and came up on the short end of an 80-52 decision. The contest was a close encounter through the first half, with Classical holding a slim, 38-34 advantage at the intermission. Pulsifer brought Winthrop within two points early in the third frame, but the Rams reeled off  a 17-0 run to break the game wide-open.

Pulisfer paced the Vikings in the scoring column with 17 points and McKenzie struck for 14.

WHS head coach Ignacio Oyola and his crew, who now are 3-5 on the season, hosted Danvers this past Tuesday and will travel to Peabody Friday. They will entertain Malden Catholic this coming Tuesday.

From the Press Box

  Nate Ebner – Number 43

By:  Jim Lederman

New England Patriots safety Nate Ebner visited Winthrop on Saturday morning, yes; we had a super bowl championship player visiting Winthrop! Can the Patriots win another super bowl title in 2017?

Over one hundred young players and fans greeted Ebner on Saturday at the Winthrop Book Depot and Café for a book signing. Suzanne Martucci’s bustling little store was filled for al most two hours, prior to a big snowstorm, a real Nor’easter!

Gus and Sue Martucci sponsored the event and author Sean Stellato’s book “No Backing Down” was sold out after the very successful day.

Nate has quite a story to tell, Nate grew up in Ohio and played three years of college rugby at Ohio State University. Yes the Buckeyes, one of the top college teams in the country.

Nate walked onto the team as a senior and started at safety. Coach Bill Belechick and the Patriots drafted Nate. Last week he was selected to the all-pro team in the NFL. Yes, we had an all-pro NFL player in town.

Nate is a player Sean Stellato represents. Sean has six Patriot players as his clients. He also reps Ryan Allen, Brandon King and five other NFL players.

The former Salem High School player wrote the book “No Backing Down” – it was selected “Sports Book of the Year,” in 2014. Sean is presently making a movie out of the thrilling story. The Salem High School and amazing comeback victories that led Salem to a trip to the MIMAA Super Bowl, despite

a Salem High School teacher strike.

Two ex-Viking quarterbacks visited the Book Depot with t heir sons to meet Nate Ebner. Mark D’Ambrosio played against Sean Stellato in the 1994 Salem – Winthrop battle. Mark was recently inducted in the 2016 WHS Athletic H all of Fame.

Rob Noonan and son talked with Nate Ebner. Rob is another ex-Viking quarterback and has three sons playing Winthrop youth football.

There were many young players and fans like Phil DiMento and daughter Sue Griffiths, Bette and RJ Dalton, a WHS Viking on Saturday.  You can keep an eye on number 43 – safety Nate Ebner on the Patriots kickoff team (he leads the N Fl in tackles on the special team).

Sean Driscoll was at the book signing. He could use number 43 on his team.

We salute Gus Martucci (ex-Viking super bowl championship player) for brining – ‘Number 43’ to town!

Let the Patriots begin their run to the title!

 The Rink

Larsen Rink was built in 1975. Winthrop was the number one hockey team in the state in 1976. Winning the Division One State Title (26-0-1) at the legendary Boston Garden.

The 1976 champions were led by the McDonald line – Bobby Mac, the late Jackie Burke and Joe McDonald. The trio scored 212 points! Yes two hundred twelve. Bobby ‘Mac’ had 57 goals. (Viking super star – Charlie Page has scored 100 points this season.)

The Viking hockey tradition – 14 NEC hockey titles! (Match that Danvers or Marblehead) this “is” Hockey Town USA – Larsen Rink at the Michael Eruzione Center.

We have the “ Lady Bulldawgs” under the tutelage of Anthony ‘Butch’ Martucci (inducted in the WHS Hall of Fame for starting Lady Bulldawgs hockey) we have a great hockey tradition. The big new from coach Butch is we will be the WHS Viking Lady hockey team next year, dropping the affiliation with Lynn – Yes – The Lady Vikings hockey team – Congrats to coach Martucci.

Yes, we have a spectacular home rink for Winthrop teams. We salute Mike Eruzione and Dale Dunbar for building the rink and raising money and the Winthrop Youth Hockey – Winthrop – The Home of Championship Hockey teams! I hope we can continue to fill ‘the rink’ this winter cheering for another exciting hockey team.

Have you watched Charlie Page – number 16 – he is another Viking all-star and we salute coach Dunbar for producing another 100-point scorer and a great Viking team.

See you at Larsen Rink!

Let the Games Begin!

Behind the Blue Line

I have had many Viking fans ask me – Why do we have a girl’s hockey team called the “Bulldawgs”? Winthrop and Lynn and Saugus, formed a team in the past eighty years. The Bulldawgs have won four titles and coach Anthony ‘Butch’ Martucci has built a very strong girls program.

I am pleased to report that in (2017-2018) Lady Vikings hockey will be the new name of the team. Winthrop will have a very strong program with ‘Butch’ at the helm of the ship.

In the NEHL league there are co-op teams (Beverly, Danvers, Peabody, Lynnfield) a Masconomet Regional Team. Winthrop will be the smallest team in the league but with a very strong feeder program and with the dedication of “Hall of Fame” coach Martucci, Winthrop will always be a contender. We salute coach Martucci and his assistants!

Let the Games Begin!

Winthrop “Lady Viking Hockey”

Trivia

Ryan Spooner #51 lives in Winthrop.

The late Randy Herdt, played hoop at the University of Rhode Island – he played against Dr. Julius Irving. His coach was Mike Fratello; Randy is in the WHS Athletic Hall of Fame.

Camp Columbus in Boxford was the summer camp in the 60’s Jeff Howe and his legendary coach John Killelea were at camp with Sam Jones and Dave Cowens.

The Tsiotos brothers, Nick and Chris averaged 55 points per game at WHS and Huntington Prep School in 1973.

Winthrop has won 38 boys and girls NEC championships when will the Golden years return?

Manning Bowl (Lynn) War Memorial Stadium (Newburyport) and Everett stadium were the first ‘big three’ football stadiums with lights.

Ingleside Courts – two courts and the McKenna Courts (Walden Street) the three legendary summer hoop courts – What happened to the Winthrop Summer League?

Can you name the ex-NBA basketball player who played against the Vikings in a super bowl game in the DeFelice Era (33-game win streak)?

Speaking of basketball – ‘The Voice’ will name his all-time WHS basketball all-star team this month!

Let the Games Begin!

The Banners

I Miss ‘the Banners’ that used to hang from the legendary James Holland Memorial Gym for 45 years at the old Winthrop high school.

The ‘Golden Era’ of Vikings basketball produced championship steams in hoop and super bowl champions in football. I miss the ceremonies to honor 1,000 point scorers, like (the all-time leading girls scorer, Courtney Finn). All American hoop player at Bentley University and Dino Mallios (1,475 points – all-time boys scorer at WHS. Dino led the Division 2 in college in assists in 2014 at St. Anselm.

When will the banner tradition return? I can’t fine the 1,000-point banner that honors the legends of WHS hoop. We have to honor the special athletes that bring pride to our Viking teams. We will honor Chris Tsiotos in March when the court is named in honor of his legacy! They have those banners hanging at Larsen Rink!

Let the Games Begin!

The Magicians

The original nickname of Marblehead High School teams – The Headers.

I visited Marblehead last week; I drove by the old high school on top of the hill. My WHS teams in 1959-1960 defeated the Headers in football and basketball.

Today Marblehead is a NEC power in football. They have a beautiful new high school, beautiful new Piper football stadium.

The Vikings are preparing to play Marblehead in hockey (Ed. Note: this was written on Friday) the Vikings under the tutelage of coach Dale Dunbar should restore the Vikings reputation in sports on Saturday.

The Vikings boys’ hockey team and coach ‘Butch’ Martucci have lifted the reputation of Viking sports in the NEC this winter. Let’s hope the future of Viking football will return – what happened to our basketball title – the hoop capital of the North Shore!

Let the Games Begin!

Blocksidge Field

I drove by the legendary Blocksidge Field in Swampscott. I played my first game in 1956 on the ‘grass field”. In the 50’s the “Big Blue” was like Everett High School – they controlled the NEC under Stan Bondelevitch!

In 1956 the WHS football team ended a 24-game Swampscott win streak (in 1981-1983 – coach Bob DeFelice’s Vikings won 33 games in a row). A NEC all-time record, the game was played at Miller Field. The final score WHS 12 – Big Blue 6.

Frank “Buster’ Ferrara scored both WHS touchdowns – a super victory – big upset!

My 1959 WHS team defeated Swampscott (12-0) to end another ‘Big Blue’ streak. Every time I return to that field I remember playing on the “legendary field” against our archrivals in the conference.

Construction this year will begin to install a new turf field and new stands and press box – The Vikings under coach Sean Driscoll have won 4 in a row at Blocksidge! Can they do it again in 2017?

There are many historic fields around the North Shore; “Blocksidge” is my favorite!

Let the Games Begin!

The Crusader

Winthrop athletes that played for the Holy Cross Crusaders include – Chuck Mullane, Vin Eruzione and Chris Zikos. My favorite Holy Cross ‘Crusader’ is the legendary Boston Celtics player Tom Heinsohn.

I just watched the TV telecast of the Celtics game vs. Philly. Tommy Heinsohn is 82 years old and still a great TV analyst on Celtics broadcast.

I watched Tom Heinsohn win 8 NBA titles and two as coach of the Celtics. He was Rookie of the Year in 1957, a Holy Cross graduate and a legend in Boston Celtics history.

The Celtics have won 9 out of their last 11 games and they are exciting to watch in 2017. Catch the Celtics on CSNE broadcast and listen to Tom Heinsohn – “the Crusader of the Year”!

Let the Games Begin!

Go Celtics!

Faces in the Crowd

Bette Dalton is a passionate supporter of Viking football and basketball! I call her the”50-50 Lady’ – Her son RJ is a player. Bette proudly told me last week the ‘Frosh hoop team won their first game (52-58) over Saugus – Bette- Let the Games Begin!

Viking legendary 1981 football player (he always tells me of the super bowl victory) ‘Big Gus’ Martucci (who has the beef?) Promises the 2016 Winthrop – Revere game will be at Miller Field – Gus is on the Finance Committee.

*Four Mahoney hoop players in the stands at the Winthrop – Saugus game – dad Steve (all-time assists) Kelly (shot of the year) and Shannon cheering for the Vikings.

*Former Viking Lady hoop all-star and captain of Babson College Rena Mallios with cousin Poli Tsiotos in the stands.

*Larry Moran – Ex-Big Blue hoop and football star cheering for brother Paul Moran and his Saugus hoop team – Paul was quarterback of the Big Blue 1972 championship team, that beat the Vikings for the title (DeFelice Era).

*Coach Jack MacDonald – Player for the 1955 hoop team. Ex-U Rhode Island football all-star, always at Viking hoop games.

Kevin ‘Spoon’ Corkhum visiting the new “Chris Tsiotos Court”. Kevin had a 38-point game vs. Lynn Classical.

Future Vikings

I have watched the Winthrop youth football, hockey and basketball programs in town. The future is bright and I can predict some championship teams.

I salute the enthusiasm of our youth coaches like Chris Ferrara, Butch Martucci, Nick Tsiotos, Kevin Adamson, Sean Conway and Mark D’Ambrosio.

Ex-standout athletes devoting their time to develop and coach “future Viking athletes.”

We will have a football stadium next year (2017). We have Larsen Rink, a sparkling new high school with a beautiful gym and will have a new football stadium.

We are competing with larger schools and towns and cities like Swampscott, Revere, Danvers, Marblehead and Beverly. They have larger numbers, but we have Viking Pride. The smallest school in the NEC with the most championship teams – “It takes a Village.”

Let the Games Begin!

Viking Sports Schedule

Girls Hockey – Lady Bulldawgs

Saturday – Jan. 14 – Marblehead at 1:30 p.m.

Wednesday – Jan. 18 – Plymouth at Larsen Rink at 6:10 p.m.

Boys Hockey

Saturday – Jan. 14 – Beverly at Larsen Rink at 3:30 p.m.

Saturday – Jan. 21 – Gloucester at Larsen Rink at 1:30 p.m.

Let’s fill Larsen Rink for Vikings Hockey!

Let the Games Begin!