FILE PHOTO
Damon Maribito scored a goal for the Spartans but BC High took the win.
By STEVE KRAUSE
The St. Mary’s boys hockey team played one of its best games of the season Wednesday night at Connery Rink, giving BC High, one of the top teams in the state, all it could handle. However, the Spartans fell, 2-1.
“I’m so proud of the way we responded to them,” St. Mary’s coach Mark Lee said. “It was a whole team effort and I’m very impressed with the energy and discipline we showed. This was one of our best games.”
The Spartans held the Eagles scoreless through the first period, but a couple of quick goals in the second, 19 seconds apart, put St. Mary’s in a 2-0 hole.
The home team responded in the third as Damon Maribito cut the lead in half with assists from Nick Napolitano and Mike Desmond. But the Spartans couldn’t find the equalizer.
The shots were even at 22-22, and St. Mary’s didn’t incur a single penalty the entire game. Goalie Andrew LoRusso played very well for St. Mary’s.
The Spartans (12-5-1) will take on Newburyport Friday night at Connery in a makeup game.
Gloucester 4, Lynn 1
John DiFilippo put the Jets on the board in the second period with assists from Steve Patrie and Ryan Clark. The Jets will visit Dracut on Saturday morning, in hopes of getting back on the win column. “We didn’t play well tonight,” Lynn coach Joe Conlon said. “We didn’t have enough jump to stay with them.”
Peabody 7, Beverly 1
The Tanners cruised to a decisive win at home as Ethan LeBlanc led the way with three goals and one assist. Nick Merryman added a goal and three assists, Devin Doucette (1 goal, 1 assist) and Tim January (2 assists) also chipped in, and Jack McKelvey scored his first varsity goal.
Cam Anderson, Zach Rich, Caleb Dollin and Nick Capillo each logged an assist. Aaron McDonnell made 11 saves over two periods, and Connor Christman backstopped Peabody to a scoreless third period, turning away eight shots.
Swampscott 10, Everett 4
Louis Olivieri had three goals and two assists and Mike Johnson and Thomas O’Keefe each added two goals and two assists as the Big Blue routed Everett.
Drew Olivieri also had a big game, recording his first varsity points with a goal and an assist.
Swampscott (16-2) will face off against rival Marblehead Saturday.
North Reading 1, Lynnfield 1
On Senior Night, Lynnfield’s Johnny Percoskie scored on a power play in the third period to tie the game at 1-1. Jaret Simpson and Joey Mack earned the assists on the game-tying goal. “It was definitely one of our best efforts,” Lynnfield coach John Gardner said. “It was Senior Night and that was a big deal because North Reading has kind of been our kryptonite.” Lynnfield (8-7-2) visits Martha’s Vineyard on Saturday. The Pioneers need two points in three games to clinch a spot in the state tournament.
Danvers 3, Winthrop 2
Conor Purtell scored two goals for the Falcons, who clinched a share of the NEC North with the victory.
BOYS BASKETBALL
Fenwick 73, Gloucester 49
Ryan Veguilla scored 22 points to lead the way for the Crusaders. Fenwick (8-9) visits St. Mary’s on Friday night for a tough CCL matchup.
GIRLS BASKETBALL
Tech 40, Minuteman 39 (OT)
The Tigers kept their playoff hopes alive with a nerve-wracking victory on the road.
Up by three with time ticking away, Tech allowed Minuteman to score at the buzzer, but escaped with the one-point win.
“We’ve played them three times, and it’s tough to beat a team three times,” Tech coach Kaitlyn Wechsler said. “We knew coming in that all of the pressure was on us.”
The Tigers fell behind by eight points at the start of the fourth quarter, and changed up their defense to a zone to try and contain Minuteman. It paid off.
Alondra Sanchez contributed half of the Tigers’ points, Arianna Anaya added eight points and Malvelis Hernandez chipped in with seven. Annmarie Teixeira had a strong defensive game, coming up with big rebounds and a timely steal late in the game.
It will come down to the wire for Tech, as it needs one win to clinch a tournament berth. The Tigers host rival Chelsea for the regular-season finale Friday.
Fenwick 53, Spellman 45
At Spellman, the Crusaders moved to 13-6, with senior Sam Gulla leading the way with 17 points and four steals.
Sophomore Jaxson Nadeau had 14 points and two steals. Sam Mancinelli, Fredi DeGuglielmo, and Mary O’Brien also played well.
Fenwick is back in action Friday at home against St. Mary’s.
GIRLS HOCKEY
St. Mary’s 2, Quincy/N. Quincy 2
Mady Hentosh and Adara Nazarian had the goals as the Spartans scored their second straight tie, having played Arlington Catholic to a 1-1 deadlock Saturday.
The tie makes St. Mary’s record 12-2-3. The Spartans are back in action Saturday at Austin Prep, and conclude their regular season next week in the Hingham Showcase with games against Acton-Boxborough Tuesday and Braintree a week from tonight.
Fenwick 6, Shawsheen 1
The Crusaders featured six different scorers in Meghan Carney, Caitlin Carney, Jesse Adkinson, Maggie Williams and Allie Giguere. Freshman goaltenders Cailyn Wesley and Daphne Jalbert teamed up for the win. Fenwick hosts Wilmington on Sunday morning.