PEABODY — Sammie Mirasolo is one of the unquestioned leaders of the Peabody/Lynnfield/North Reading girls hockey team. A junior captain, Mirasolo is looked upon for production on the ice and leadership off the ice- and she welcomes the role with open arms.
“I take my role pretty seriously and I want to be the person that other players can look up to,” Mirasolo said. “My main goal is to make sure everyone is having a good time, give advice when someone needs it and make an impact on the ice. I want to make sure everyone’s united and feels like a family.”
“The greatest thing about Sammie is that she’s a leader on and off the ice,” said Tanners coach Michelle Roach. “She keeps the team grounded, she leads by example and she has a great positive attitude. She’s exactly what you’d want in a team leader.”
Mirasolo has done nothing but improve in her three seasons with the Tanners. A student at North Reading High, Mirasolo joined the Tanners as a freshman two seasons ago and notched an impressive 22 points, earning Northeastern Hockey League All-Star honors in the process. Last season saw a huge leap forward, as she set the Tanners’ single-season scoring record with 26 goals, 15 assists and 41 total points. That output was good enough for another NHL All-Star selection and also earned her MVP honors in the conference. An honors student, she was also named a Moynihan Lumber Student-Athlete of the Month for March 2018.
“She’s always moving a 100 miles per hour and she does everything we need her to,” said Roach. “There will be times when she’s way up behind the net on offense and then skates all the way back to help on defense without stopping. She’s all over the place and she does a lot of things well out there.”
Through nine games this season, Mirasolo is continuing her solid play with six goals and seven assists. But it’s not her stats that she’s proud of, it’s the way the team has performed in the early part of the season. The Tanners have a solid group of freshmen on their roster who’ve jumped into the mix and contributed in key moments.
“I’m just really happy with how the team has come together,” said Mirasolo. “Over half of our team is freshmen, but I think we play really well together out there. We just know where each other are when we’re out on the ice.”
Mirasolo’s play has helped lead the Tanners to their best start to a season in program history. Peabody is 6-2-1 and well on its way to another Division 1 North state tournament berth. The Tanners have earned some tough wins over NHL foes in Beverly/Danvers and Winthrop. Mirasolo sees it as a product of the team’s chemistry and talent coming together.
“It feels great, I think this is the best record we’ve ever had to start a season and it feels good to be a part of that,” said Mirasolo. “I think it just speaks to the atmosphere with our team and how we’re having a lot of fun out there every night.”
And so moving forward this season, Mirasolo just wants the Tanners to keep the train rolling. She isn’t too concerned about individual stats and accomplishments, so she’s keeping her eyes focused on team success.
“I think really I just have to focus on taking my time, seeing the ice and looking for my teammates when they’re open,” said Mirasolo. “And I think if we can just keep up the morale and continue to work together as a team, we’ll have a great finish.”
Peabody’s back in action Sunday morning (9) against crosstown rival Bishop Fenwick at James McVann/Louis O’Keefe Memorial Rink.