Dec 30 team update

Hello everyone,

The Markham family is hosting a pasta dinner on Mon. directly after practice. Please let them know if your son cannot make it.

Also, if you have not paid the $50 for the SMH jacket and other items please make a check out the the Blue Line Club by January 15.

The list for 50/50s and sandwiches/drinks is posted on the blog. If you have not signed up yet I will assign you a date shortly, and then if it is not good for you you can find someone to switch with.

Here are the dates for the pasta suppers so far:

Mon, Dec 27, Mageary & Surette (cancelled...snow)

Mon, Jan 3, Markham

Mon, Jan 10, Yourawski & Manthorne

Mon, Jan 17 Mullins...Poliskey...Colameta

Sun, Jan 23, Parent & Aylward

Mon, Feb 7,  Perkins & __________

Sun, Feb 13, Dimaiti

Wed, Feb 16, Julia Lowell

I have been trying to put the articles from the Lynn Item and the Herald  on the blog (some problems with the long ones).

www.smhboyshockey.blogspot.com If you take any pictures and you would like me to post them just send them to me.

Christine

St. Mary's hockey reaches Kasabuski final

St. Mary's hockey reaches Kasabuski final: "SAUGUS -- Since coming to the Catholic Central League/Large, the St. Mary's hockey team had knocked off every team in the CCL except one: Austin Prep.

The Cougars had been the thorn in St. Mary's side in recent years but on Tuesday at Kasabuski Arena, the Spartans finally got that monkey off their backs.

James Perkins banged home the rebound of a Bucky Surette shot with 57.3 seconds left in overtime as the Spartans claimed a 2-1 win (a tie in the CCL and MIAA official standings) and a date with No. 1 ranked Malden Catholic in tonight's Division 1 final at the Kasabuski Christmas Classic. The Lancers defeated St. Bernard's, 18-0, in the other semifinal.

'I am very proud of how the guys never quit working,' St. Mary's coach Mark Lee said. 'We have an immense amount of respect for Austin Prep as a program and for us to get a win over a team like that when we don't play our best says a lot for the guys in our locker room.'

Despite outshooting AP 20-17 in the game, the Spartans (2-0-2) struggled to find their way at times on Tuesday and relied on solid goaltending from Donald Hesse to keep Austin from pulling out in front when they had control of the game for much of the first period and a half."

Herald article

The Dec 22 Boston Herald article by Jim Clark


Super Eight semifinalist Austin Prep suffered some heavy losses to graduation and transfers, as did state champion Arlington Catholic and runner-up Archbishop Williams. That leaves the door open in the Catholic Central League for St. Mary’s, which lost to AC in the North final. James Perkins and Tommy Braswell lead a balanced group of forwards, with Cam Kennedy the top blueliner in front of all-star goalie Donald Hesse.

Lynn Item roundup Dec 22

At Connery Rink in Lynn, the rematch of last year's Division 1 North final was entertaining as the Spartans (2-0-1) got a hat trick from Bobby Mullins to overcome a 2-0 deficit after the first period.

"I was proud of the way the kids didn't quit and kept coming back," St. Mary's coach Mark Lee said. "We dominated the last two periods but we had a lot of opportunities turned away."

Mullins got the Spartans on the board early in the second period before the Cougars took back their two-goal lead. Brendan Mageary scored late in the second and Mullins netted another early in the third to make it 3-3.

The Cougars pushed back in front at 4-3 before Mullins completed his hat trick at 8:55 of the third.

Senior boys 2010/2011

Photo by Mr. Colameta

Lynn Item Dec16

Spartan boys icemen easily defeat St. Bernard's

By Matthew Roy / For The Item

LYNN -- It wasn't the best of performances but it was more than good enough on opening night for the St. Mary's hockey team to blast past St. Bernard's, 7-1, at Connery Rink on Wednesday.

The Division 1 North runners-up from last year dominated most of the way, holding a 28-5 shots on goal over the Bernardians, but were still in a 3-1 game before blowing things open in the third.

"Certainly we have a lot of work still to do but beginning the season with a win is huge for us," St. Mary's coach Mark Lee said.

The Spartans were flying right from the outset and it took a little over four minutes for them to strike first as James Perkins polished off a Tim Aylward pass for a 1-0 lead.

It was still 1-0 late in the first when Bobby Mullins picked up a loose puck in a 4-on-4 situation and blasted a shot from the top of the right circle home for a 2-0 lead at 11:55. Less than two minutes later, defenseman Cam Kennedy stepped out of the penalty box and Perkins hit him with a perfect breakaway pass for a 3-0 Spartan lead after one.

"We came out and played a very good first period," Lee said.

As dominant as they were in the first, the Spartans were caught back on their heels in the second period despite having an 8-3 shots on goal advantage.

The teams exchanged power plays with no damage as the squads looked to be heading for the third in a 3-0 game before St. Mary's made its only big mistake of the game.

With just over a minute left, goaltender Donald Hesse came out to play a loose puck but couldn't corral it for a face-off. The puck wound up on the stick of David Flynn for about as easy a goal as a player can dream of and St. Bernard's suddenly found itself right back in the game.

"We played a pretty tough second period," Lee said. "But we have a veteran team and settled down nicely in the third."

Connor Parent helped restore a little order for the Spartans early in the third when he labeled a wrist shot under the crossbar, assisted by Bobby Mullins and Bryan Wilkins, to make it 4-1.

The dam officially broke five minutes later when Brendan Mageary scored on a 2-on-1 with Julian Yourawski for a 5-1 lead. Derek Stella and Mullins added goals 1:40 apart late in the third to cap the scoring.

SMH 2010/2011 varsity team

Photo by Mr. Colameta

Pasta suppers

The first pasta supper is:
Mon, Dec 27. The Mageary family and the Surette family are hosting this dinner. More info to follow.

50/50 sign up sheet

HOME GAMES SIGN UP SHEET

50/50 RAFFLE

You must enter Connery Rink one hour before the game
Note that the St. Mary’s is not responsible for selling Game Tickets at the door.
Game Family # 1 Family # 2

Wednesday, Dec 15 vs. St Bernard’s 6:00 pm game	Mageary
Wednesday, December 22 vs. A.C. 8:30 pm game	Witowski	Oneill
Saturday, January 8 vs. A.W 8:30 pm game	McCarron	Hesse
Wednesday, January 26 vs. Matignon 6:00 pm game	Albano	Butler
Saturday, February 12 vs. St. Peter Marian 6:30 pm game	O’Leary
Monday, February 14 vs. M.C. 8:00 pm game	Surette	Bartlett
Saturday, February 19 vs. Weymouth 4:30 pm game	Aylward	Madden

　
　www.smhboyshockey.blogspot.com

sandwiches, drinks and snack sign up sheet for away games

AWAY GAMES -SIGN UP SHEET sandwiches, drinks and snacks for the way home
The Kennedys and the Markhams did sandwiches for the scrimmage Family 1 Family 2

Sat, Dec 18 in Kingston	Yourawski	Manthorne
Tues, Jan 4 in Fitchburg	Mageary	Surette
Wed, Jan 12 Austin Prep	Witowski	Hesse
Sat, Jan 15 St. Peter Marian	Dimaiti	Perkins
Wed, Jan 19 Matignon	Stella	Braswell
Sat, Jan 22 A.C.	Mullins	Oneill
Mon, Jan 24 Coyle/Cassidy	Wilkins	Moreschi
Wed, Feb 2 A.W.	Julia Lowell	Albano
Sat, Feb 5 Hingham	Aylward	Stan Levine
Wed, Feb 9 Gloucester	O’Leary	Butler
Thurs, Feb 17 S.C.	Poliskey	O’Neill
Wed, Feb 23 Newburyport tourney ----------------------------　 Fri, Feb 25 Newburyport tourney	Macburnie -----------------------　 Parent	Bartlett ------------------------　 Madden

Lynn Item, December 3

Home > Sports

St. Mary's goaltender Donald Hesse posted a goals-against average of under 2.00 last season. (ITEM FILE PHOTO)

St. Mary's boys hockey gears up for a milestone and some challenges

By Rich Tenorio / The Daily Item

With a wealth of experience returning, St. Mary's boys hockey coach Mark Lee sounded hopeful for the Spartans' chances this season.

"We've got a strong core of leaders," Lee said, "and a very young, talented group also. It's a good combination. We're excited as coaches. As they say, we're cautiously optimistic. It's a hard-working team with a great attitude."

This season marks Lee's 25th as a head coach, and the Spartans are coming off a run to the Division 1 North final last year.

Lee enters his milestone 25th season with four North titles under his belt.

"We haven't gotten a state title yet," he said. However, he noted that the program has posted a double-digit number of league titles in that span, and that its postseason appearance last year was its 16th in a row.

"It's been a nice run," he said. "Every year is another challenge."

This time around, the Spartans will begin with some challenging scrimmages before the regular-season opener against St. Bernard's (Fitchburg) at Connery Rink on Dec. 15. St. Mary's will play preseason scrimmages against Catholic Conference schools Xaverian, St. John's and Catholic Memorial. The Knights will visit Lynn for the first time in Lee's 25 years.

"We're very happy we're even scrimmaging these types of teams," the coach said.

Adding to the optimism is the fact that 56 players tried out for the Spartans this year, a record high for the school.

The 2010-11 edition of the Spartans will have three captains: Cam Kennedy, James Perkins and Julian Yourawski. Last season, Perkins scored 12 goals and assisted on six more for 18 points, while Yourawski scored seven with nine assists for 16 points.

The coach is also looking for continued strong play from goaltender Donald Hesse, who posted a goals-against average of under two (1.98) last year, with five shutouts. The three-year goalie is a Catholic Central League all-star.

"Defensively, our rock is Hesse in net," Lee said. "He's the backbone of our team, along with a core of returning defensemen.

"I think he's very well-schooled. He's dedicated a number of years to goalie schooling. He plays angles well and is not bothered by a crowd. He loves big games, he loves to be 'that goaltender.' The tougher the game, the bigger he seems to play. He took us to the finals. We're very happy he's back."

The defense includes brothers Nikko and Andrew Markham, both of Salem, and Justin Levine of Marblehead. Lee also has three candidates for backup goalie: junior Stephen Poliskey of Gloucester and freshmen Bailey MacBurnie of Beverly and Patrick O'Leary of Wenham.

"All three goaltenders are extremely competitive and very talented," Lee said. "It's a good problem to have as a coach."

Asked whether this situation is rare, he said, "It's very rare to have this quality of goaltenders. For a freshman, it's great to work with a junior and senior."

On offense, one newcomer is senior Bucky Surette, a transfer from Lynn English. He is a forward who can play either center or wing.

"I think he's a very good player," Lee said, "and a very good kid, which is even more important. He's going to be a big part of our season."

The team's list of returning players is long, and includes quite a few Lynners. Among them are Tommy Braswell, Timmy Aylward and Brendan Mageary, all of whom the coach characterized as impact players. Last season, Mageary tallied eight goals and eight assists for 16 points. Cam O'Neill and defenseman Chad Wilkins are fellow Lynners on the team.

Also on the team are Connor Parent, a sophomore from Danvers, and junior forward Bobby Mullins, who is coming off a sophomore season in which he tallied eight goals and 12 assists for 20 points. As for freshman Jordan Manthorne of Peabody, the coach said, "We expect him to break the starting lineup this year ... He's impressed us early."

The team had just three seniors last season. One of them, Corey Bartlett, is repeating his senior year, and the MIAA has ruled that he will be eligible for the second half of this season.

Last year's team went 16-9-1, 7-3 in the CCL. A highlight of that season was Lee's 300th career coaching win, in the opener against Arlington Catholic. Lee is 315-154-55 at St. Mary's for a .685 percentage. The Spartans finished last year one win shy of the state final after the Cougars defeated them in the North final.

This year's Spartans will play a challenging schedule that includes AC, Austin Prep, Springfield Cathedral, Malden Catholic, Weymouth, Duxbury and Super 8 champion Hingham.

One issue that Lee called a learning experience for the team was penalties. Last season, after an altercation with AC, the Spartans were disqualified for the playoffs. The Spartans received no misconduct penalties after that game and appealed the suspension; the suspension was overturned and the team went to the postseason.

Of penalties, Lee said, "We went the entire second half (of last season) averaging less than three penalties a game. I don't anticipate it will be an issue ... We've learned a lot as a team. It's important to stay out of the penalty box."

The coach sounded hopeful that his team would absorb more positive lessons from last year as well.

"Last year, I think, was a big year," he said. "We had only three seniors. To go to the finals, we gained a lot of experience last year, going deep in the tournament. We're hoping it carries over."