The Blue Line Report
Phil Stacey
It doesn't matter if he's on the soccer pitch scoring game-winning goals for his team in the state tournament or if he's hopping over the boards onto an ice rink, ready to do whatever is asked of him on that particular shift.
No matter the sport, Julian Yourawski only knows one way to play.
Full bore.
"Play as hard as possible and show that tenacious ability if you have it. That's how I always play," said Yourawski, a senior right wing from Peabody and a team captain for the once-beaten St. Mary's of Lynn Spartans. "You have to pressure up."
Standing at 5-foot-5 and weighing 145 pounds, Yourawski is keenly aware he's often the smallest player on the ice. But he refuses to play like it, instead using his speed ("it's a God-given talent, and I don't waste a second of it" he said) and mentality to do whatever it takes to win the battle for a loose puck, drive to the net against bigger defensemen or break up a play in the defensive zone.
"I have to play bigger than my size; it's the only way I can play. You can't go out there playing scared; I've got to go at them the same way those bigger guys go at me," said Yourawski, a Catholic Central League all-star as a junior. "I like to surprise them, actually. I'm sure a lot of (opponents) look at me like I'm nothing special, so the best thing is when I get to prove them wrong."
Veteran St. Mary's head coach Mark Lee agrees with his tri-captain's self-assessment. He says without hesitation that Yourawski is the hardest worker he's ever coached in his 25 years behind the bench, and he's the first player he sends out when the Spartans have to kill a penalty.
"It doesn't matter if it's a practice or a game; it's always 110 percent in anything that Julian does," said Lee. "He's a blue collar worker who does his job every day at a high level, and he brings such a positive attitude to the rink, the locker room and the ice with his play that it's infectious.
"He's been an absolute pleasure to coach for the last four years. He's one of those guys you like seeing wear a St. Mary's jacket around the community because he's such a good role model."
Soccer is where Yourawski's star shines brightest. As a captain for the Spartans this past fall, the dynamic striker scored three game-winning goals in the state tournament (vs. North Shore Tech, Maimonides and Boston International) to lead his team to the Division 3 North final. It's the sport he'll continue to play in college.
Although the goals might not come as frequently when he's on the ice, hockey derives the same amount of satisfaction for the 17-year-old. Currently skating on a line with the team's leading scorer, center Bobby Mullins and junior left wing Tommy Braswell, "Jules" has four goals and seven points in a dozen games. While he thinks himself as a passer first, Yourawski quickly adds he has no problem pouncing on loose pucks and trying to jam them past the goaltender.
"He's not the guy who's going to lead the team in scoring — and he knows that," said Lee. "But he's a captain because of his actions on and off the ice. When Julian scores it's a bonus; the goals he usually scores are big ones, too. He had a couple of them last winter that helped us get to the Division 1 North final."
With St. Mary's holding an 8-1-3 record and chasing the school's first-ever Super 8 state tournament berth, the irony of doing so is not lost on Yourawski.
"It's my last year of competitive hockey and if we could qualify as the first team in school history to do it ... it'd be just unbelievable," he said. "Every single guy on our team has that as his focus: get to the Super 8 this year."
He also has never regretted his decision to attend St. Mary's. The smaller class sizes appealed to him immediately, and while he thinks about what it'd be like to play with his close friends at Peabody High — Ryan Noftle, Nico DiSalvo, Rob Houghton, Eric Muise, Eric Costa and Mike Chiappini among them — he said he knows he might the right choice for himself.
"It's been the best thing for me," said Yourawski, who plans on studying criminal justice in college and has applied to Fitchburg State, Framingham State, Merrimack and New England College. "It's a great school, I've had a great time playing soccer and hockey and have some great friends."
• • •
Yourawski is not the only player from The Salem News coverage area who is having a big impact on the Spartans' success this season. Goaltender Donald Hesse of Salem has been immense, pitching shutouts in four of his last five games (while giving up only one goal vs. Arlington Catholic in the other contest) and is the owner of a terrific 1.58 goals-against average.
"He's a kid that works so hard and is so dedicated to the sport seven days a week," said Lee of his senior netminder. "Donald has the type of personality, too, where he plays his best in the biggest games. We really jumped on his back in last year's state tournament, and he's picked up this season where he left off a year ago."
Two other area youngsters are waiting in the wings when Hesse graduates: freshman Bailey MacBurnie of Beverly and Patrick O'Leary of Wenham, two keepers that Lee is thrilled to have.
Brothers Nikko and Andrew Markham of Salem, a junior and sophomore, respectively, are two of the Spartans' stalwarts on defense. "They're both offensive-minded D-men who are physical and great kids off the ice. They're future leaders of this team," said Lee. The younger Markham will miss the next 4-6 weeks with a high ankle sprain, however.
Among the many injuries the Spartans have suffered, senior Justin Levine of Marblehead just made it back into the lineup Monday for the first time since coming back from a shoulder injury. He, along with exciting freshman Jordan Manthorne of Peabody, should both have big second halves offensively. Big strong forward Connor Parent, a sophomore from Danvers, is also just back from a hip injury and ready to contribute. Swampscott's Tim Alyward has worked his way up from the fourth line into a regular role, but sophomore forward Ryan Madden of Salem is lost for the season with a broken collarbone.
Eighth grade defenseman Nick Albano of Beverly is getting his feet wet with the varsity this winter, as forward Chris Butler of Danvers, another eighth grader.
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