SPORTS
March
5, 2005
By
Don Lyons
A Foxboro
player has his eyes on the puck. Jamie Smadbek has his on
Foxboro.
Photos
by Ralph Stewart
Dawn MacMullin
makes a save.
Seniors
who have played their last games in purple and white are,
left to right: Patrick and Jamie Smadbeck, Finn Briggs, Peter
Lynch, Mike Giordano, Jordan Hoehn, Simon Goldberg, Nick Townes,
and Eli Bonnell
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Seniors
Appreciated
The
MVRHS ice hockey teams honored their senior members and played the
final games of the season, Friday, at the MV Arena.
Both the girls and the boys teams will take a big hit by graduation.
The girls team will lose ten of 17 varsity players: Isabelle Lew,
Kerry O’Donoghue, Marisa Higham, Meryl Pye, Adrian Aristide,
Brianna Sylvia, Cera Garvin, Genevieve Flanders, Kayla Whalen, and
Dawn MacMullen. That’s more than half of the girls’ roster.
The boys lose nine (see picture) from a 20-player roster, so 11
remain. Four of the seniors — Mike Giordano, Jordan Hoehn,
Finn Briggs, and Nick Townes — have been named to the MIAA
southeastern all-star team.
Friday was also senior appreciation day for the girls and boys basketball
teams at the Sancydome. Three girls will depart the varsity: Jade
Mazza, Kayla Leonard, and Kara Rosenthal. Three players also leave
the boys varsity: Lucas Brewer, Kyle Robertson, and Patrick Rolston.
Brewer is the team’s leading scorer. Robertson the top rebounder.
The Times joins teammates, coaches, and fans in wishing them all
well, with thanks for the memories.
The junior varsity and freshmen teams and the MV youth hockey and
basketball programs will provide experienced players to fill vacant
spots on the varsity teams.
Crossing East Bridge
The girls basketball team played East Bridgewater, Friday, for the
second time and won, 45-30. Eight of the MV girls scored, none more
than Taylor MacDonald, who had 10. Both Tiffany Smalley and Kara
Rosenthal contributed nine. Previously, off-Island, MV edged East
Bridgewater, 50-46.
The Islanders led at the half, Friday, 20-11. At season’s end
their record was eight wins, eleven losses.
Boys bow to Foxboro
With a 10-9 record, the MV hoopmen needed to beat Foxboro at the
Sancy in Friday’s schedule-ender to qualify for MIAA post-season
play. The Warriors had won the previous meeting at Foxboro by six
points, 71-65.
Coming off an impressive win versus Sabis when the Vineyard’s
fast break befuddled the Bulldogs, it was hoped that Foxboro might
suffer the same fate.
But the Vineyarders looked tired, and probably they were. They had
played three emotionally charged games within the week, games they
had to win, and did.
If there was a fast break working, it was Foxboro’s: the Warriors
ran up a 17-8 lead in the early going. Then the foul line came into
play and Foxboro was awarded 17 free throws in the first half to
the Vineyard’s none and at the break the Warriors enjoyed a
45-21 lead.
MV opened the second half with a 3-point blitz. First Swan, then
Rivers, then Rivers again, and then Brewer hit from long range.
The Islanders got as close as 11, 54-65 before the foul line reared
its head again and Foxboro was given 22 more freebies to the Islanders
four. All told, by my count, Foxboro had 40 opportunities to score
from the charity stripe to MV’s four. The Islanders sank all
four. Foxborough hit 24. The 17-point differential was more than
the Warriors winning margin, 71-59.
No doubt the referees did their best, but to these admttedly biased
eyes it did seem a bit one-sided.
Foxboro’s Ross Giffone had the game-high 24. Matt Rivers was
tops for MV with 17.
Foxboro finished the season 15-7 and is seeded ninth in Division
3 South. Seekonk is the top seed. MV finished out of the money at
9-11.
At the Arena
It is said that he laughs best who laughs last.
The MV boys varsity ice hockey team had a good guffaw Friday after
trouncing Foxboro in the last game of the season, 10-5. The Islanders
outskated, outshot, and outscored the plucky visitors.
Tri-Captain Mike Giordano started the scoring at 8:42 assisted by
Zach Sylvia and Nick Townes. Greg Tympanick tied the score for the
Warriors one minute later. A minute after that Nick Townes put the
Vineyard ahead again, with help from Giordano and Scott Maciel.
Less than a minute later Tony Courso restored the even count, unassisted.
Only two goals were posted in the second period, both colored purple.
Simon Goldberg made it 3-2, unassisted, and Giordano scored his
second goal with help from his co-captains Townes and Jordan Hoehn.
The floodgates opened in the third period when nine goals were scored
in rapid succession.
Before a minute had passed, Courso had his second for Foxboro. Then
Townes registered his second, assisted by Alex Avakian. Tympanick
made it close again, 5-4, with help from Tim Oaks.
Scott Maciel was next, Townes and Giordano assisting.
Pat Smadbeck took a turn at filling the net unassisted and it was
7-4. Simon Goldberg made it eight with help from Chris Edwards and
Steven Greenberg.
The ninth MV goal was by Joel Rebello. And after Hickson scored
for Foxboro, Giordano got his hat trick with 20 seconds left on
the clock.
It was a grand way to finish a season that had had more than its
share of disappointments.
Girls host Acton-Boxboro
The MVRHS girls varsity ice hockey team closed out its season Friday
at the Arena, taking on Acton-Boxborough, a team to which they had
lost narrowly earlier in the month off-Island. In that game the
Islanders came back from a 2-0 deficit to tie the game in the third
period, then lost it on a fluke goal with 26 seconds left on the
clock.
But Friday, A-B was clearly the better team and shut out the Vineyard,
5-0. Coach Sherman gave all of his players equal time on ice, skating
three lines and two defensive sets. Dawn MacMullen and Jen Ward
shared net time.
The Vineyarders season record was 3-16-1.
JV Coach Gene Townes gives his team high marks. “Fifteen wonderful
girls, most of them just learning the game,” played 13 games
with great heart, often against prep school teams. They were “in”
every game, and tied two, but had no wins.
The champion
Bantam Yanks. Standing: Coach Cole Powers, Jarek Peters, Zach
Waller, David Flanders, Alexa Fisher, Antone Silvia, Coach
Bruce Mahaffey. Kneeling: Conor Lodge, Ben Ferry, Zoe Fisher |
Lots
to crow about
The MV Youth Hockey Yankee Bantams demonstrated why they are the
top seed in the league playoffs by shutting out Y.D., the number
two seed, 2-0, at the Arena Saturday. Zoe Fisher scored the first
goal in the first period, assisted by David Flanders. Jarek Peers
was helped by Antone Silvia in the third,
Due to school vacation, only seven MV Yanks showed up, but obviously
that was enough. They took 23 shots on the Y-D goal. Y-D managed
only seven, all of which Zach Waller handled with aplomb.
The very next day, this time at the Tony Kent Arena in Dennis, the
Vineyard Yanks held Y-D scoreless again while scoring six of their
own.
After a scoreless first period, the Islanders scored three times
in the second. Jarek Peters opened the bidding, assisted by David
Flanders and Conor Lodge. Flanders followed with a shorthanded goal,
unassisted, by flipping the puck from the blue line over the Y-D
defense and into the net. With a half minute remaining in the period,
Antone Silvia blasted the puck into a top corner to make it 3-0.
Flanders picked up another assist on that goal.
Third period goals were by Jarek Peters, assisted by Zoe Fisher,
by Antone Silvia, unassisted, and earning a hat trick, Jarek Peers
aided by Antone Silvia.
The shutout goalie in both games was Zach Waller.
The MVYH Yankee Bantams completed the season with a 20-4-4 record.
This weekend they compete in the Bantam B state tournament.
The MVYH Bantam A team has also qualified for the states and will
also be at Springfield. Their last game, Feb. 19, was a 9-5 win
over Weymouth. This Sunday they are at Gallo versus Bourne.
Yet another Island team qualifying for the states at Springfield
is the MVYH PeeWee A’s. They defeated Lower Cape at the Charles
Moore Arena, Orleans, Saturday, 3-1.
Sunday, they were back in the Charles Moore dualing with Barnstable
for the league title. They made it look easy playing their best
hockey of the season. Coach Hart said, “Everyone stepped up
to the plate,”
Both Jock Cooperrider and Chris Davies scored twice. Also filling
the net were Teddy Kram, Tony DeBettencourt, and Colby Gouldrup.
MV goalie Alex Dorr was outstanding holding Barnstable to a single
goal. Final: MV 7, Barnstable 1.
The MVYH Squirt A’s lost their playoff game to Lower Cape,
Saturday, 5-3 despite Kyle Francis’ hat trick effort. Assists
were awarded to Harris Rodrigues, Shay Hill, Bobby Perry and Thomas
Wilkins.
The Squirts are even at 10 wins and 10 losses and play a double
header with Nantucket at the Arena, Saturday. March 12. First face
off is at 11:50 am
On March 18 the Squirts will be in a tournament at Waterville Valley,
N.H. Charlie Ashmun is the coach.
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