The Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School boys hockey team, which has never shied away from tough pre-season competition, took to the ice at the Martha’s Vineyard Arena over the weekend, skating against three top Division 1 programs.
As always, the scrimmages, where the scores are wiped clean after each period, are used as an instructional tool for both players and coaches. In the end, the Vineyarders worked hard throughout the weekend, taking some lumps on the scoreboard in three of the four periods against Framingham and Acton-Boxboro, while putting together two excellent sessions against Connecticut powerhouse Hamden.
“It’s not about wins and losses during scrimmages,” Vineyard coach Matt Mincone said, “It’s about identifying the weaknesses to get ready for the first game of the season. We’re able to expose players to every situation. That’s what scrimmages are for. It was a starting point. There are a lot of new guys playing new positions. Players who were on the team last year but who didn’t play much are playing now. It’s a matter of us learning what we are doing. Five on five, if we play sound, the way we’re capable of doing it, we can play with anybody.., but when we start chasing around, we’re exposed.”
The 2014-15 Vineyard roster is composed of six seniors, ten juniors, seven sophomores, and one freshman. Senior forward Austin Morley will captain the team. Senior Andrew Wiley, who has been on the team for four years, is currently out due to injur, but Coach Mincone hopes to have him back in the near future.
Over the weekend, Vineyard lines included Tristan Araujo, Austin Morley, and Emerson Mahoney; Greg McCarron, Joe Davies, and Jonas Lukowitz; along with Nainoa Cooperrider, Bryce Nelson, and Stephen Brown. On defense, Matt Davies was paired with Nick Vukota; Dorian Johnson, converted from forward to defense, played with Mason Jeffers; while Aksel Cooperrider skated with James Sashin. Senior Nick Kent, made the biggest leap, moving from forward to goaltender, sharing duties with junior Wyatt Jenkinson.
Against a big, fast, well-organized Framingham Flyers team on Friday night, the Vineyarders’ biggest problem wasn’t a lack of effort but a case of leaving too many rebounds loose in the crease and too many Flyer poachers alone to knock loose pucks in the net.
“Our culture of blocking shots and being good in our defensive zone was awful,” Coach Mincone said. “We we’re blocking shots, but guys are getting behind our defensemen; that’s not how we play. The goalie’s objective is to make the first save and we clear out the rebound. If we don’t clear out the rebound, then we have a problem.”
Saturday morning against the Hamden High Green Dragons, the men in purple and black were feisty and aggressive from the start, outskating and outplaying the team from the Nutmeg State over two periods. Goalies Nick Kent and Wyatt Jenkinson were solid between the pipes as well. The teams traded two goals apiece in the first 20-minute session. Emerson Mahoney scored the first Vineyard goal by sliding a shot inside the near post from five feet out. Austin Morley picked up the assist. Mahoney returned the favor four minutes later, setting up Morley, who whistled a wrister top shelf from the right circle.
The Vineyarders were even better in the second 20 minutes, outscoring Hamden 2-0. The first goal came after the puck took a crazy carom off the rear boards, bouncing 10 feet into the slot where Jonas Lukowitz stepped up and blasted it high into the twine. Emerson Mahoney put an exclamation point on the morning session by collecting the puck at center, bursting down the right-hand boards, decking the Hamden goalie and slotting the puck inside the right post.
The Vineyard boys concluded a busy 24 hours Saturday night by facing off against the Acton-Boxboro Colonials, who outscored both Framingham and Hamden in their previous two scrimmages.
The Vineyarders matched the Colonials stride for stride through 15 minutes of the first session. Austin Morley scored the lone Vineyard goal by cashing in a fine centering feed from Emerson Mahoney. Tristan Araujo also assisted. Following the goal, the locals lost their focus on defense. Acton-Boxboro tallied three times in 90 seconds, all thanks to loose rebounds and ample room for the Colonial shooters to make their way around and into the Vineyard crease.
The Purple responded with a better second period, scoring twice to the Colonials thrice.
Austin Morley notched his second of the night at the midway point and Emerson Mahoney ripped a wrister into the top left corner with four minutes remaining.
The Vineyard boys begin the regular season with road games Friday and Saturday in Hyannis against Sandwich and Dennis-Yarmouth. The home opener is Saturday, December 20, at 5 pm vs. Lowell Catholic. Other home dates to circle on the calendar are January 17 (M.V. vs Nantucket, 1 pm); January 21 (Eastern Athletic Conference archrivals Coyle Cassidy, 5 pm), and February 14 and 15 (the annual Fairleigh-Dickinson tournament, which includes Lynnfield, Weston, and Westwood).