St. Mary’s girls and boys hockey on the move

The members of St. Mary’s nation better clear their schedules. With both the boys and girls hockey teams and the girls basketball team alive and kicking in their respective tournaments, there’ll be plenty of bleachers time over the next few days – and possibly beyond.The boys hockey team, which is coming off a thrilling shootout win over Waltham in the Division 1 North quarterfinals, will play Burlington Wednesday at the Chelmsford Forum (8). The girls take center stage tonight in their Division 1 state quarterfinal game against Braintree at Ryan Rink in Watertown (7:30).The boys have their work cut out. Burlington is the play-down team from the Super 8, which puts it as the No. 1 seed.”They’re good sized and talented in all areas of the game,” St. Mary’s coach Mark Lee said. “They’re skilled and can put the puck in the net. They also have pretty good defense.”Lee is counting on his team’s speed to be the equalizer.”If we go out and put out our best effort on the ice, I like our chances,” he said.Lee said the dramatic win over Waltham gave his team a confidence boost.”If we get behind, we know we’re capable of coming back,” he said. “It could be dividends in the future.”St. Mary’s won four North titles between 1998 and 2002. The Spartans reached the semifinals last year, defeating Matignon and losing to Wakefield.GIRLSSt. Mary’s vs. BraintreeThe Spartans travel to Ryan Rink in Watertown tonight to face Braintree (7:30). The teams met earlier in the season and St. Mary’s won, 5-0, but coach Frank Pagliuca is expecting a tough game. He said Braintree defeated Fontbonne, a team that tied St. Mary’s and in the process, snapped the Spartans’ winning streak. St. Mary’s is still riding its 74-game unbeaten streak.”They’re a big, strong, physical team,” Pagliuca said. “They do a good job getting the body on you and they have a couple of girls with good scoring ability.”Pagliuca said he’s been happy with the way his team has come out strong in the first period lately and he’s pleased with how his players have stayed out of the box, for the most part.”It’s a one-game season. If we lose, we go home,” Pagliuca said.