Hockey: Spartans wear down Billerica, 5-1

The St. Mary’s hockey team continued to follow its blueprint for success Saturday night, shutting down Billerica, 5-1, at Hallenborg Arena. The Spartans ran their Division 1-best record to 9-1-1 and have outscored opponents, 52-17.”This is a fairly young team, one that graduated nine seniors from a year ago, so we weren’t sure what to expect. To have the type of year we’ve had is a pleasant surprise. I think the key is the fact that this team has meshed very well in a short period and they like each other on and off the ice. We preach hard work and discipline and we’ve been getting that every night, something we’re very proud of,” said coach Mark Lee.Jordan Manthorne broke a scoreless tie at 48 seconds of the second period, the first of five Spartans to find the net. Ryan Madden and Tim Aylward (goal, assist) added second-period tallies while Jared Fitzpatrick and Cam O’Neil (goal, assist) scored in the third. Billerica spoiled sophomore goalie Bailey MacBurnie’s (18 saves) shutout bid with 1:37 remaining.”It all starts with goaltending and Bailey has done a great job in his first varsity year. And the offense comes from our defense – it’s never the same guys and everyone is contributing,” said Lee.Beverly 6, Marblehead 3At Salem State, the Magicians built a 2-0 lead after one period on goals by Ian Maag and Ty Bates but couldn’t finish off the Panthers, who scored four unanswered in the second period. Connor Irving and Andrew Irving had two goals each for the Panthers while Brendan Mitchell dished out five assists.Austin Haley netted a third-period tally for Marblehead, now 3-6-1 overall.Beverly reached .500 at 4-4-1.Saugus 6, Revere 1At Cronin Memorial Rink, the Sachems (6-3-1, 6-1-1) rolled to their sixth straight win behind Kurt Rodrigues (hat trick, assist), Anthony Cieri (goal, two assists) and Drew Oxley (three assists). Rodrigues staked the Sachems to a 1-0 lead at 12:00 of the first period. He tacked on a pair to close the second period after Steve Kay’s strike made it 2-0. Chris Whalan brought Revere to within 4-1 early in the third before Cieri and Kyle Zabrowski struck for their first career goals.Abp. Williams 6, Bishop Fenwick 1At McVann-O’Keefe, the visitors jumped out to a 3-0 lead and turned back the Crusaders (1-8-1 overall), who outshot their fourth straight opponent (28-21) but continue to have trouble in the offensive end. Joe Shea got the lone goal in the second period, assisted by Lynn’s Bobby Liberge and Mike Napolitano. Coach Dan Lynch senses his club is close to turning the corner in its inaugural Div. 1 campaign thanks to the leadership provided by Liberge and fellow Lynner Will Clancy, a senior captain and defenseman, and the growth of younger players such as freshman Chris Carney, sophomore Brian Bassett and junior Mark Tedesco.Danvers 4, Salem 0At Salem State, A.J. Couto scored two goals, J.D. Hodgkins had a goal and an assist and senior goalie Zac Ingraham (13 saves) earned a shutout in his first varsity start as the Falcons improved to 9-2-0 overall (7-1-0). Matt Flynn also scored for the Falcons. Goalie Brett Harring delivered a sparking 36-save effort for the Witches, now 1-9-0.Winthrop 11, Lynn Jets 1Aaron Reddick scored the lone goal for the Jets off a Kyle Devin assist. Lynn fell to 4-4-1 and next plays at Somerville on Wednesday night.”Overall, as a team, we’re just very disappointed with our performance,” Jets coach Joe Conlon said.Lynnfield 4, North Reading 1The Pioneers got goals from all three lines as they ran their overall record to 7-1-1. Kris Houda and Alex Ganter had a goal and assist apiece for the Pioneers while Chris Lang and Greg Meininger also got on the board and Joe Bassi had 13 saves.Girls HockeySt. Mary’s 1, Austin PrepAt Connery Rink, the Spartans overcame a 32-save performance by the Cougars’ Shannon O’Neil. Brittany Lanzilli scored the game’s lone goal two minutes into the second period, assisted by Allison Butler and Rachel Donahue. Lauren Skinnion preserved the shuto