The St. Mary’s boys hockey team remained atop the Catholic Central League with a 7-0 shutout win at Arlington Catholic on Tuesday night. With the victory, the Spartans improved their record to 8-2-3.
“I was very impressed and happy with the way we came out and played tonight,” said St. Mary’s coach Mark Lee. “We played three solid periods tonight and got a total team effort. It was probably the best game we’ve played as a team all season.”
Jaiden Moriello led the way with two goals for St. Mary’s. Tommy Cash, Damon Maribito, Brady Carpenter, Anthony Bono and Colin Reddy each scored one goal in the win. Goalie Joe Purtell had 17 saves for the shutout in net.
St. Mary’s faces another tough test this weekend when they travel to Boston to take on Cape Ann League power Newburyport in a neutral-ice game at Warrior Ice Arena on Saturday night. The two teams played back on December 16 and skated to a 2-2 tie.
“It’s another tough battle against another great Division 1 team, so we’re looking forward to it,” Lee said. “We know that we have no nights off on our schedule, and we’re preparing for another great game.”
BOYS BASKETBALL
Lynnfield 71, Ipswich 52
For the seventh straight year, the Pioneers (10-2) are going to the state tournament.
Ipswich played the Pioneers tough in the first half and trailed by just five at halftime, 37-32, but Lynnfield amped up its game at both ends of the court in the third quarter, outscoring the Tigers 22-8 to go into the final quarter with a comfortable 19-point lead, 59-40.
“Ipswich had a nice little game plan for us,” Lynnfield coach Scott MacKenzie said. “They wanted to extend their 2-3 zone on us and make us shoot so offensively we had some points but defensively they made some tough shots and that’s why it’s a five point game at halftime.”
Billy Arseneault (19 first-half points) was red hot in the first half with more than half of the Pioneers’ points. For the game, he made three 3-pointers, was 9-of-10 from the free throw line and finished with a game-high 26 points. Dan Jameson posted a double-double, finishing with 13 points and 16 boards. Zach Shone finished with nine points, while Jason Ndansi and Matt Mortellite had eight and seven points, respectively.
Lynnfield hosts Masconomet on Friday night (6:30).
Lynn English 93, Swampscott 55
Swampscott was led by freshman Andrew Augustine, who had 18 points and five rebounds in the loss. Junior Jackson Byrne added nine points. The Big Blue (2-7) will host Revere on Friday night (7).
For the Bulldogs, Matheus Montenairo led all scorers with 19 points. Javaris Hill added 17 points and Myles Mandalaysay finished with 12 points. English improved to 9-1 and hosts Gloucester Thursday night (7) in a make-up game. With a victory Thursday, the Bulldogs will clinch a spot in the state tournament.
Peabody 56, Medford 53
The Tanners improved to 7-4 on the year after a close win at home over the Mustangs. Chris Canela had 22 points to pace the Peabody offense, while Avian Hernandez contributed 15 points and eight rebounds. Jake Gustin made contributions all over the court with four steals, four rebounds and four assists.
Peabody will travel to Somerville on Friday.
Marblehead 51, Salem 43
Derek Marino had a double-double with 16 points and 10 rebounds to help lift the Magicians to a close home win. Sean McCarthy added 13 points and 5 steals.
Marblehead (6-5) will play on the road at Danvers on Friday night (7).
Winthrop 57, Revere 53
Devin Pulsifer scored 20 points, while Eliott Frank logged a double-double with 15 points and 12 rebounds. The Vikings carried a 10-point lead into the fourth quarter that was slimmed down to 2-points. Winthrop (4-7) held on in the late stretch for its fourth win of the season.
“Anytime you get a win in the NEC you have to be happy,” Winthrop coach David Sacco said. “Revere’s well coached and gave us everything we could handle. We were happy to get out of there with a win.”
Winthrop hosts Malden Friday night (7).
Beverly 68, Gloucester 57
The Panthers improved to 8-3 on the season. Beverly visits Salem on Friday night (7). The Fishermen hope to bounce back with a win Friday night (7) when they host Classical.
