They were dominant scoring stars for their respective hockey teams this past winter, and have starred in the classroom at their respective schools ever since they entered high school.
Conor Purtell of Danvers High School and Peabody High girls hockey standout Sammie Mirasolo, a student at North Reading High School, have been named the Moynihan Student-Athletes of the Month.
Conor, a senior captain for the Falcons this winter, helped his club to an unbeaten and untied mark in Northeastern Conference play, just the fourth time in the 46-year history of NEC hockey that had been accomplished. It was the second straight league title for Danvers, and Conor led his team in scoring with 51 points. His 31 assists were tops on the North Shore.
A first line center, Conor finished his four-year DHS hockey career as the program’s 10th all-time leading scorer with 119 points, having scored 42 goals and adding 77 assists.
“It was a ton of fun,” Conor said of his time skating for the Falcons. “My favorite times of high school were during hockey season. Getting to play with (fellow captains) Tom (Mento) and Nic (DiSciullo) my last two years was great, and we had a lot of team success.”
A two-time Salem News all-star, Conor was also named an All-Northeastern Conference forward by the league’s coaches. He finished the year by scoring four points in a game on three occasions, and tallied three points in one contest another six times. Conor also had three assists in two playoff games.
In the classroom, Conor’s star shines equally as bright. He has a 91 average across all of his course load and takes Advanced Placement Physics and Stats. He is also a member of the DECA business club at Danvers High.
“I’ve always been the kind of kid who wants to have good grades, and you really have to discipline yourself when you play sports to make that happen,” he said. “I didn’t have a lot of time to myself during hockey season, so I’d use my free time in school to get my work done.”
Conor, 17, is eyeing the University of Rhode Island to further his education and plans on majoring in Business, looking at either marketing or sports management.
Sammie, a student at North Reading High who plays on the co-operative girls hockey team at Peabody Veterans Memorial, was named the Most Valuable Player in the Northeastern Hockey League this past season. She finished the year with a North Shore leading 41 points and scored 26 goals, with more than half of those (14) coming in the month of January.
Scoring a point in 19 of her team’s 21 games, Sammie buried four pucks in Peabody’s first-ever victory over girls hockey powerhouse Beverly High. She also became the program’s new single-season scoring leader and averaged more than two points per game.
A two-time Salem News all-star who also had four shorthanded goals this winter, Sammie — whose teammates included her older sister, Cassie — has 63 career points with two seasons of high school remaining.
“It was a really great season,” said Sammie, who started skating when she was two years old and first picked up a hockey stick when she was four. “Beating Beverly was the favorite part for me. As a team we always wanted to beat them, and to finally do so was amazing.”
The owner of a terrific 3.92 grade point average, Sammie challenges herself in the classroom by taking all honors classes. Since sophomores can’t take AP courses at North Reading, this is the most demanding schedule she can have. Among her honors classes are Spanish, English, Algebra and Geometry.
Of her classes, Spanish is Sammie’s favorite. “One of my best friends, Ana, lives in Spain,” she said, “so this allows me to talk with her easily.”
Being a student at one school while playing sports at another was never a negative in Sammie’s eyes. Quite the opposite.
“I like it because it’s opened me up to new people,” she said. “Plus, there are girls from Lynnfield on the team that I grew up playing hockey with and was already friends with. So I got to make new friends and be with some of my old friends.”
While college is down the road, Sammie said she’d like to study psychology or music while still being able to play hockey. Being able to combine the two has helped her excel at both.
“I always have to tell myself not to overthink in school or at the rink. Just do what you can do and don’t think too much about it,” she said. “I can’t study too much or think too much about having to score goals; I just have to relax myself and my mind.”
