LYNN– The Lynn Jets and St. Mary’s hockey teams will celebrate their annual senior nights Saturday during a double-header at William P. Connery Rink. The Jets (11-3-3) have the early game with a 3 p.m. non-conference clash against Essex Tech. St. Mary’s (14-5) will play the nightcap at 5:30 with a Catholic Central League tilt against Lowell Catholic.
Lynn will also honor disabled veterans during Saturday’s game. The Jets will wear camouflage jerseys.
“We decided to do a salute to service for senior day to make this even more special for the seniors and our service members,” Lynn coach Mike Roberts said. “We wanted to give them support so we incorporated that into our senior night. We also have a Color Guard from the Massachusetts Army National Guard coming down and (Massachusetts State Police) Sargent Kathryn Downey, Owen Downey’s aunt, will sing the National Anthem. Incorporating this into senior night has created a lot of buzz in the locker room. We gave out the jerseys and they’re excited to play Saturday.”
There are eight seniors on Lynn’s roster. They are defenseman Troy Petkevich, forward Andrew Patrie, defenseman Owen Downey, forward John DiFilippo, forward Brian Clougherty, forward Paul Papageorgiou, forward Aidan Seitz and goalie Jack Gallant.
“They’ve been the stability that the program has been able to take over the last few years,” Roberts said. “They mean the world to me because I’ve watched them grow since sixth-graders to now graduating seniors. I’ve watched them grow from sixth-graders to excellent-minded seniors. They have great GPA’s. It’s truly a testament to the hard work they’ve put in.
“It’s going to be an amazing day Saturday not just for the kids but for the parents as well,” Roberts said. “The boosters have done an amazing job. We owe a lot to the parents as well for keeping the program alive.”
St. Mary’s carries five seniors on its roster, all of which are four-year members of the varsity team. The senior class includes forward Colin Reddy, forward Nicholas Napolitano, defenseman Kyle Ouellette, forward Damon Maribito and forward Jared Coppola.
“They’re all four-year varsity players that have brought good leadership as a group,” Spartans coach Mark Lee said. “They’ve had great careers. We’ve been to the (TD) Garden for the state championship two of the last three years. Their first two years they played for the state championship. This year’s yet to be spoken for. They’ve had great experiences. They’ve helped St. Mary’s hockey continue to be a force in Division 1. They’re great leaders, they’re very dedicated and they’re leading by example.”
Lee spoke highly of the leadership his seniors have brought to the team. He said it’s a big piece to the success the Spartans have seen this winter.
“Through their experiences they learned from some great leaders early in their careers,” Lee said. “They’re passing that on now to some of the younger guys. We only have five seniors on a very competitive team. They’re passing on their experiences of playing in big games. I think they’re doing a great job of steering the ship.
“A big part of it is the locker room,” Lee said. “The chemistry throughout the team and the way they get along is so important to the success. This year, this team likes each other. We’re going through some ups and downs here and there but we’re staying very tight together.”
St. Mary’s, on a two-game slide, is hoping to bounce back on the win column in its second meeting with Lowell Catholic. The Spartans defeated Lowell Catholic 6-0 on Dec. 22.
“We have a tough month of February with some real tough opponents,” Lee said. “Lowell Catholic is one of those opponents. We’d like to be successful. We’re still in consideration for the Super 8. We need to make sure we come ready to play on senior night.”
