PEABODY — After a successful and memorable season on the ice in 2020-21, the St. Mary’s boys hockey team put a perfect cap on the year by hosting its annual end-of-season celebration banquet Sunday evening at Spinellis. The team couldn’t hold its banquet last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, so being able to gather and celebrate together was exciting for everyone involved.
“This was truly a historical season for us, in more ways than one,” said Spartans coach Mark Lee, who has been on the bench for 35 seasons. “It was a constant battle with the protocols, all of the distractions and obviously the very tough league that we play in. We had some ups and downs, but the guys really stepped up when it mattered most and we finished the season with a win for only the second time in program history. I think a ton of credit has to go to the school and the administration for putting together this season and allowing us to play in such a strange year.”
And what a year it was for the Spartans. Facing a shortened schedule and a number of logistical challenges — including a two-week shutdown due to virus problems of their own — the Spartans managed to battle through a slow start to end up finishing the season at 6-6-3. But the record doesn’t do the team justice, as the Spartans closed the year by notching back-to-back wins over top-ranked teams Arlington Catholic and (previously unbeaten) Archbishop Williams to win the inaugural CCL Cup.
Lee gives a lot of credit to his group of seven seniors — Kory Ouellette, Max Giardina, Colby Magliozzi, Kyle LoNigro, Dante D’Ambrosio, Christian Moran and Terence Moynihan — who stepped up and showed true leadership in the face of adversity this season.
“Those guys had to do a ton of extra organizing and help with keeping the team focused this year, because there were just so many distractions,” said Lee. “That group truly showed what it means to be a team leader, and I think we all benefited because of it.”
As for the festivities on Sunday, each player from the varsity and junior varsity squads was given a plaque to memorialize this season. There were also three awards given out at the varsity level and the junior varsity level. For the varsity, the Spartans named Magliozzi as the team’s MVP after leading the team in scoring (9 goals, 14 assists). LoNigro (12 goals, 9 assists) was given the Patrick Reddy Award — which goes to the clutch player who showed leadership qualities on and off the ice — and Giardina was given the Martha Ferrari Award — which goes to the team’s unsung hero each year.
“Colby is a true leader on and off the ice, and he just had such a stellar season for us,” said Lee. “Kyle was incredibly clutch all year, and he even scored the goal that won us the CCL Cup in overtime against Williams. As for Max, he’s a guy that you want on your team no matter what. He’s a guy who always comes to work and he’s got all the intangibles that you look for in a great player.”
Three players earned recognition for the junior varsity team, with Jack Glowacz, Patrick Babineau and Anthony Palmer all receiving Coaches Awards.
As the night came to a close, it was already time to start looking ahead to what’s in store for next season — which is now less than six months away.
“We have a lot of quality players coming back this winter and we also have a big group of incoming new players,” said Lee. “I think we’ll be a little young and we’ll have to deal with that, but the foundation is set and I’m excited to see what we can do in what will hopefully be a more normal season.”
Team captains for the 2021-22 Spartans were also announced, with Nahant natives Seamus Foley and Jake Desmarais earning the honors. A third captain will be named at a later date.
