WINTHROP — The Winthrop girls hockey team scored a goal in the first period and let its defense take over from there on Saturday, riding some strong goaltending to a 1-0 victory over Newburyport in a Northeastern Hockey League bout at Larsen Rink.
The lone goal in the win came from Vikings sophomore Sami DiMento, who took a pass from junior Lily Tallent and roofed it under the crossbar in the final seconds of the first period to put Winthrop ahead for good. Hannah Parker also had an assist on the play.
“We really don’t consider it a first, second or third line on this team, — we think of it as 1A, 1B and 1C,” said Winthrop coach Anthony Martucci. “Our 1C line (with DiMento, Parker and Lily Tallent) is actually the most structured out of the three lines. Even though the other two lines are very explosive offensively, that line is our most structured and that’s why we love what we have with our depth at forward.”
The Vikings also got a stellar performance in net from senior goalie Summer Tallent, who made 16 saves to earn the shutout in net. It was the 18th shutout of her illustrious career, which started five years ago when she was only in eighth grade. She now has a program-record 44 wins in net, and she’s second only behind Gretchen Howard (21) for career shutouts in Vikings history.
“We’ve been blessed for the past five years, since she was an eighth-grader, she’s really held it down for us,” Martucci said of Summer Tallent. “I love the way that she commands the position. She’s the type of kid that welcomes a challenge. She’s that type of athlete. Summer’s a once-in-a-lifetime talent.”
After DiMento’s goal, the Vikings continued to control the pace of play and outshot the Clippers in both the second and third periods. That, combined with a number of key saves by Summer Tallent down the stretch, helped the Vikings take home the win and remain undefeated on the young season.
Winthrop (2-0-0) returns to the ice Wednesday evening (6:30) on the road against Marblehead at Rockett Arena in Salem.
