St. Mary’s Athletic Director Jeff Newhall didn’t have to look far for a replacement for veteran boys hockey coach Mark Lee, who announced his retirement three weeks ago.
Newhall selected Matt Smith, who has been coaching hockey for 23 years, including 11 at St. Mary’s, to replace Lee, under whom he worked from 2004-06 and since 2015.
“I’ve been preparing 23 years for this,” said Smith, a Saugus firefighter who, along with his fiancé, Christie Ross, owns the Prette Blowdry & Esthetics blow dry bar, with locations in Peabody and Beverly. “Mark let me do a lot the last few years and I’ve been like a sponge. I learned so much. It really helped me be ready for this moment.”
Newhall said there should be a seamless transition with Smith taking over for Lee.
“Matt has paid his dues and this is a job he really wanted,” Newhall said. “We look forward to his continuing and building on the level of success Mark established.”
“Coach Smith’s commitment to developing the whole person makes him stand out,” said Head of School Dr. John F. Dolan. “We are excited about his plans to continue the emphasis on academics, while competing at the highest level of athletics that Coach Lee established. There are great days ahead for Spartans hockey.”
Smith owns All In Hockey, a summer training and 1-on-1 coaching program, and coaches in the North Shore Wings program. He is a USA Hockey Level 4 Certified coach. He said he never considered pursuing a varsity job at another school.
“I never even applied anywhere else,” he said. “I always wanted to be at St. Mary’s. I love the school. It did so much for me and built a lot of confidence for life. I worked really hard to put myself in position to get this position. I want to give back to kids what was given to me and be a positive role model in their lives.”
Smith said the Spartans have the majority of their roster returning next year, including 10 players who will be sophomores. Varsity assistant coach Doug Surrette will return, as will sub-varsity coaches Mike Roberts, Brendan Mageary and Dante Maribito.
A 2-sport captain (hockey, soccer), Smith had 187 points on the ice at St. Mary’s, where he also played baseball, graduating in 1996. After a year of prep school at Bridgton Academy in Maine, he went on to Norwich, where he played hockey two years and graduated in 2001. Smith earned an associate degree in fire science from North Shore Community College in 2020 and a bachelor’s from Salem State in 2021. He has been a firefighter in Saugus since 2017.
Smith’s son Matthew is a freshman at St. Mary’s and his daughter Ava is a seventh-grader in Saugus. He also has three stepchildren: Giada Beddia, Gavin Beddia and Gennella Beddia. He lives in Beverly.
