LYNN — When asked about Monday’s hockey tryouts, optimistic second-year coach Matt Smith jumped at the chance to talk about his St. Mary’s players.
“Oh, man… I couldn’t remember a time when we had 17 juniors and seniors,” said Smith, currently going for his Master’s at Boston University in Mental Health Counseling with a concentration in Sports Psychology.
Not just depth, but dedication. Smith said his players have been focusing heavily on fitness.
“They’re all in really good shape,” he said. “We did some testing yesterday (Saturday), and I think 80 percent of our team is able to run a mile in 6:45 or under. It was pretty impressive. A lot of them had really strong falls with their club teams.”
But athleticism can only get a hockey team so far. If you ask Smith, he’s looking for a team-before-self approach, enjoyment of the sport, and players to buy in.
Back to that Master’s program. Smith said his top priority is “sport enjoyment.
“You know, something that I learned in school that I never really thought about before… our No. 1 priority is to create an experience for the players that is fun,” he said. “Just knowing that these high school kids are dealing with so much pressure on and off the ice. What we want to be, as a staff, is a good resource.”
As for some names to watch out for, it starts with senior captain Cam McGonagle, a Catholic Central League All-Star last season who potted six goals to go with 17 assists and a +17 plus-minus.
“We have captain Jaiden Driscoll and JJ Avery on the backend,” Smith said. “And then we also have sophomore Michael Nerich, who’s a Lynn kid and 6-2, 200 pounds. That’s another kid who should have a phenomenal year. He’s been on the team and playing since he was an eighth grader, so this is his third year as a varsity player.”
Twins Caleb and Finn Racki have also turned themselves into “really good hockey players,” according to Smith, who has coached the brothers since the Squirts days.
“And we have sophomore Kalen Huddle. People haven’t heard much about him and he’s a 2009 birth year. He’s an elite defenseman… and we’re thinking he can really jump into a role,” Smith said. “We have another Lynn kid, 6-3 Ryan Amirault, who could be that sixth defenseman. I think he’s also going to be coming into his own.”
Between the pipes is returning goalie Matthew Smith Jr., son of Coach Smith and a netminder who took part in a national camp during the offseason.
“His confidence is at an all-time high,” Coach Smith said. “If he can ride that into the season, with the defense that we have, I think we could be really hard to score on.”
Joey Calder, Colton Carpenter (Worcester Academy transfer), Chase Collins, Maddox Jacobsen, Stephen Nason, and Nick Thornton are other skaters in the mix.
Smith’s Spartans, who finished 11-11-1 last season, are taking things one game at a time.
“We want to take that underdog mentality, like we’re the little guys from St. Mary’s of Lynn,” he said. “I think that’s just a nice way for us to think about ourselves.”
St. Mary’s hosts Hingham, Pope Francis, St. John’s Prep, and BC High after the New Year. The icemen begin Thursday, Dec. 12 at Central Catholic (Salem, NH) with puck-drop set for 4 p.m.
“The schedule is probably the toughest it’s ever been,” Smith said. “I think we’re still a sleeper. People still aren’t paying attention to us across the state, which is a good thing.”
