LYNN — Despite Monday afternoon’s 4-2 road loss against fourth-ranked Hingham (Div. 1), St. Mary’s boys hockey team, ranked ninth, fought until the final buzzer.
Aiden St. Pierre and Stephen Nason ripped goals within five minutes after St. Mary’s trailed 3-0. Cole Alexander, Cam Marchand, Colton Carpenter, and Kalen Huddle dished out assists.
The Spartans outshot the opposition 22-21, including an 8-3 advantage during the third period.
“I’m so proud of them,” said third-year coach Matthew Smith, whose group sports a 6-5 record. “This group has been so committed to being coached and playing the right way. … They’re checking all the boxes.”
Smith’s Spartans — who pride themselves on “buying in” — have had a busy month. They gave St. John’s Prep and Xaverian Brothers everything they could handle in narrow losses, then bounced back with consecutive wins against Bishop Feehan, Pope Francis, and Smithfield.
“This is a team that can make some noise,” Smith said. “We’ve been in every game and it’s a really special group.”
Leading the way are St. Pierre (7 goals, 7 assists) and Nason (4 goals, 2 assists), who has played just four games after an injury.
For a team full of point-per-game players, Alexander (12 points), Carpenter (11), and Finn Racki (11) have helped the cause. JJ Avery and Huddle lead defensemen with nine points, Caleb Racki has been called “beast mode” by Smith, and Evan Toto has recorded nine points.
“He (Toto) went from the fourth line last year to a top-six role on this team,” Smith said. “I’ve coached him since he was 7 years old, so he’s a special player in my heart.”
Another challenge awaits. St. Mary’s travels to face No. 2 Tewksbury Memorial (Div. 2) Wednesday. Puck-drop is slated for 7:10 p.m. inside of Breakaway Ice Arena.
Remaining opponents also include Bishop Feehan, Archbishop Williams, and Arlington Catholic.
“The (conference) lead will be decided by next week, most likely,” Smith said. “I love coming to the rink every day. I love them so much and love what we’re doing.”
