The Revere High hockey team prepped for its appearance in the post-season state tournament with a resounding 8-1 victory over former Greater Boston League rival Everett Friday at Cronin Rink in the final game of the regular season.
“We played with a lot of energy, which is what this team needs to do if we are to be successful,” said RHS head coach Joe Ciccarello. “We got off to a good start (3-0 after the first period) and kept after them (Everett) the rest of the way.”
The Patriots enlarged their lead to 5-0 after two periods and tacked on three more lamplighters in the final frame. John Galaitis scored twice for Revere with teammates Kevin Chiles, Marco Mazzarelli, Steve Noel, Joe Ristaino, Cam Whalen, and Rich Pollignone all scoring a goal apiece.
RHS goaltenders Adam Comeau and Max Anderson shared the duties in the net to earn the victory.
Earlier in the week, the Patriots dropped a 2-1 decision at Lowell. Mazzarelli notched the lone Revere tally off a face-off that tied the game at 1-1 in the middle period, but Lowell scored the game-winner in the third. “We didn’t play well,” noted Ciccarello. “When we don’t play at 100 percent of our energy level, we’re just an average team.”
Revere, which finished the season at 11-6-3, was set to play Masconomet last night (Tuesday) in the opening round of the Division 2 North Sectional of the MIAA state hockey tournament. Revere is the 11th seed among the 11 teams in the D-2 North bracket and Masco is the sixth seed.
“Masconomet will be a formidable opponent,” noted Ciccarello. “We played a complete game at both ends of the ice in our last regular season game against Everett, so we know what we have to do if we’re going to compete against Masco.”
Two Patriots, senior captains Brandon Mastropietro and Marco Mazzarelli, were named to the Northeastern Conference All-Star team and played in the NEC all-star game Saturday.
Lady Patriot basketball team wins season finale
The Revere High girls basketball team concluded its season on a winning note with 53-52 win over Medford last Monday. The Lady Patriots found themselves in a hole in the opening period, trailing 18-8 at the first buzzer, but sliced the margin to a single point, 27-26, by the half.
Revere took control soon after the intermission, moving out to a 44-41 lead after three frames and increasing their advantage to as many as nine points in the fourth period. Medford rallied in the final minutes, cutting the gap to four, 53-49, with 30 seconds to go. However, the Lady Mustangs only got as close as the final margin, which was achieved with a three-point hoop at the buzzer.
Senior Jen Fajardo turned in a superlative effort in her final game in a Lady Patriot uniform, scoring 18 points and dishing out six assists. Tiphani Harris achieved yet another double-double with 11 points and 15 rebounds. Ally Hihojosa also reached double figures with 11 points, which included a trio of three-pointers.
Other point scorers for Revere were Meaghan Gotham and Cassandra DiBella with five points each, Angela Curtis with four, and Logan DiCarlo with two.
“It was our last game of the season and this one was for pride,” said RHS head coach Katelyn Leonard. “We had lost to Medford at the beginning of the year, and really wanted to end on a high note.”
In three games played the previous week, the Lady Patriots dropped a pair of close encounters with Beverly and a contest with Northeastern Conference champion Lynn English.
In the first battle with Beverly on Senior Night at the Merullo Fieldhouse, Revere came out on the short end of a 35-32 decision. The Lady Patriots played extremely well at the defensive end, but shot only 18 percent from the field and just 5-of-15 from the free throw line.
“Even with those numbers we had a chance at the game, but couldn’t close it out,” noted Leonard. “The defense was there, but our offense just really struggled from the floor and from the free throw line. After going 11-12 from the line in our previous game, it was a tough one to lose knowing you left the win at the free throw line.”
Harris paced Revere with 10 points and Hinojosa struck for nine. DiBella added six, Fajardo chipped in five, and DiCarlo scored two.
In the rematch four nights later at Beverly, which was a make-up of a snowed out contest, the teams once again engaged in a tightly-fought battle, but once more the Lady Patriots came up short.
“This was another tough one to lose so close,” said Leonard. “We wanted this game as revenge for our senior night, but just couldn’t close it out. We came out on fire, Jenn Fajardo in particular, who scored 13 of our 20 first quarter points. I’ve never seen Jenn like this — she was on a mission to win this game.”
However, Beverly settled in on defense, and crawled back on offense, hitting a pair of threes in the second quarter, along with some long jumpers, that brought the Lady Panthers within six points at the half.
The second half saw Beverly ramp up the offensive tempo, scoring more than 30 points in the final two frames. Revere on the other hand, went a bit cold, especially in the fourth quarter. The game was tied with about a minute and a half to go, but after a missed lay-up, Beverly came down and scored, and the Lady Patriots couldn’t answer.
“This game was tough. We came out stronger than we had all season long, but just couldn’t close it out. Beverly was resilient and their scorers woke up in the second half, and were too much for us to handle,” said Leonard.
Fajardo finished with 20 points, followed by DiBella with 10, Hinojosa with nine (all on treys), Harris with eight, Curtis with six (on a pair of treys), and Vanessa Puopolo with three.
In between the Beverly contests, the Lady Patriots took on a 20-0 Lynn English team. The final outcome of 55-29 was a reflection of the strength that the undefeated Lady Rams have exhibited all season against every opponent.
“”Lynn English is the real deal,” observed Leonard. “Their defense was too much for us to handle, causing many turnovers, giving them many fast break opportunities to open this game up wide.”
Di Bella led the Lady Pats with 12 points. Jade Aguilera scored four, Fajardo, Hinojosa, and Ivonne Zapata added three apiece, and DiCarlo chipped in two.
Although the Lady Patriots came up short in their bid to make the state tourney with an 8-12 record, Leonard noted the strong second half turned in by her team and the contributions of her seniors.
“Our senior class of Logan DiCarlo, Jennifer Fajardo, Angela Curtis, Ivonne Zapata, and Cassandra DiBella have been some of the best leaders I have ever coached,” said the coach. “We came into this season with a lot of new faces on the varsity team, and this senior class was patient and tough, and led by example every step of the way. They never gave up on their teammates, and it’s a testament to them how successful our second half of the season was compared to the first, winning almost double the amount of games (3-7 first half; 5-5 second half). They are truly a special group of young ladies, and set an amazing example for the future of the program.
“It’s sad to see the season end,” continue Leonard. “We fought hard for every win we earned — nothing came easy — but it taught these girls to never give up. I’m proud to coach this team, and know the future is bright for this program.”
Maddrey is 12th at all-state meet
Revere High star high jumper, Tarik Maddrey, who captured the Division 2 State championship two weeks ago, finished 12th in last weekend’s All-State Meet held at the Reggie Lewis Track and Athletic Center.
Tarik’s leap of 6′-2″ was just behind the winning jump of 6′-4″, the same height Maddrey had achieved in winning the D-2 Meet. Five of the high jumpers achieved the 6′-4″ height, while the next nine crossed the bar at 6′-2″. Maddrey’s final finish of 12th spot was based on his number of overall misses.
