Page 10 THE REVERE ADVOCATE – FRIDAY, JANUARY 19, 2024 Everett/Revere/Malden Co-Op Hockey Team's half-season review: tough battles, promising horizons By Dom Nicastro T he Everett/Revere/Malden High Schools cooperative boys’ hockey team fi nished the fi rst half of the season, 4-6. Losing record, yes. But still just one game off the pace in terms of qualifying for the state tournament in March. Everett has 20 games and needs 20 points, or 12 points in its fi nal 10 games. So not a bad fi rst half in that sense, considering the injuries and illnesses on the squad and the youth throughout the lineup. Craig Richards, head coach of the cooperative team that includes players from Everett, Malden, Revere and Mystic Valley high schools, has been impressed with the team's ability to compete when they are at full strength. Their success is often contingent on their physicality. Now if those illnesses would just go away. “It seems to be only getting worse, to be honest,” Richards said. “I want to say we've had a minimum of one guy out just about every day with some sort of illness. We've had everything from conjunctivitis to stomach bugs to upper respiratory. I mean, it's just been crazy.” What’s not crazy is when the team puts things togethFreshman Tommy Cronin reaches for the puck in recent action against Medford. er. And that was showcased in the team’s 8-7 win over Nashoba on the road Jan. 10. Everett was clicking on all cylinders on off ense and showed the cohesion for which it’s capable. Granted, Richards would have liked to see a better eff ort on the defensive end, but the victory was huge nonetheless – and should serve as a motivator for the second half of the season. “Nashoba Tech is a ranked team,” Richards said. “And we took them 8-7 in overtime which was a huge win. It was a big upset and then the next day we come back and a couple guys are out, and you see what happens (8-1 loss to Stoneham). Depth is key in high school sports, and if you don’t have that depth, it’s very tough to compete.” Richards appreciates the team's physical style of play, especially during its significant win over Nashoba; he desires to see more of this. He notes the importance of being physical, not allowing opponents to set up their game, and maintaining focus. The coach identifies several off ensive players who have been instrumental in the team's performance, including senior forward Jake Simpson of Malden, who has shown versatility by playing both defense and Senior co-Capt. Jake Simpson carries the puck up ice in recent action against Medford. forward eff ectively. Other notable contributors contributing to the scoreboard include senior forward Lucas Deguire of Mystic Valley, sophomore forward Frankie Annunziata of Revere and sophomore forward Michael Brandano of Mystic Valley. Defensively, the team has been led by senior defenseman Jackie Summers of Malden and freshman defenseman Tommy Cronin of Malden. Freshman goalie Ray Blauvelt of Everett is gaining experience and has showed promise. “He’s had his great games, ~ RHS PATRIOTS SPORTS ROUNDUP ~ Revere girls track team makes its mark Last week at a tri-meet with Malden and Lynn Classical, the Revere High School girls track team put up two big wins to move to 5-0 on the season. It defeated Lynn Classical, 86-2, and Malden, 67-32. Ashley Cabrera Rodriguez was the top scorer for the team at both meets, taking home three fi rst-place fi nishes (15 points), both against Malden and Lynn Classical (55-meter dash, long jump and 4x200-meter relay). Olivia Rupp and Gemma Stamatopoulos continued their undefeated streak in each of their respective events (1 mile, and 600-meter) and both participated in the fi rst-place 4x400-meter relay, putting up 10 points each for the Patriots. Over the weekend, the team had a number of girls participate in the Massachusetts State Track Coaches Association (MSTCA) Northeast Invitational at the Reggie Lewis Center in Boston. Senior Ashley Chandler broke her own school record in the weight throw with a huge toss of 30-10, a full 10 feet farther than her throw last week, which set the school record. “Ashley really has shown a lot of determination working through this event on her own since it’s not typically contested in Massachusetts, and we don’t have the facility for it,” Revere coach Racquel MacDonald-Ciambelli said. “We’re hoping this throw will qualify her for the all-state exhibition in February.” Stamatopoulos continued to improve her 600-meter personal best with a fi ve-second PR, running 1:47.97, which puts her close to a state-qualifying time and only four seconds away from a school record. Rupp also PRed in the 1,000-meter with a time of 3:32.76. Junior Ashley Cabrera Rodriguez tied her PR in the 55-meter dash (8.01) and is only 0.1 second away from a statequalifying time. Basma Sahibi Revere boys’ basketball team edged by Classical Lynn Classical topped Revere, 43-41. Senior center Amir Yamani had eight points and 10 rebounds for Revere. Junior Guard Avi Lung posted eight points, fi ve assists and three steals. Junior Guard Ethan Day added 12 points. The Patriots’ Ethan Day tried to block a pass from a Lynnfi eld player in recent action. and senior captain Yara Belguendouz also PRed in the 55-meter hurdles; Belguendouz ran a 10.62 and Sahibi ran a 11.13. “I am so proud of this team,” MacDonald-Ciambelli said. “The girls are really coming into their own and are extremely motivated to keep improving. We’ve also been seeing some young talent come through that are eager to try multiple events as they work toward fi nding their specialty events. It’s been great running at Reggie more consistently and the times/jumps/ throws definitely reflect the change in track.” Revere has no Greater Boston League meets this week but looks forward to the D1 State Relays on Saturday, Jan. 20, and then picking up league competition on Jan. 23. Girls basketball: Classical sneaks past Revere Lynn Classical edged Revere, 34-33. “It was a tough loss to the Rams of Lynn Classical,” Revere coach Ariana Rivera said. “It came down to the wire, and we fell short.” Belma Velic led the Patriots with 10 points, and Haley Belloise followed up with nine. SPORTS | SEE Page 15 and he's had his not-so-great games,” Richards said. “But you know, overall he's defi nitely given us what we expected if not a little bit more.” Ultimately, the team comprises a mix of seniors and younger players, including freshmen and sophomores, who are making significant contributions. However, the coach is mindful of the challenge they will face next year with the departure of many seniors. The team gets into its final portion of Greater Boston League play in Games 11, 12 and 14. It was set to take on Somerville on the road Jan. 17 and has Medford (Jan. 20, on the road, 4 p.m.) and Lynn (Jan. 27, home, 6 p.m.). It added a makeup game against Taunton Jan. 26. The coach emphasizes the need for the team to be ready and to play with the same intensity and physicality as they have shown in their best games. “I want to see more physical style of play, which is what made us successful in that Nashoba game,” Richards said. “We have a few games with teams that are ranked higher, so these games are really important for us. These guys need to be ready to come to play.”
11 Publizr Home