Page 10 THE SAUGUS ADVOCATE – FRIDAY, MARCH 18, 2022 Saugus Middle School hockey team completes fi ne season T By Greg Phipps he Saugus High School hockey team was not the only local squad that made a playoff appearance in 202122. The Saugus Middle School squad put together an unbeaten regular season in the Valley Middle School Hockey League (VMSHL) and had a lot of fun in the process. Second-year Head Coach Marc Magliozzi pointed out that although the team adopted the Saugus Sachems moniker it is not affi liated with the school in any way. All of the players are from Saugus and participate in various other youth leagues in the area as well as the VMSHL. “There have been other coaches that have put together middle school teams. I chose to put this team in the [VMSHL] because of the proximity of the rinks and the parity in the league,” explained Magliozzi, who added that the Saugus youth program, which is not affiliated with the VMSHL, is partnered with another community (Lynnfield). “So this is the first time many of the players get a chance to represent Saugus,” he said. The Sachems fi nished 8-02 in the regular season before being defeated in the semifi - nals by Lincoln-Sudbury. Saugus received a bye in the quarterfi nal round. The Sachems outscored opponents 48-13 during the regular season and Saugus player Jack Cuddy played to two ties against Lincoln-Sudbury and Burlington. Magliozzi said the team was fortunate to avoid any COVID-19-related schedule changes and missed only one contest due to a snowstorm cancellation. “We had a very balanced team with scoring occurring throughout the lineup,” he said. Having the opportunity to wear a uniform with the Saugus Sachems label is a plus and perhaps a precursor to a future spot on the high school team, according to Magliozzi. The players compete for other teams during other times of the year. Or they play with other teams while the VMSHL seaSaugus players Brayden Verone and Andre Rosales in action during the season son is in session. The VMSHL campaign runs from December to February. “I have been coaching youth hockey for 10 years now, and one of the greatest takeaways this season was seeing the number of [Saugus] kids play together that ordinarily wouldn’t,” Magliozzi said. “We have players representing the North Shore Stars, North Suburban Wings, Mass Bay Chiefs, Middlesex Icemen, Lynn Youth Hockey, and the Boston Americans. Yet they all live in Saugus. They play at diff erent levels and [with] diff erent age groups.” The team’s cohesiveness while playing in the same unit impressed the coach. Magliozzi recalled instances when players would be coming from a game where they had competed against each other to reversing roles and sharing the bench as members of the Saugus squad. “It was a pretty cool sight to see,” he said. “Seeing them come together for a common goal was the best reward. Overall, I’m just happy the kids had fun.” Magliozzi said he could not have handled the number of kids on this year’s team during game situations without help from assistant coaches Tony Matrocola and Sean Alexander. “I’m not sure what next year will bring but if there is enough interest, I would be interested in putting something together again,” Magliozzi added. This year’s team was sponsored by WIN Waste Innovations. Players on this year’s Saugus team were Louis Migliore, Domenic Magliozzi, Cole Alexander, Demetri Breton, Jack Cuddy, Johnny O’Donnell, John Morello, Jayden Encarnacao, James Caruso, Connor Lacey, Andre Rosales, Alex Rinaldi, Charlie Lauziere, Cam Marchand, Joey Mastrocola, Trey Riley, Drew Ferreira, Conor Herbert, Dalton Diozzi, Brayden Verone, Jake Kelley and Denim Dembro. Saugus player Demetri Breton Saugus player Domenic Magliozzi Saugus player John Morello (Photos Courtesy of Meghann Breton)
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