Wolfpack back on prowl
Boston Latin girls return to glory days
The operative phrase is “the ’Pack is back.”
Boston Latin was one of the true powers in the early days of MIAA girls hockey, reaching consecutive state finals in 2001-02 — the latter
resulting in a Division 1 championship.
But after producing at least 14 wins over a stretch of eight seasons, the fortunes of the Wolfpack took a downward turn.
The rebound began a season ago as Latin returned to the postseason for the first time in eight years. The momentum has continued in a positive direction, as Latin carried a 13-1-2 overall record into yesterday’s MVC/DCL matchup with Central Catholic. The Wolfpack also are in a three-way race with Methuen/Tewksbury and Haverhill/Pentucket/North
Andover atop the DCL/ MVC Div. 2 standings. That also is a big change for Latin, which had been butting heads with the league’s Div. 1 powers before moving down this season.
“This has been good for us to develop confidence,” Latin coach Mary Balaconis said following Thursday’s 3-1 nonleague victory against Fontbonne.
Leading the way have been co-captains Rachel Tassinari and Kerry Keaney, who along with backup goalie Gracie O’Neil are the team’s only seniors. Tassinari carried much of the offensive load early in the season and tops the team with 18 goals, but several of the younger players have emerged of late.
Freshman defenseman Emma Kelly had the late heroics in Wednesday’s 1-0 victory at Waltham, scoring with just 46 seconds left as the Wolfpack overcame a big game from Hawks goalie Caitlyn Burke. That came on the heels of the team’s lone loss Jan. 28 against Cambridge, when it was Falcons goalie Bella Jaffe who frustrated the Latin offense.
In Thursday’s win, sophomore Maggie Young snapped a 1-1 tie with just under nine minutes to go. Sophomore Emma Tobin also scored before Tassinari iced it with an emptynetter. Freshman Sophia Temple also has put up double-digit points this season.
“There’s more balance. We have almost three lines,” said Balaconis, who is assisted by one-time Mount St. Joseph coach Tom McGrath and former Wolfpack and St. Michael’s defenseman Olivia Collins.
Keaney and Kelly have led a strong defense in front of eighth-grade goalie Ellen Linso, who is unbeaten in 15 games, having missed the Cambridge loss because of illness.
“She keeps us in the games,” Balaconis said.
The coaching staff also credits a better practice schedule at Murphy Rink in South Boston, where the team gets ice four days a week. The Wolfpack also play a majority of their games there, including next Saturday’s matchup with HPNA before they head to Methuen on Feb. 15, two games that will have big league championship implications.
Miller time
Old Rochester/Fairhaven has been putting up big numbers on the ice all season, but Wareham/Carver’s Derek Miller nearly turned the table on the Bulldogs.
The Vikings senior faced a constant barrage Wednesday night and finished with an amazing 76 saves in a 5-0 loss at Gallo Ice Arena in Bourne.
“It was crazy,” said Wareham/Carver coach Rich Valatkevicz, who was well aware Miller was on the verge of something special, given that his undermanned team was missing six players because of illness. “But I’m not taking anything away from Old Rochester, they have a great team. They shoot from everywhere.
“But Derek Miller has kept us in games all year, he has played great. He was incredible Wednesday night.” . . .
In what figures to be a loaded Div. 3 South field, ORR/Fairhaven has been one of the leading favorites since the beginning of the season. The Bulldogs are 14-1-0 overall and averaging nearly seven goals a game as they chase their sixth consecutive South Coast Conference championship.
Noah Strawn, who returned from junior hockey for his senior season, leads the state in scoring (2228-50) and has bolstered a deep lineup with senior captain Sam Henrie (2317-40), senior defenseman Landon Goguen (10-23-33) and junior forward Tayber Labonte (9-21-30). The Bulldogs, whose lone loss is to unbeaten Div. 3 Central power Shrewsbury, has been just as dominant at the other end of the ice — allowing 16 goals in 15 games.
Major milestone
There have been several players already this season to reach the 100-point milestone for their careers, but perhaps none has better reason to celebrate the achievement than Riley McLaughlin.
The senior reached the century mark last weekend with a goal in Quincy/North
Quincy’s loss to WhitmanHanson/Silver Lake. But even being on the ice at all this season has been a major victory for McLaughlin.
According to her father, former Latin Academy girls coach Mark McLaughlin, Riley underwent surgery for a torn meniscus last June. Originally told there would be a recovery period of nine months, McLaughlin vowed to beat that and the senior captain was back on the ice for the start of practice in December.