BOSTON — The Archbishop Williams High boys hockey team and Boston Latin Academy/Fontbonne Academy girls hockey team both rose to the occasion on one of the city’s biggest stages.
With the ice still down at Fenway Park following the NHL’s Winter Classic in Jan. 2, several area college and high school teams are getting a chance to skate around under the Green Monster. On Tuesday night, the two locals made the most of their chance with 5-1 scrimmage wins — Archbishop Williams beat Bishop Fenwick, while BLA/Fontbonne topped Boston Latin School.
“It was an amazing experience from top to bottom,” said BLA/Fontbonne coach Katie Nolan. “We got a police escort in here today so the girls were fired up about that. The new jerseys which came out (today) were amazing, and the girls played like they wanted it.”
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Aside from playing where some of the most prolific athletes in the world have shined, the seniors also played big. Nolan made it a point for all the seniors to start and finish the game in order to fully take in the moment.
“The seniors showed up today,” said Nolan. “Maeve McCarthy absolutely dominated today. I’m so proud of that kid. She’s been working her tail off. The seniors are my core girls and true leaders.”
McCarthy finished with a pair of goals, one of which was a breakaway where she won the 1v1 matchup against the Boston Latin School goalie with a wrister to the top of the net to make the score 3-1. Her second goal, with 16 seconds left in regulation, capped the scoring.
“It feels amazing, a once-in-a-lifetime thing,” said McCarthy. “I was like oh my God, oh my God. It’s like nothing was going through my mind, my mind was blank the whole time.”
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Senior Emer Ryan added a goal as did sophomore Grace Donaghy, freshman Caitlin Sweeney and junior Mary-Kate Linso.
Other seniors on the team were Caroline Costello, Christine Chinetti, Alana Donovan and Maeve Roche.
The Bishops were no slouches as well. They, too, felt like it was a dream come true playing at the famous ballpark.
“It’s something the kids have been looking forward to all season,” said Archbishop Williams coach Chris Cunningham. “To get the opportunity to come here, it was sort of surreal, and when you walk in it’s like, wow. I don’t think it’ll hit us until later tonight.”
The Bishops sit at 5-3 with a big game against unbeaten St. Mary’s (Lynn) looming on Wednesday. Although they were hyped to play in front of their fans, it’s always business with this team.
“It feels amazing — unreal atmosphere, great fans — but our main focus is Wednesday against St. Mary’s to get the job done there,” said senior Ryan Beardsley, of Quincy.
Juniors Josh Turcotte and Ben Sylvester of Carver (2 goals) found themselves on the scoring list. Sophomores Patrick Hampton and Finn Kelly also scored in front of their family and friends.
“Goalies played unreal, couldn’t ask for a better game from them,” senior captain Matthew Keenan, of Weymouth, said of the trio of sophomore Sean Velozo, of Raynham, and seniors Cole Sweet (Avon) and Phil Coleman. “I thought defensively we got the pucks out, used the glass and wall to our advantage.”
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