The Vineyard men’s hockey team is firing on all cylinders to start the season, outscoring opponents 23-2 in its first three games with two shutouts from goaltender Henry Wansiewicz.
The Purple’s offensive action began with a 10-0 win over the Whalers in Nantucket. The victory is a welcome start to the season after their rivals have gained the upper hand in recent years. The Vineyarders were sharp from start to finish, committing no penalties and scoring seven goals in the first period. The first goal came from freshman Ryan Heidt on his first shift of his college career. Heidt’s classmate Donnie Gregory also scored his first career goal later in the game.
Other Vineyard scorers included Nate Averill, Hunter Johnson, Peter Williamson, Adrian Alberghini, Robby Pacheco, Mason Warburton and Sol Donnelly who scored twice.
Landon Lépine shows his stature. — Tim Johnson
In their second game, also on the road against Dennis-Yarmouth, Averill notched his 100th career point by scoring four goals and MV beat the Dolphins 8-2. The Vineyarders scored six more goals in the first half with excellent offensive spacing on full display leading to goals from Pacheco, Gregory and two more from Donnelly.
On Saturday, finally in front of their home crowd, the boys struck again early against Monomoy as Gregory put the puck in the back of the net just 49 seconds into the game. Freshman Jason Alton then scored his first career goal later in the period and the Vineyarders went on to outscore the Sharks 5-0.
Heidt scored the third goal on a Warburton shot, Averill scored the fourth, shorthanded with a top-10 move from the sports center, and Will Baliunas scored the fifth and final goal of the afternoon for the Vineyarders victorious. Wansiewicz made 11 saves in the victory.
Their next home game is January 8 at 5 p.m. against Barnstable.
The women’s hockey team also won its home opener against Latin Academy 7-0 to start the season. They scored on the power play as eighth-grader Jocie Smith scored a goal from the point. Elle Mone scored the second, followed by five more goals, including three scored by Annabelle Metell and two more by Abby Geary and Mackenna Metell. Alyssa Viera got the shutout in net.
In their second match the girls faced King Philip at Wrentham and failed to equalize as they lost 2-1. However, freshman Hannah Wansiewicz scored her first varsity goal for the Vineyarders. The girls will have two away games after the break before returning home on January 8 to face Nauset at 3 p.m.
Meanwhile, back in the high school gym, the girls’ basketball team also started the season 3-0, beginning with a close and hard-fought 22-20 victory over Falmouth Academy in its opening game at home. Senior Piper Blau led the way for the Vineyarders both offensively and defensively with eight points, six steals and four blocks. However, it was fellow freshman Carlotta Roberts who sealed the deal for the Vineyarders by scoring the final five points of the game with a breakaway layup and a three-pointer.
For their second game, the girls traveled to Nauset to take on the Warriors and dominated the competition 39-30. Blau again led the team with 12 points while Roberts added eight. Blue and
Agata Rodrigues each went 4-for-4 from the free throw line in the fourth quarter, pushing the purple to victory.
And most recently, back at home, the girls really got their offensive groove back with a 46-30 win over Sturgis West. Blau scored 17 points along with eight steals and seven rebounds. Madis Pitman scored 12 points with five steals and six rebounds and Rodiguez nearly had a double-double with nine points, nine rebounds and three blocks.
Leo Napior heads the court. — Tim Johnson
For new head coach Mary Korba, the first three games have been a great start to the season.
“I’m proud of the way this team has come together and embraced what we’re trying to build here. It’s been a great start to the season, but there’s still a lot of work to do and our goal is to get better every day,” said Coach Korba.
Coach Korba credits his assistant coaches Bob Thistle and Cole Maciel-Wingate with bringing new challenges for everyone to practice. She said that was a big part of their early season success.
“They are not only talented, but also deeply committed to helping these players grow,” she said of her assistant coaches. “Our goal is to rebuild this program into something truly special, starting with a commitment to hard work and a positive team culture. The players have responded incredibly well and it’s exciting to see their progress.
The men’s basketball team is still looking for its first win of the season after losing to Nauset in overtime 65-61, then to the Whalers in Nantucket 64-59.
Against the Warriors, Jacoby Light led MV with 20 points and six steals. Mike Hayes had 14, Landon Lépine had 13 and nine rebounds and Leo Napior had 11 points and five steals.
The boys’ next home game is against Barnstable on January 3 at 4:30 p.m.
The swim team began its season with strong results and new school records in meets against Nantucket and Barnstable.
Ronan Mullin qualified for the 100 fly at the Southern Section Championships with a final time of 58.46 against Nantucket, and Kaua DeAssis set a new school record in the 50 free with a final time of 23.16 against Barnstable. The new record was also good for securing a spot in the state championship.
Other highlights included Carroll Sylvia winning the 50 freestyle with a time of 28.47 and the 100 freestyle with a time of 1:03.94 against Nantucket, and Violet Myers winning the 100 breaststroke with a time of 1:42 .75, also against the Whalers.
So far, the boys have won the total points against Nantucket and Barnstable while the girls are still looking for their first win. Their next home game is January 8 against Nauset at 3 p.m.
Finally, the wrestling team kicked off their season with the Sandwich Early Traditional tournament in Cape Town last weekend. Highlights for the Vineyarders included Jordan Souza, third at 190 pounds with four pins on the day. Kevin Almedia also placed third at 144 pounds with three pins. Odin Robinson placed fourth at 132 pounds with two pins and an 8-5 decision.
Next, wrestling travels to Barnstable to face the Red Hawks and Nauset on January 8th.