The winter high school sports season is set to begin, with teams getting ready for action during recent scrimmages. Over the weekend both the boys and girls hockey teams played host, with the boys team taking on Lexington High School and Oyster River High School and the girls team skating against Needham High School and Lincoln-Sudbury High School.
Both teams notched wins, with the boys team defeating Lexington 3-1 and Oyster River 5-0, and the girls outscoring Needham 5-2 and tied Lincoln-Sudbury 5-5.
Girls coach Geoghan Coogan was pleased and not surprised.
“We went into this with expectations that they were going to battle complete, and did we believe in them? One hundred percent,” Coach Coogan said.
Against Lincoln-Sudbury the girls team played hard with a player out in the penalty box for much of the last five minutes.
“Positive. Move. Play loose, play fun, and have no fear of making mistakes,” Mr. Coogan said, describing his winning strategy for the season.
The season officially begins on Thursday, Dec. 9, with a home game against Nauset Regional High School beginning at 5 p.m.
The boys teams looked sharp in their win against Lexington. Within two minutes of the puck dropping, the Vineyard broke out with a goal from junior forward Nick BenDavid and an assist by senior forward Finn Lewis, setting the tone for the rest of the game.
“[The first goal] was great, and it really set a nice mood for these guys and gave them a lot of momentum for the start,” Vineyard fan and mom Kristin Mathias said. This year is her first with a player on the team.
Samantha Cleland echoed Ms. Mathias’s enthusiasm. “It was amazing [the Vineyard] played really well altogether as a team,” she said. “It was great to see fans in the seats again.”
In the third period, Lexington managed to slip past the Vineyard defense and score a goal tying the game briefly. But the Vineyard scored shortly after with a goal from Finn Lewis, with assists from freshman forward Hunter Johnson and senior defense Charlie Lakis.
Senior forward Jake Scott scored the insurance goal with an assist by sophomore forward Liam Conley.
First year assistant coach Jack McGroarty said he was glad to be a part of the team. Coach McGroarty played on the regional high school hockey team, graduating in 2000.
“It’s my first year,” he said. “I’m an alumnus, so first year getting involved and I coached a lot of these kids in youth hockey, and they’re talented, they’re hard-working, and they’re excited about a winning venture here.”
The season opener is Dec. 14 with a home game against Nauset, beginning at 4:30 p.m.
Boys basketball begins its season on Dec. 11 with a home game against Oliver Ames High School, starting at noon. Girls basketball also opens their season on Dec. 11 with a home game against Carver High school beginning at 4:30 p.m.
The swim team participated in the Cape and Island Relays over the weekend and begins its regular season on Dec. 21 against Durfee High School.
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