Sachems drop rematch against Vikings

  Closing out the regular season with three straight losses, the Saugus High School hockey team is still hoping that a playoff berth is in the cards. A strong showing for the second time this season against a very good Winthrop squad on Wednesday didn’t hurt Saugus’s chances of getting a postseason nod.

  Two weeks ago, the Sachems battled the Vikings pretty evenly at home before succumbing, 2-1. Goalie Matt Smith played well and kept Saugus in that game, but the Sachems engineered some good scoring opportunities of their own and had their chances to steal a win.

  On Wednesday at Winthrop’s Larsen Arena, the contest was another competitive affair. This time, however, the Vikings dented the net five times and that was enough to score a 5-3 win. The defeat dropped the Sachems to 7-12-1 overall for 2021-22 while Winthrop finished 10-9-1.

  Dante Mauro tallied twice for the Sachems and Chris Regnetta scored the other goal. Jason Caron finished with an assist. Regnetta was responsible for Saugus’s lone goal in the 2-1 loss at Kasabuski Arena two weeks ago.

  Last Saturday, the Sachems came out on the short end of a 5-2 final against Danvers at the Essex Sports Center in Middleton. Massey Ventre and Mauro were the goal scorers for Saugus.

  Captains Caron and Ventre were both selected to the Northeastern Conference all-star team this week. The Sachems ended the regular season having scored 53 goals while surrendering 72. Saugus’s last victory was a 6-0 shutout of Lynn on Feb. 15.