Tide boys’ hockey team grounds the Jets again

Everett begins 2023 with two road games next week against Somerville, East Bridgewater

  Playing just once almost every seven days in the early going is certainly not taking its toll on the Everett High School boys hockey team (2-1), but they know the schedule will get more demanding as the calendar flips to a new year with at least two games every week throughout the remainder of the season.

  With that said, the Crimson Tide understands they have to be ready for every challenge on the ice, and so for the second time in three weeks they dominated the Lynn Jets, this time to the tune of 13-1 in the home opener at Everett last Wednesday, Dec. 21. They bested Lynn the first time around, 8-1.

  The Everett boys also took on host Medford, and were quite competitive against them, before dropping a 7-4 decision. The local sextet actually led after two, 4-3.

  “It’s been a little tough on them only playing once a week, but we keep the practices fast-paced using a lot of game situations to maintain their sharpness,” said coach Craig Richards. “They know what’s at stake, and the importance of staying focused, while just playing one game a week.”

  The Tide came out flying against Lynn last week to take a 5-0 lead after one period. They scored four more times in the middle stanza to seal the deal. Freshman Ben Saia of Everett scored his first career varsity goal in this contest. His brother David, a senior on the squad, helped paced the attack with two lamplighters. Revere senior Austin Annuziata also chipped in with two markers. Junior Liam Thompson of Mystic Valley notched his first score of the season.

  Mystic Valley sophomore Sophia Leung, and Everett seniors Michael Schovanec and Cam Couto stood out on defense for the locals against the Jets, according to Richards. Malden junior backup goalie Aaron Al-Marayati took over for starter Ben Rosa, a Malden sophomore, in the second and third periods, and came up with 10 saves. Rosa stopped eight first-period shots.

  “We have shown up for every game so far this year, and know we can’t take anybody lightly,” said Richards.

  The Everett co-op team will now head to Somerville on Jan. 4 to face the Highlanders, beginning at 5:30 p.m. They will then face non-league host East Bridgewater on Saturday, Jan. 7, at the same time, as the schedule begins to heat up in 2023.