Sachems Hockey Making A Comeback

Former veteran hockey coach Jeff Natalucci will be at the helm of the revived Saugus High School athletic program

By Mark E. Vogler

Saugus High School once had its own hockey program, which established itself as a perennial powerhouse that competed for state and conference titles in the sport before it was eliminated several years ago. Matt Serino, Director of Wellness & Athletics for the Saugus Middle High School – himself a Hall of Fame hockey player during his days at Saugus High – has talked about reviving the sports tradition since he was hired by Saugus Public Schools in 2024.

The Annual Town Meeting provided the seeds for the comeback this spring when it approved Article 22, which provides $215,000 from the Supplemental Student Support Reserve Fund for supporting the Saugus Public Schools Athletic and Fine Arts Departments by offering programing, tutoring and student study centers for students involved in athletics, the band and chorus. The money budgeted for athletic equipment includes more than $59,000 for hockey.

Serino gave Sachem hockey fans more hope recently, by naming a popular former Saugus High hockey coach to lead the revival. “Saugus High School is excited to announce the return of Jeff Natalucci, Class of 1995, as the Head Coach of the Saugus High School hockey program,” Serino told The Saugus Advocate this week.

“This will be Jeff’s second tenure at the helm of the Sachems. He previously served as head coach from 2010–2022, leading Saugus to four state tournament appearances, including one North Final and two North Semifinal appearances,” Serino said.

“Jeff’s connection to Saugus and to this hockey program runs deep. As a Saugus High School alumni, town employee, lifelong resident, and parent, Jeff has remained deeply invested in our community. All of his children have either gone through (Bella 2024) or are currently going through the Saugus Public Schools (Sophia 2027), with his youngest son, Gio, entering 8th grade and joining the hockey program this season,” he said.

“Saugus hockey has a proud tradition that has been carried on by many great alumni who have returned to give back to the program, and Jeff will continue that tradition in his second tenure as head coach,” he said. “As an alumni and former coach, Jeff understands what Saugus hockey means to this community. He understands the history of the program, the pride that comes with wearing a Saugus jersey, and, most importantly, the core values that the program was built on.”

Serino called Natalucci “the perfect person to help bring our hockey program back to its successful roots.” “His commitment to Saugus extends well beyond the rink, and his experience, connection to the community, and understanding of the proud tradition of Saugus hockey make him a great fit to lead our student-athletes. We are excited to welcome Coach Natalucci back behind the bench and look forward to the next chapter of Saugus hockey.”

In June 2024, not long after the Saugus School Department decided to expand the duties of the athletic director’s job and hire Serino, several School Committee members spoke favorably of bringing hockey back to the Sachems sports scene. Then-School Committee Chair Vincent Serino noted that Saugus High has been a co-op hockey team with Peabody in recent years. “We’d like to see Saugus hockey come back to the way it was,” Serino said.

“Matt has a plan. This is a good fit. The timing is good. At the end of the day, it’s a great fit for Saugus and Saugus athletics,” he said.

Serino starred in hockey while at Saugus High, leading the Sachems to the Division 2 state championship in 2004. He was named to The Boston Globe and Boston Herald All Scholastic teams, and in 2018 he was inducted into the Saugus High Sports Hall of Fame. His wife, Sabrina Cataldo Serino, another standout Saugus High athlete, was also inducted that year. She was recognized for her outstanding athleticism in soccer and indoor and outdoor track.

Saugus, which is known as an avid hockey town, was a high school powerhouse during Matt Serino’s playing days and during the years that his father coached hockey here. He is the son of the late Sachems sports legend for whom the Christie Serino Jr. Memorial Stadium is named.

Saugus Middle-High School Principal Carla Scuzzarella is another huge advocate for reviving the Sachem hockey team. “That was a 65-year-plus program at Saugus High School that was allowed to drift away six years ago,” Scuzzarella – who is a Precinct 10 Town Meeting member – told her colleagues in advocating on the Town Meeting floor in support of Article 22, which provided money for hockey equipment.

“We now coop with Peabody and the Saugus students make up the majority of that team. So we would like to have our own program back again, and to get it started up. It’s a program for a number of students.

“I’m trying to keep kids at Saugus Middle-High School. It’s a program that will help keep a number of students at our school and it’s students we don’t want to lose,” she said.

Scuzzarella’s son Rob is a 2006 Saugus High School graduate and a Sachem Hall of Famer who starred in several sports, including hockey. He was a Hockey NEC All-Star, and one-time hockey state champ.