Warrior skaters should have more depth for 2014-15 season
SENIOR FORWARD and captain Meghan Guarino was Wakefield’s leading scorer a year ago. She returns to lead the Warrior offense this season as the girls’ hockey teams seek to have an improved winter campaign. (Donna Larsson File Photo)
By DAN MARGARITA
WAKEFIELD — The Wakefield Memorial High girls’ hockey team will begin a new season this week and coach Jack Foley is hoping for good things with an enlarged roster from last season.
“We have a bigger group than the handful we had last year. We’ve got several new players and got a waiver to get some younger players,” said Foley.
Wakefield finished with a 4-15-1 overall record and 3-11-1 in the Middlesex League Freedom division. So the Warriors are seeking improvement this winter season.
Returning members from last season include goalie Miriam Wood and forward Meghan Guarino, last season’s leading scorer. Both are captains and will be joined by assistant captain Julianne Bourque, also a forward.
“We’ll probably carry around 16 or 17 for games and we’ll carry some returning players that were new to hockey,” Foley said.
Last season Foley was able to obtain a waiver from the MIAA to allow an eighth grader to play and Foley once again will be taking advantage of that option to enlarge his roster.
“We got some kids from the middle school up to play and we’ve got two eighth graders who are both capable of playing at this level, so we’re hoping they’ll help us out and we’ll get a little better. They’re working hard. It’s a nice group of kids and they seem to be getting along pretty well and seem to be having fun. We should have a little better depth than we did last year with the group.”
Foley is counting on his veterans to help guide the younger players through the season.
“I kind of expect them to carry the weight for the team. They need to set the tone for everybody, play well and, if we can get those two to do that, then I’m excited about the rest of them. We have a couple of other returning players, juniors Julianne Bourque, Meg Kerrigan, Gabby Nadolny and Leah Devlin. They all played last year so Bourque, Kerrigan and Nadolny, it’s their third year in the program. So, we’ve got a nice little group returning and we’ll fill in with some freshmen that have been playing hockey for a while. They’re doing fine. They’re working hard and they’re playing well and hopefully a couple of kids will pick up the depth we definitely need,” Foley explained.
They lack of experience is most keenly felt on the defensive side, according to the coach.
“I hope (our strength) it’s going to be across the board but I think we’re most inexperienced on defense because we have two returners, Meg Horrigan and Courtney Hill. who played last year as an eighth grader. We’re looking to get a little help back there. We’re trying a number of different players and we’re trying to find some more kids who can kind of fill in that spot and take some time and take a little pressure off the two returning players.”
To prepare his team for Middlesex League competition, generally considered the toughest in the state, Foley lined up scrimmages with St. Mary’s, Medford and Austin Prep, the first and last in particular perennially strong teams.
“St. Mary’s is traditionally a strong program. They looked good when we scrimmaged them but our kids kind of held their own the first time out. We had our work cut out for us, that’s for sure. It’s a good benchmark for them to say, ‘This is where we need to be.’”
Foley explained that exposing his squad to such top competition would be good preparation for their Middlesex League foes.
“I’d say that top-to-bottom, right across the league it’s tough competition,” said Foley.
The Warriors open up the season on Wednesday afternoon at 3:40 p.m. with a crossover game against M.L. Liberty division rival Lexington at the Kasabuski Arena.
