By DAN PAWLOWSKI
WAKEFIELD — The Wakefield High varsity winter sports regular season begins today with basketball and hockey matchups against Arlington.
The Warrior girls’ and boys’ hockey teams will host a doubleheader at the Stoneham Arena with the girls meeting the Spy Ponders at 6 p.m. before the boys’ game at 8 p.m.
The Wakefield boys’ basketball team will start their season at home against the Spy Ponders at 6 p.m. The girls’ basketball team will travel to Arlington for a 7 p.m. start.
The Warriors girls’ hockey team is coming off an 8-11-1 season. They were ranked No. 38 in the final Div. 2 state hockey power rankings. Head coach Jacqui Mansfield will rely on senior captains Maddie DeFeo, Fiona Recene and Gianna Scoppettuolo this year. Some more key returners include senior goalie Julia Welch, senior defender Erin Leary, junior defender Maddy Taylor and sophomore forward Rory McNeill. Arlington beat Wakefield 7-3 in their only matchup last season. The Spy Ponders went 13-5-2 last year.
The Wakefield boys’ hockey team is coming off an exciting season in which they went 11-7-2 to earn a Middlesex League Freedom Division title and the No. 10 seed in Div. 2. The Warriors beat No. 23 Plymouth North 2-1 in OT before knocking off No. 7 Algonquin 3-2 in the Sweet 16. Wakefield fell to Duxbury 4-0 in the quarterfinals. The Warriors move to Div. 3 this year and will have many returners for new head coach John Vater including defensemen Brian Purcell (SR), Liam McNeill (SR) and Trevor Veilleux (JR) along with forwards Frank Leone (SR), Tylor Roycroft (SR), Dylan Wickwire (SR), Andrew Nemec (JR), Cam DePrizio (JR), Brady Walsh (SO) and JP Casey (SO). Junior returner Robby Kimball will get the starting goalie job. Arlington went 14-5-2 in the regular season last year, beating Wakefield 6-3.
The Wakefield girls’ basketball team is also coming off an exciting trip to the Div. 2 quarterfinals after going 18-2 in the regular season to earn the No. 3 seed. They beat No. 30 Grafton in the first round and No. 14 Whitman-Hanson in the second round before falling to No. 6 Dracut 43-38 in the Elite 8. Wakefield head coach Jason Pavey welcomes back two All-Stars from last year’s team including senior Emma Quinn (G/F) and junior Brooklyn Calder (F). Some more key returners include senior Savannah Cummings (C), senior Grace McHugh (F), junior Shea Suntken (G), junior Aliza Margolis (G) and sophomore Emma Ickes (F). Arlington struggled to a 1-19 record last year. Wakefield won their matchup with the Spy Ponders 46-16.
The Warrior boys’ basketball team is coming off a strong season in which they also went 18-2, earning the No. 8 seed in Div. 2 before falling to No. 25 Leominster 71-70 in the first round. Wakefield head coach Colin Halpin welcomes back 2022-23 All-Star senior De’Ari Burton (G) to lead the way. More key returners include senior Jackson McDermott (F), senior Declan O’Callahan (G), senior Logan Bayers (G), junior Matthew Beaver (C) and sophomore Jack Millward (F). Arlington went 13-7 last year, making it to the Div. 1 state tournament before falling to league rival Reading in the preliminary round 45-44. The Spy Ponders handed Wakefield their first of just two regular season losses last year, 58-51 at Arlington High.