14 - March 2, 2012


Pelham~Windham Sports Pelham~Windham Sports


Pythons Pummeled in Somber Senior Night Python seniors await the starting lineup announcement for their


Senior Night game against the Cavaliers. (L to R): Derek DeFranzo, Brett Bailey, Erik Nystrom, Anthony Spirou, Brian Finney


beginning, to an eventual horrific evening of basketball. A win on senior night is always nice to experience, but is never a guarantee. However, when the adrenalin is flowing and you are playing your last regular season home game in the Snake Pit against a team that owns a 7-10 record, one has to be thinking optimistically. The optimism didn’t stick around too long after the opening tap. Trailing 14-1 after the first quarter, things only got worse for the Pythons as they were run off their own floor, dropping their season finale to Hollis-Brookline by a final score of 63-41. “It was just bad,” offered subdued Python Coach Matt Regan.


Python point guard goes to the hole in first half action against Hollis-Brookline on Senior Night in the Snake Pit


by Marc Ayotte


After seniors Derek DeFranzo, Brett Bailey, Erik Nystrom, Anthony Spirou and Brian Finney were individually announced to the crowd, they proceeded to seek-out their respective parents in the bleachers to present them with the traditional bouquet of flowers – a pleasant


“They (Pelham) played hard but it just wasn’t effective” said Regan as he tried to just distance himself from the nightmarish performance. When asked what the mood of the team was as they look ahead to the playoffs, the head Python replied “mood? – Everybody is zero and zero (wins). We have to move past it.” Coming into the game, Pelham was in eighth place in the Division II standings. A win would have guaranteed them staying right there, thus earning home court advantage for the first round of the playoffs. As a result of their loss, Pelham’s fate is in the hands of ninth place Lebanon, who as of Tuesday night had two games remaining on their schedule. According to Coach Regan, it is probable that Pelham will face Lebanon in an eight vs. nine matchup, in the opening round. What has yet to be determined is whether the Pythons will play in the raucous Snake Pit or hop on board the team bus for a near two hour, northwesterly trek towards the Vermont border.


Brett Bailey gets congratulations from his parents during a brief pre-game ceremony on Senior Night in Pelham


Pelham senior Erik Nystrom meets his parents in the bleachers during the pre-game ceremony on senior night


Wolf Pack Makes Statement Against Undefeated Eagles, Lambaste Laconia 15-2 on Senior Night


Te Wolf Pack senior players with parents and other family members celebrating senior night at the Icenter in Salem on Saturday, February 25. (L to R): Brian Barnard, Nick Morin, Alec Paradis and Captain Korey Lubinger


by Marc Ayotte The Pelham-Windham hockey team finished their regular season this past Saturday evening with a 15-2 pounding of lowly Laconia on Senior Night at the Icenter in Salem. Three days earlier, the Pack traveled to North Conway where they took on first place Kennett. “We simply played a near perfect game” Coach Doug Watson said about W-P’s 4-2 dumping of the previously undefeated Eagles. With the two wins, the Wolf Pack finished the season with an excellent 14-3 mark, good for third place in the standings. In D-3 hockey’s version of ‘leave no team behind’, the top 10 teams qualify for post season play with the bottom four teams going head to head to create the ultimate and


conventional bracket of eight. As a result, the Pack receive a first round bye, but are certain to host number six seeded Belmont-Gilford in a quarter finals game at the Icenter on Saturday, March 3. This year’s game will be a rematch of last year’s quarter finals in which the Pack won on Red Raider Ice.


Against regular season champ Kennett, the Pack jumped out to a 1-0 lead just past the halfway point of the opening period on Dustin Lubinger’s 23rd goal of the season, with the assist going to brother Korey. The lead held up until 46 seconds had elapsed in the middle period when Kennet’s Kevin Murphy scored to tie the score. A little over a minute later, W-P regained the lead when ‘D-Lube’ notched his second goal of the night, this time on assists from Alec Paradis and Artem


Aristov. Four minutes and 18 seconds in, the Eagle’s Murphy continued his tête-à-tête battle with D. Lubinger when he matched the Pack’s sniper by scoring his second goal of the contest, again knotting the score. In a second period that saw five of the game’s six goals scored, Wolf Pack sophomore Porter Carelli gave his team the lead for good when he recorded his tenth goal of the year. Carelli’s tally with 4:42 left on the clock gave the Pack a 3-2 advantage and also proved to be the game- winner; assists went to Zach Malone and Brian Barnard. With 2:15 left in the second, Colin Begin on an assist from Stephen Beck scored a crucial insurance goal. W-P was able to keep the aggressive Kennett offensive on the perimeter in the third period, as they skated away with the impressive road win. Pack goalie Michael Donovan turned in a fine performance, turning back 26 of 28 Kennett shots on goal. Senior Night At The Icenter On Saturday, February 25, at the Icenter, it was ‘shoot the puck off the pier into the ocean’ night as the Wolf Pack showed mercy on the winless Laconia-Winnisquam, but still managed to hit the back of the net 15 times for an overwhelming 15-2 win. In a brief pre-game ceremony, the Pack honored senior members Brian Barnard, Alec Paradis, Nick Morin and Captain Korey Lubinger. After a nice tribute to each player, their parents and family members joined the seniors on the ice for the customary photo op. The senior photo was the closest opportunity Laconia would have to be ‘in the picture’ as W-P’s first period onslaught gave them a 7-0 lead when the Zamboni appeared to do its thing. Pelham-Windham would go on to score eight more times while Brendan O’Connell, who got the start in net, turned aside all but two of L-W’s shots for the victory. On ‘their night’, seniors Alec Paradis, Korey Lubinger and Nick Morin combined for eight of the Pack’s 15 goals. Paradis and ‘K-Lube’ led the


scoring parade by recording hat tricks in their regular season finale, while Nick ‘Scorin’ Morin netted two goals in the assault. Other goal scorers were as follows: John Monahan (2), Stephen Barton (2), Dustin Lubinger, Zach Malone and Matt Cerretani. Making their way onto the stat sheet via the assist column were Paradis with four, giving him an impressive seven point evening, ‘D- Lube’ (3), Morin (2), Matt Cerretani (2), Stephen Barton (2), Petros Tsoukalas (2), Colin Began and Korey Lubinger with one each. On the season, the potent Pack offense officially recorded the second most goals in D-3 hockey. However, their total of 107 goals scored was adversely affected, by the forfeit win over Manchester West when they were credited with only the ‘generic-goalless’ win. Finishing only three goals behind Kennet’s 110, the Pack otherwise, would inarguably have led the division in offensive prowess. With respect to individual statistics, sophomore Dustin Lubinger led the Wolf Pack in overall scoring with 34 points; a team leading 25 goals along with nine assists. Captain Korey Lubinger was high man in the assist category with 14. Double digit goal scorers included Alec Paradis (15), Nick Morin (13), Korey Lubinger (12) and Porter Carelli with 10. Following ‘K-Lube’ in the assist department were Paradis with 12, David Selden with 11 and Nick Neary, Malone and Barton who each had ten. In keeping with a winning scenario to close out the regular season, Coach Watson commended the JV Wolf Pack squad for recording their first win of the season, a 6-1 decision over Goffstown. Leading the way offensively for the junior pack was sophomore Petros Tsoukalas who recorded his first high school career hat trick. In net, goalie Andrew Gosson turned in a nice showing, rejecting all but one of the Grizzlies’ shots on goal in registering the win.


Tim Raymond, Windham’s Independent Gymnast Finishes Season


submitted By Ginnie Lavallo Windham High School (WHS) sophomore Tim Raymond recently completed his winter gymnastics season competing with the Salem High School (SHS) varsity boys’ team. Tim competed as an “independent” gymnast representing WHS at various Massachusetts High Schools. Salem High School is the only remaining high school in the State of New Hampshire that offers Boys Gymnastics as a discipline. SHS has been fortunate to maintain this varsity program through administrative and parental support. Raymond and his SHS teammates have been training since before


Thanksgiving, and have had competitions against Burlington, Andover, and Lowell, MA respectively. Due to a hand injury, Tim was a late scratch in an early January meet but rebounded a week later on January 12 and placed third on vault and high bar vs. Andover. Salem was host to their only home meet on January 24, where Tim finished third in the All Around, as well as, third on high bar, parallel bar and the floor exercise. On February 7, the boys traveled and competed once again with Andover and Lowell where Raymond placed third on vault, high bar and All Around. Most recently, the boys were invited to compete


at the Massachusetts Coaches Invitational which brings together all MIAA boys gymnastics teams. High schools represented were Salem, Andover, Burlington, Lowell, Braintree, Newton North, Newton South, and Attleboro. Raymond competed in the All Around competition at the Coaches Invite (as opposed to an event specialist) and placed fourth overall. Many thanks to SHS Gymnastics Head Coach Ginnie Lavallo and Assistant Boys Coach Steve Needham for their dedication and commitment to Tim and the gymnastics program as a whole, as well as, to SHS Athletic Director David Rozumekand WHS Athletic Director Bill Raycraft for allowing Tim the opportunity to compete as an “independent” gymnast. Lavallo feels, “as nice as the opportunity was for Tim to be a part of this team, it meant just as much to the Salem kids and coaches especially since we have known him through his older brother and former SHS Gymnastics Team Co-Captain Dan for years.” Lavallo continues, “Tim was a wonderful addition to the team and to see the camaraderie and sportsmanship among all the boys’ gymnastics teams would make one wonder why the sport is not more popular. These boys gain strength and fitness along with improved self-esteem and leadership skills. I only hope we can grow the program from here.”


Staff photos by Len Lathrop


Staff photos by Marc Ayotte


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