WESTFIELD – The Saint Mary Saints have nothing to lose.
A short time ago, St. Mary’s varsity hockey team did not exist. So there were no losses, no wins.
In their first postseason stint two years ago, St. Mary’s lost to Holyoke in the opening round. The Purple Knights ended the Saints quest last year as well.
So when St. Mary’s goes heads-up with the former Holyoke team, now known as South Hadley – it’s all in. The No. 5 Saints have nothing to lose.
This season was a highly emotional one for St. Mary’s.
Late last December, the school honored fallen Saint, Kevin Major, who died in a drowning accident earlier that summer with a special ceremony at Amelia Park Ice Arena. Family and friends were on hand to share in the incredible night.
Then, shortly before the season came to a close, senior Trey Tremblay brought tears to fans’ eyes when he joined the 100-point club. Tremblay became only the second player in school history to reach the benchmark, joining Nick Masciadrelli, who set the mark during the 2010-11 season before graduating last spring.
It was two very special moments – one shedding light on life’s tragic realities, and one celebrating sports immortality among peers.
“It was nice to see the school retire the jersey for Kevin,” St. Mary’s coach Mike Goodreau said. “He’s never going to be forgotten. Our seniors were crying. That’s how much he meant to us.”
“And on the flip side,” he continued, “It’s nice to see each year, someone reaching (the 100-point) plateau here.”
St. Mary’s celebrated the feat again on senior night. Masciadrelli presented Tremblay with the 100-point puck, and the other seniors took a bow.
So, with South Hadley/Holyoke once again blocking their path, the Saints have little to lose and much to gain in tonight’s Western Massachusetts Division 3A semifinal matchup between the two teams at the Olympia in West Springfield.
“Win or lose, we got to the semis,” coach Goodreau said. “Now it’s all about fun. Let’s go out and play hockey. I’m happy as long as we skate hard.”
Top-seeded South Hadley has three of the area’s top scorers – Casey Baker, Doug Sattler, and Chris Menard – and oh, by the way, is 20-0-1.
The Terriers won their opening round game over Taconic 9-2. St. Mary’s, who look to Trey and brother Nate Tremblay, Zach Slepchuk, and converted defenseman Mark Dobek for offensive spark, defeated Greenfield 4-2.
“We’re not expected to win this playoff game,” Goodreau said, “but anything’s possible.”
For all of the believers, face off comes at 8 p.m. The Saints have nothing to lose.
