Tag: Kaitlyn Spillane

Spillane Continues Stellar Career for St. Anselm Hockey

Former Franklin standout Kaitlyn Spillane is among the team leaders in goals, assists, and points for St. Anselm women’s hockey as she closes out her successful career with the Hawks. (Jim Stankiewicz/Saint Anselm College Athletics)

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St. Anselm College women’s hockey is on a roll at the start of the new season, racking up 14 wins in the opening 17 games including a win against Franklin Pierce on Friday, and one of the leaders for the Hawks again this winter is senior forward Kaitlyn Spillane.

The former Franklin standout is closing in on the 100-point milestone for her career (she has 88 as of Saturday morning) and is currently third on the team in goals with seven, second on the team with 11 assists, and second with 18 points.

“We’re having a really great year,” said Spillane on Friday afternoon, hours before the Hawks faced Franklin Pierce in the first of two games with the Ravens. “We have a super-young team and it’s awesome to see how successful we’ve been considering how young a team we have.”

The young roster, which includes 16 underclassmen (sophomore Jamie Gottwald, an Oliver Ames alum, is among that group), can look to Spillane for leadership after she was named a team captain prior to the season. Having played right from the start of her collegiate career, Spillane can offer her perspective on what young players need to do to get on the ice.

“When I was a freshman,” Spillane explained, “the seniors gave me some advice and you can’t hit everything, so it’s interesting to be a senior now and give advice to the freshmen that you might not have gotten and do as much as you can.”

Asked what it meant to have her teammates look to her as a captain, Spillane responded, “It was an honor and flattering. I have 24 teammates right now and they’re all super-talented, so for them to look at me as a leader was definitely a humbling moment.”

While some players pick up the sport in youth leagues or in school, hockey has always been a part of Spillane’s life. She joked, “I feel like I was skating before I was walking.” When she was two years old, she was given a pair of figure skates and, according to Spillane, she cried because she wanted them to be hockey skates.

“It was just something I was almost born into,” said Spillane. That comes as no surprise to anyone in Franklin.

The Spillane family has become synonymous with hockey at Franklin High. Before Kaitlyn starred for three seasons, her father Chris was a standout player as a Panther (a member of the 1983 state title team) and at UMass Boston before earning 300 wins and counting as a coach of the boys’ program (including the 2016 state title), her brother Ryan was a senior on the Franklin team that became the first to be selected for the Super 8, and C.J. is a junior forward on the Panthers this winter.

Growing up, Spillane was encouraged by her father to play both girls’ and boys’ hockey and she considers herself “fortunate” to have had both opportunities. “My dad was pretty adamant that I stay with the boy’s game because it’s fast-paced and it keeps me competitive and aggressive,” Spillane said.

She continued, “He has been my biggest supporter since day one. He always pushed me on days when I wasn’t really feeling into it and when I had a bad game he would tell me the good things I was doing. He’s always been a positive influence in my hockey career.”

As a freshman, Spillane jumped right into the varsity lineup, which head coach Margie Burke said is in and of itself not unique, but Spillane immediately became one of the team’s “impact players” and that is not always the case for a young player.

“Playing that role is difficult and she handled it well,” said Burke. “I’ve had a lot of freshmen on the varsity team, it happens a lot in girls’ hockey…but she jumped right in and lived up to the expectations right away.”

In fact, Burke recalled that she could see right away that Spillane had what it took to play at the next level. She was named the team’s Rookie of the Year in her first season and was the team’s MVP for the next two seasons. All three years, she was named a SEMGHL (Southeastern Mass. Girl’ Hockey League) All-Star.

“Club sports are fun but you’re not practicing with them as much,” said Spillane, “it’s not as close-knit of a team. Playing with the same girls every day at a fast pace was what really prepared me for college.”

After her junior year at Franklin, where she was also a standout in field hockey and lacrosse, Spillane made the decision to transfer and re-classify at Tabor Academy. Spillane admitted that it was a “difficult” decision to make the move.

“It was really tough to leave those relationships you’ve built over the past 17 years to start somewhere new for two years,” she said. “I kind of realized that, if I wanted to be playing competitive college hockey, I probably need the extra year of development and it made more sense to establish myself for two years rather than going for just one.”

Even without a fourth season, Spillane is fifth in program history with 71 goals and fourth all-time with 129 points.

“It was always just the goal my whole life that I wanted to play college hockey,” said Spillane. “I don’t know that I had a moment where I thought that I could do this, but just that humbling moment when coaches started reaching out that I was like, wow I think I made it.”

She instantly loved St. Anselm after visiting the campus in Manchester, N.H. and it has turned out to be the right move. Spillane has played all but two games in her three-plus years with the Hawks and was second in her freshman class, scoring 13 points.

Two years ago, she was joined at St. Anselm by her brother. Ryan spent a post-graduate year at Kent Hill School and is now a sophomore forward for the Hawks. When asked about sharing her experiences with Ryan, Kaitlyn admitted, “He’s a very talented hockey player and smart kid, so I like to think I help him out but he also helps me out a lot.”

With two Spillanes playing at St. Anselm it has also been convenient for her parents, who can now make the trip to Manchester and catch two games.

“When I transferred to Tabor,” Kaitlyn said, “I wasn’t able to catch as many of my brother’s games, but it’s really convenient to just walk down from my dorm and watch his games every weekend. It’s convenient for [my parents] for the first time in our careers. One rink, two games.”

This winter, the Hockomock welcomed girls’ hockey to the league for the first time. Spillane praised the move as a sign that the sport continues to grow in the area.

“I think it speaks volumes to how much the sport is growing for women and the bright future that they have ahead,” Spillane explained. “I think it’s just one of the small steps towards growing everywhere.”

Franklin is a program on the rise with Burke welcoming enough players this winter to have a full JV schedule. She said that having players like Spillane and current assistant coach Rachel Porter, who holds the career scoring mark at Salve Regina, inspire the current crop of players.

“They show up for the alumni game and everyone is like she’s the one at St. Anselm or she’s the one at Umass Boston or St. Mike’s or Salve,” Burke said. “It’s exciting for the kids to know that people have moved on and it’s good for the program. There’s a spot for someone who wants to play in college.”

Spillane, who was named a New England Women’s Hockey Alliance (NEWHA) Player of the Week after a six-point weekend earlier this season, is focused on bringing more success to St. Anselm this season, particularly winning another New England Hockey Conference (NEHC) Open title in February.

“Eyes on the prize, we’re hoping that we can win the Open championship again this year,” Spillane said. The Hawks beat Holy Cross in overtime to win a record seventh title last year. “We had a really successful end of the season last year (14 wins in a row) and we’re hoping to have a repeat this year.”

Spillane did not set personal goals for this season. She said, “I’m more of an overall record kind of person, so if the team is winning, I’m winning.”

The Campus Report: Winter 2017 Update

Hockomock Campus Report

The HockomockSports.com Campus Report is an update on former Hockomock League athletes currently competing in collegiate sports. If you would like to submit an update, please e-mail info@HockomockSports.com.

Babson men’s basketball has been the top ranked DIII college program for a good portion of the season and former HockomockSports.com Player of the Year and Franklin Panther Sam Bohmiller has played a vital role. The Beavers (21-1) are riding a 12-game winning streak heading into Saturday’s visit to Clark. Bohmiller has started in 20 games this season (missing two for an injury), averaging 29 minutes per game. Shooting at 53.4% from the field (49.2% from three point), Bohmiller is averaging 7.6 points per game as well as 2.2 assists, 2.6 rebounds and nearly 1.0 steals per game.

Mansfield’s Joe Collins has had a terrific year for Southern New Hampshire’s hockey team through 26 games. A graduate student, Collins is second on the team with 11 goals, first on the team with 21 assists and leads the Penmen with 32 points. His +8 is second on the team and his three game-winning goals is tied for the most on the team. Collins is currently riding a three game point streak, recording two against Daniel Webster, one against Franklin Pierce and two against Framingham State. Collins will conclude his final regular season on Saturday in Foxboro against Stonehill.

Taunton graduate Angie Martinez etched her name into Mount Ida’s record books twice this season. In early December, Martinez became just the fourth women’s basketball player in program history to join the 1,000 point club. Less than a week later, Martinez became the first ever Mustang to record 1,000 rebounds. She then took her success to another level in January, hauling in her 1,125th career board, making her the all-time women’s rebounding leader in Great Northeast Athletic Conference history. For her senior season, she is third on the team with 9.1 points per game and leads the Mustangs with 12.1 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game.

Bridgewater State currently sits at 13-9 overall and 6-3 in MASCAC play, good enough for third. The Bears are coming off a win over league-leading Salem State in a game that saw Taunton grad Fawaz Mass drop a game-high 23 points and former HockomockSports.com Player of the Year Rocky DeAndrade chipping in with 16 points. Mass (16.2 ppg) and DeAndrade (14.4) are currently the top two in scoring for the Bears while Mansfield’s Greg Romanko, a captain is at 8.8 points per game and Milford’s Michael Soares is at 4.3 points per game. Mass is second on the team in rebounding and DeAndrade leads the Bears in assists. Soares scored a career-high 19 points late last month in a win over MCLA. Romanko also scored a season-high 19 points back in December in a rout of Maine-Augusta.

Bridgewater travels to Worcester State on Saturday to battle Milford graduate Aaron Anniballi and the Lancers. Anniballi turned it on midway through the season and was rewarded, earning starts in the last five games and six of the last seven. In a road trip to league-leading Salem State, Anniballi dropped a career-high 22 points, including a career-best five three pointers made. In the last five games, Anniballi is averaging 11.2 points, 5.0 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game for the Lancers. For the season, he’s second on the team in assists and fourth in scoring despite just seven starts.

Former HockomockSports.com Hockey Player of the Year Ryan Spillane found the back of the net for the first time in his collegiate career, netting one of five goals in Saint Anselm’s win over Daniel Webster. A Franklin High product, Spillane has appeared in 14 games this year, including the last four. He registered his first assist on Friday, February 3rd against Southern Maine and then scored his first goal on Saturday. N

Success on the ice at Saint Anselm is noting new for the Spillane family though, as Kaitlyn Spillane, a junior, continues to be a big piece of the Hawks’ women’s hockey team. After 12 points as a freshman and 24 points as a sophomore, Spillane is already up to 26 points during her junior campaign. Her 26 points is good for second on the team, a combination of 10 goals and 16 assists. She’s currently riding an eight game point streak heading into Friday night’s tilt with Williams. During that stretch, she registered four points in a win over New England College.

Michael Choate has strung together two strong meets for the Boston University swim team. The former KP Warrior had three top three finishes against Boston College, including third in the 100 backstroke (52.79), third in the 200 butterfly (1:58.57) and second in the 200 backstroke (1:52.11). He followed that up with three more top three finishes against Bryant, including second in the 200 free (1:47.26) and third in the 500 free (4:56.08). He was also apart of the 200 medley relay that took third (1:38.76). North Attleboro’s Sarah Hargrave also had solid showings in the same meets. On senior night against BC, she took first in the 500 free (4:57.16) and first in the 200 free relay (1:37.34). Against Bryant, she placed third in the 100 free (54.43) and was apart of the 400 free relay that touched in third (3:49.61).

2016 HockomockSports.com First Team selection Alecia Quinones has been a top option off the bench for UMass Boston this season. The Stoughton High product has come off the bench and appeared in all 22 games for the Beacons, averaging 5.0 points, 2.8 rebounds and shooting nearly 40% from the floor. Quinones showed what she can do when she played 23 minutes earlier this season at Colby College. She scored 20 points on 8/13 shooting in the win for UMass Boston.

A trio of former Hockomock rivals turned teammates are playing a big role for UMass Amherst’s men’s swimming team. Attleboro’s Owen Wright, Franklin’s Austen Sholudko and King Philip’s Chris DiGiacomo have all helped the Minutemen as they head into Atlantic 10 Championships next weekend. In their latest meet against Fordham, Wright took first place in the 50 yard free (21.53), fourth in the 100 yard free and was apart of the 200 yard free relay team that took second place. DiGiacomo took first place in the 200 yard backstroke, second in the 200 yard IM and placed third in the 200 yard free. Sholudko placed fifth overall in the 1000 yard free and was seventh in the 500 yard free.

Bristol Community College has racked up 13 wins so far this season and is averaging an impressive 88.6 points per game as a team. Former HockomockSports.com Boys Basketball Player of the Year and Taunton standout Jose Mercado is currently third on the team in scoring with 13.8 points per game, fifth on the team with 4.5 rebounds a game and second with 2.0 steals. After coming off the bench for the majority of the season, Mercado has worked his way into the starting line up, starting five straight games. In that stretch, he’s averaged 16.4 points, 5.6 boards, 3.2 assists and 2.4 steals for the Bayhawks, who are 4-1 with him in the starting lineup.

Former HockomockSports.com Girls Basketball Player of the Year Kat Tamulionis has found a new home at Babson and recently helped the program to its 600th win. The Foxboro alum has appeared in 14 games, earning her first collegiate start at Mount Holyoke on January 21st. In the program’s 600th win, a 72-51 win over Emerson, Tamulionis scored a career-high eight points Another former Foxboro standout Ashley Snyder has made nine appearances for the Beavers so far this season, playing a season-high 12 minutes against Emory & Henry earlier this season.

There were plenty of Hockomock alums on the court on Wednesday night when Wheaton visited Clark University. Foxboro’s Rob Lowey and Alex DuBrow dressed for the visitors while Milford’s David Mercier and Joe Atkinson are both captains for the Cougars. In just his second collegiate start, DuBrow made a big difference down the stretch for the Lyons. The freshman hit a pair of free throws with 51 seconds left to give Wheaton a four point lead and then stole an inbounds pass with 22 seconds left, adding one more free throw to help ice the game. DuBrow tied a career-high with 13 points in the game while adding four assists. On the season, he’s averaging 6.8 points, 2.7 assists and leads the team with a 1.6 assist/turnover ratio. Mercier had a game-high 21 points while Atkinson added 16 in the loss. For the season, Mercier is fourth on the team with 10.7 points and fourth in rebounding at 4.2. Atkinson is the team’s top rebounder with 7.5 boards a game and is averaging 11.8 points for Clark (13-9).

Taunton’s Dylan Schrama had a strong showing in Clark University’s meet with WPI at the end of January. Competing in five events, Schrama was first for Clark in three events and touched the wall before anyone else in one event. He took first place overall in the 200 yard IM, clocking in at 2:15.42. He also placed fourth in the 50 yard backstroke and took third in the 100 yard free style. He was also a member of the 200 yard medley relay that came in third overall.

King Philip graduate and current Northeastern sophomore Carly Schnabel was tabbed as the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) Swimmer of the Week. She’s the first Northeastern swimmer to earn the honor this season. Competing at Harvard, Schnabel turned in a historic performance in the 1,000-yard free by setting a new program record in 10:03.95 for first place. Her time is over seven seconds ahead of the next closest conference competitor for the event this season.

Keene State snapped a two-game skid with the help of King Philip alum Jimmy Layman. The junior forward came off the bench to score 13 points (5/8 FG), had four rebounds and came away with three steals. The Owls (15-7) recently were ranked 10th in the Northeast in the NCAA Regional Rankings for DIII. Layman has a been a top contributor off the bench so far this season, playing in 21 games and averaging 3.8 points per game and 2.1 rebounds. He scored a season-high 17 points back in December at WPI.

Less than a week after Mansfield junior Tyler Boulter set a new program record for most threes in a game (10), older brother and former Hockomock League MVP Ryan Boulter decided it was his turn to set a record. In Merrimack’s home game against Southern Connecticut, Boulter put on a show – connecting on nine three pointers to tie the school record. The sophomore forward finished with a career-high 40 points in the Warriors’ overtime win. Although just a sophomore, Boulter is currently leading the Warriors with 18.2 points per game, averaging 3.3 threes in contest. He also is hauling in 4.4 boards on average.

UMass Dartmouth women’s basketball program is used to having a Hockomock alum leading the way, and this year is no different. After years of dominance from North Attleboro’s Meg Ronaghan, now it’s Franklin’s Alicia Kutil that’s leading the way for the Corsairs (19-3). Kutil is second with 13.6 points per game and 8.0 rebounds per game, while adding 2.4 assists, 1.6 blocks and 1.2 steals. She was named the Little East Conference Player of the Week earlier this week.

Mansfield’s George Apostolopoulos qualified for the NEISDA Division II/III Championships in the 50 breaststroke over the weekend at the Bridgewater State Bears Invitational. Apostolopoulos posted a time of 35.43 seconds in the 50 breaststroke to qualify. Attleboro’s Dylon Willis helped the Bears to a pair of wins at a tri-meet at the end of January, beating Husson and Regis. Willis was apart of the 200 medley relay team that came in second, took first in the 50 yard breaststroke (28.08) and the 100 yard breaststroke and was second in the 100 IM.

Also at Bridgewater State, Mansfield’s Abbie Grant and Danielle Souza, North Attleboro’s Adi Tobias and King Philip’s Emily Garven are swimming for the Bears. At the BSU Bears Invitational, Grant was second in the 50 yard butterfly and the 100 yard IM, Souza took third in the 200 yard free, Tobias grabbed second in the 100 yard butterfly and Garven won the 50 yard backstroke as well as the 100 yard free.

Attleboro’s Bri Hochwarter is averaging 13.6 points per game and has been a big reason why Wheelock College women’s basketball has registered 10 wins this season. She is also averaging 3.4 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 1.2 steals for the Wildcats. Hochwarter is on a strong stretch, scoring in double figures in four straight games. She’s hit 14 threes in that stretch, averaging 16.8 points per game.

Former Mansfield Hornet and Winnipeg Jets draft pick Erik Foley is enjoying another successful year at Providence. After an impressive freshman year (seven goals, 12 assists), he’s already topped his rookie point total during his sophomore year. He’s tied for a team-high 10 goals and also has 13 assists, good for 23 points – third for the Friars. Providence is 17-8-4 on the season and ranked #11 in the country.

With the NEWMAC Championships on the horizon next week, Taunton’s Kyle Werra and WPI’s men swimming team are looking to make a slash. Werra has competed in eight events for the Engineers so far this season. At the Clark University Cougar Invitational, Werra set three best times for the season. In the 200 free, he clocked in a 1:57.85, in the 100 breaststroke he touched the wall at 1:08.12 and in the 400 medley, he timed at 4:45.18.

Oliver Ames alum Caitlyn Abela continues to be a big piece for Saint Anselm. The Hawks, who have former Canton assistant Colleen Moriarty on the staff, stand at 15-8 on the season. Abela is second on the team at 10.9 points per game, scoring a season-high 23 earlier this year in a win at Daemen. She’s also averaged 3.3 rebounds a game this year (season-high 11 at Adelphi) and 1.1 assists (season-high 4 vs. NYIT).

A pair of former Hockomock rivals are now teammates at Merrimack. Franklin’s Lexi Martin and Attleboro’s Emily Houle are both contributing for the Warriors (11-11) this season. Martin, a sophomore, has started in all 22 games this season, averaging 8.9 points, 5.2 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game. She scored a season-high 19 points in a win over New Haven in early January and had a stretch in which she scored in double figures in six of eight games. Houle, a freshman and last year’s HockomockSports.com Girls Basketball Player of the Year, has played in 11 games, scoring five points in a game at Adelphi against former head coach Missy Traversi and hitting a three in a close win over St. Michael’s last week.

Former Mansfield Hornet Kevin Conner has scored 13 points in back to back games for Mount Ida heading into this week’s contest with Rivier. The Mustangs (14-8 overall) are currently in fourth place in the Great Northeast Athletic Conference. Conner, who was slowed by an injury to start the season, has started in every game he’s been available for. In a win at Rivier, Conner was a perfect 6/6 from the field and in a loss to conference-leading Albertus Magnus, Conner added 13 points including a pair of threes. In 17 games, Conner is averaging 8.6 points, 3.2 rebounds and 1.6 assists a game.

Attleboro’s Kerri Beland is having a strong sophomore season for the Salve Regina women’s basketball game. The former Attleboro Bombardier is leading the Seahawks in scoring with 12.5 points per game, shooting 40% from the floor and 36% from three point. She’s also fourth on the team in rebounding with 5.3 boards.

Ever since the turn of the calendar, former Franklin standout Chris Rodgers has gone on a tear for WPI. After coming off the bench for the start of the season, Rodgers picked up his first start on December 6th. In his last seven starts, dating back to January 18th, Rodgers has been one of the Engineers top options on offense. He scored a season-high 23 points and hauled in nine rebounds in a narrow loss to Springfield and scored in double figures in six of those seven games. He’s averaging 15.9 points, 5.9 rebounds and 3.1 assists in that span for WPI, who have four wins in that same stretch.