As of his first official practice the Monday after Thanksgiving, the Coach Mark Marfione era had officially begun for the Marblehead High School boys hockey program, and the Magicians have been going full tilt since to get ready for the Northeastern Conference season with their new mentor.
Marfione grew up in Reading, where he played defense in the Reading Youth Hockey program and then as a Rocket in high school. He then suited up for Brewster Academy after completing his scholastic career in his hometown. He also played club hockey before attending Marist College.
Needless to say, hockey has been a major piece of Marfione’s life.
“Hockey has always been fun for me, and I still play it to this day,” said the new Marblehead coach. “I have developed so many lasting memories and friendships in the sport.”
Marfione got his start in coaching as an assistant for his brother Peter at both Bedford and North Andover high schools. He was also an assistant on Chuck Allen’s Norwood staff. He also coached at Bishop Fenwick.
Marfione finally got his chance to head up his own program in 2017 with the Cambridge Rindge & Latin Falcons. His teams made the postseason three times, and went to the North finals in both 2019 and 2020, the furthest the Cambridge program had made it in over 60 years. The Falcons won the league title during the 2017-2018 season with a 10-1-1 record.
The Reading native knows he’s coming into a hockey hotbed that’s proud of its high school program, but it won’t affect his approach as a coach.
“We are going to work hard and get better every day,” he said. “I expect them to be coachable, while also having some fun. I want them to be respectful on and off the ice in order to represent the entire team in a positive way. But first and foremost, they have to be ready to learn the game on this level and get better. I expect us to work hard and compete in every game.”
The Magicians had their first scrimmage on Saturday, Dec. 3 against Concord-Carlisle. Hogan Sedke, Chris Locke and Carter Laramie are set to lead the team on the ice as captains this year.
Over 40 prospective players signed up to play in the program this year, and from Day 1 they saw some familiar faces behind Marfione’s bench. Tim Kalinowski, Liam Gillis and Kyle Koopman will serve as his assistants after starring as Marblehead players throughout the past decade.
Just last winter, Koopman was a Providence College defenseman, while his former Magician teammate Kalinowski suited up for Syracuse University as a forward. Gillis was a football player at St. Anselm before graduating in 2018.
The Magicians will begin the season against host Gloucester on Dec. 14, starting at 6 p.m. Their first home game at Salem State University’s O’Keefe Center is scheduled to take place three days later on Dec. 17 versus Masco, beginning at 4:30 p.m.
