When Hadley Woodfin stepped down as coach of the Magicians girls co-op hockey team (2-5) — made up of players from five communities (Marblehead, Swampscott, Hamilton-Wenham, Salem and Gloucester) — last month, Jon Strzempek stepped up to ensure that the games will go on. Strzempek took over the team on Dec. 20 as its interim head coach. The Magicians had already lost their first two games of the season to Leominster (5-2) and Newburyport (5-3), but since then they are 2-3, including back-to-back triumphs over Concord-Carlisle (7-5) and Gloucester (3-1) on Jan. 11 and 13.
“I took on the role as head coach on Dec. 20 in an interim capacity to help make sure that the games and practices would continue,” said Strzempek. “As that progressed, I really enjoyed working with this team, because their energy is just infectious. I was not a part of Hadley’s staff. I started this year as an assistant coach on the (Marblehead) junior varsity boys hockey team, and chose to step up to help the team on an interim basis, which has quickly turned into coaching this team for the rest of the season to make it official. My assistant is Megan Parthum, who was previously on Hadley’s staff, so there would be some continuity there. Megan and I have been splitting responsibilities pretty equally.”
Strzempek started playing hockey when he was 3-years-old in the Westfield Learn to Skate program. He continued to play hockey through high school, before going the club hockey route. Once his playing career ended, he got into refereeing.
“I hope to instill the importance of hard work and effort in these girls to achieve success,” said Strzempek, “as well as a philosophy of doing the little things correctly that will eventually allow for creativity on the ice.”
In a short period of time, Strzempek sees the team coming into its own. “The girls are playing successful team hockey, and we have also had some incredible performances from our goalie Scarlet Lee.”
Swampscott’s Samantha Demady, and Marblehead’s Ava Laham and Paige Waldman are the team’s three captains.
In the win over Concord-Carlisle, the Magicians started out dominating early on to lead after one period, 5-1. But then, they took their foot off the gas in the second period, according to Strzempek, and the Patriots took advantage of it by scoring three goals.
Both teams came out hot in the third period, with C-C netting another goal to trim the deficit to one, 5-4. They then pulled their goalie late in the game, but the Magicians scored an empty net goal to extend the lead back up to two, 6-4. The Patriots, with the goalie still out of the net, notched another lamplighter, but the Marblehead co-op registered another empty net goal to account for the final 7-5 score.
Nola Conley (1), Layla Dulac (1), Emma Johnson (2), Madilyn Reno (1), Viola Fazio (1) and Waldman (1) notched the goals for the Magicians. Vera Conley (1), Emma Johnston (1), Ava Baughn (1), Reno (3), Fazio (1) and Dulac (1) were credited with the assists. Lee came up with 30 saves to help preserve the win. Lara Dolan, Reno and Johnson stood out in this win, according to Strzempek.
The Gloucester game started out with the Fishermen on the attack, but Marblehead settled in after 10 minutes to even the tempo of the game. Each team had plenty of chances to score in the opening stanza.
The play remained evenly matched in the second, with lots of chances by both teams all over the ice. The puck finally found the back of the net for Marblehead on a rebound shot by Waldman.
The Fishermen tied the game at one on the power play early on in the third. Waldman then scored the game-winner, her second of the game, before Reno added the necessary insurance tally.
Gloucester had a few more chances before the end of the game, but a mix of blocked shots and big saves by Lee sealed Marblehead’s second win of the season.
Reno (1), Johnson (2), Dulac (1), Fazio (1) and Demady (1) accounted for the assists on the three scores. Lee was once again sharp in net, making 40 saves to secure the triumph. Lee, Johnson, Waldman and Reno were the Marblehead standouts against Gloucester, according to Strzempek.
The Magicians then lost to Masco, 3-1 on Jan. 15. The game started out in Marblehead’s defensive zone. After a couple of big saves, a loose puck bounced up and over Lee’s head, before trickling into the net.
Minutes later and a dump-in from just outside the Marblehead blue line caught the inside post to account for Masco’s second marker of the game. The Magicians got a spark before the end of the first period on a goal by Fazio to trim the deficit in half.
A high-energy second period, which featured several near misses by Marblehead, ultimately ended up scoreless. But Masco extended its lead in the third period to seal the deal. Dolan setup Fazio’s lamplighter. Lee came up with 39 saves to keep things close on the scoreboard. Vera Conley, Annie Wales, Baugh and Lee were the game’s standouts, according to Strzempek.
Summarizing his first couple of weeks behind the Marblehead bench, Jon Strzempek said, “Concord-Carlisle started out very well, but after taking our foot off the gas between periods, we found it hard to get moving in the right direction as a team to finish out that game. It was definitely a learning opportunity on knowing that the game is not won before it is over. I was happy to escape with a two-goal win, but would have liked to see the team play a complete three periods.
“The Gloucester game was our best performance of the year, with our goalie playing incredibly well, while the team rallied together to challenge a quality Gloucester opponent. Our blocked shots were the story of this game with 14 across the board.
“The Masco game was a tough pill to swallow. A couple of early goals scored against us, in ways that we were not used to, really took the wind out of our sails. It seemed like we couldn’t buy a bounce, despite plenty of chances and near misses. But you have to credit the opposing goalie, and also no puck luck on our part.
“The goal for this season is to make the playoffs, while continuing to develop the exceptional young talent on this roster,” added Strzempek. “We continue to see improvement from a team that’s hungry for more success. This team has a wonderful blend of strength and young talent that’s eager to learn, plus a veteran leadership group that’s eager to share what they know from past games over the years.”
The 2024-25 Magicians girls co-op hockey roster includes sophomore Scarlet Lee (Gloucester), sophomore Julissa Telemaco (Salem), sophomore Emilia Russo (Marblehead), freshman Annie Wales (Marblehead), junior Reece Fabrizio (Hamilton-Wenham), eighth grader Madilyn Reno (Marblehead), junior Nola Conley (Swampscott), freshman Vera Conley (Swampscott), eighth grader Emma Johnson (Marblehead), senior Ava Laham (Marblehead), sophomore Ella Graham (Hamilton-Wenham), eighth grader Kiley Lewis (Marblehead), freshman Layla Dulac (Marblehead), junior Paige Waldman (Marblehead), eighth grader Shannon Hurley (Marblehead), seventh grader Jane Waldman (Marblehead), junior Lara Dolan (Marblehead), freshman Adeline Massey (Marblehead), freshman Viola Fazio (Hamilton-Wenham), senior Samantha Demady (Swampscott), freshman Grace Robinson (Swampscott), junior Ava Baughn (Hamilton-Wenham), interim head coach Jon Strzempek and assistant coach Megan Parthum.
