Reading in hunt to repeat success

They won the Middlesex League, played their way into the semifinals of the Super 8 tournament, and are returning eight forwards and two goaltenders, including a Globe All-Scholastic and three league all-stars.

That kind of experience and success suggests big things are in store for the Reading Memorial High School Rockets this hockey season. Just don't tell that to coach Peter Doherty.

''None of that stuff matters," said Doherty, who is entering his 26th year as the Rockets' commander. ''Our kids still have to go out there and play."

That they do. But if any area team looks primed for a deep, successful run through both the regular and postseasons, it's Reading.

Only one school in Eastern Massachusetts, Duxbury, posted more wins (22) in Division 1 last year than Reading, which had a 19-7-5 record. Thanks to all of their returning players, the Rockets will try to win games as they did last year by generating scoring chances with strong defense and goaltending.

''We should regularly be able to run three or four lines out there, as well as five or six defensemen," Doherty said.

His forwards are senior Globe All-Scholastic Michael Gilberg (25 goals, 16 assists last year) and senior league all-star Michael Hubbard. Gilberg and Hubbard led the Rockets in scoring last year and will be counted on to carry the offensive load again this season.

On the blue line, sophomore Garrett Collins, juniors Joey Ronan and Jack Lee, and senior Brian Thomas are Reading's top four defensemen for a second straight year.

In goal, league all-star senior Joe Bramante is back and will again pair up with fellow senior Derek Devinne.

Doherty pointed out that nothing can be taken for granted in the competitive Middlesex League. He cited Belmont, Winchester, Lexington, and Woburn as contenders for the league crown and stressed that his team must come to play every night if it wants to repeat.

''We'll try to win the league again, first and foremost," he said. ''But it will be extremely tough, due to the amount of other good teams we have to play. Hopefully, we'll be able to get strong goaltending and defense, and we'll keep growing up together. That's what we have to do to win again."

While Reading seems a strong favorite to win the Middlesex League, picking a champion in the Merrimack Valley-Dual County Division 1 is much more difficult. No fewer than five teams should be in the hunt all year: Central Catholic, Acton-Boxborough, Billerica, Westford Academy, and Chelmsford.

''Right now it looks to me like A-B and Central are the teams to beat," said Westford coach Bob Carpenter. ''But you can't count out Chelmsford and Billerica, with all of their tradition. We hope to be right in the mix."

Carpenter will lean heavily on senior forwards Dan Stella and Kurt McGrath, a cocaptain, for offense. Defensively, another cocaptain, senior Kevin Boudreau, will anchor the blue line, along with senior Rob Serafini and sophomore Jim Houghton. In net, senior Mike Enis will be the starter.

Over in Lawrence, Central Catholic coach Mike Jankowski will preside over a squad that earned cochampion status in the league last season with a 14-6-3 mark, but was bounced in the first round of the state tournament by Belmont. The Raiders will be younger this season, led by junior Paul Jaskot, the team's leading scorer last year, as well as senior cocaptains Patrick Sheehan and John O'Leary and a returning league all-star, junior Kevin McCarron. Two sophomores, Justin Bolognese and Mike Alesse, will try to win the job in goal.

Fourteen-year Billerica coach Jim Wronski will oversee a team with just four seniors, but good overall depth and team speed. Senior goaltender Todd Rowley will be expected to carry a big load, as will wingers Nathan Scarpaci and Nick Tarani. In the back, junior Dan Wilson is the only returnee for Billerica, which opens Wednesday at Medford.

Acton-Boxborough coach Dan Fontas led his team to its first postseason berth in five years last season and will try to get back with 11 seniors on the roster. Fontas will look to senior defenseman John Webster to lead the team, while his top scorer the last two years, senior cocaptain Robbie Trainor, along with fellow senior Chris McKenna and sophomore Wayne Simpson, will also be counted on heavily. Three goaltenders, sophomores Adam Magdeleno and Eric Tugal and junior Brian Moore, are vying for the starting job.

''We have a lot of firepower and depth," said Fontas of A-B, which opens Wednesday against Arlington. ''But the league is so competitive; if we don't show up every night, we'll be in trouble."

Chelmsford will be looking to return to the playoffs after missing out last season for the first time in years. Coach Tom Gallagher said that this year's edition is ''the hardest working team I've had as head coach."

He will count on three forwards, seniors Josh Andrews and Ken Sims and junior Mike Baraldi, to head up the offense. Three seniors will carry the defense, Sean Coleman, Scott Frink, and Matt MacDonald, while sophomore Erin Dwyer looks to be the answer in goal.

Last year's Globe Division 1 Coach of the Year, Lexington's Mike Keegan, gets 15 players back from last year's squad, which not only reached the postseason for the first time in 24 years, but took eventual Division 1 state runner-up Woburn to three overtimes in the tournament's second round. Returnees include league all-star goalie John Bienkowski, as well as senior forwards Matt Ellis and Ryan Gelnaw.

Woburn will play several freshmen and sophomores this year, due to graduations and injuries. Coach Jim Duran's only senior is defenseman John O'Donnell.

Belmont won three postseason games last year before falling in the Division 1 North finals. Coach Dante Muzzioli gets back leading scorer captain Andrew Dioizzi, senior defenseman and captain Anthony Montiero, and junior goalie Mark Connor. Belmont opens at Reading on Wednesday.

Wilmington will be looking to make it back to postseason, after missing out for the first time in 11 years. Coach Steve Scanlon singled out three forwards -- seniors David Griffin and Dan Tobin and junior George Boudreau -- as keys to the Wildcats' success.