It didn’t take long for freshman Matt Heath to make an impact at the varsity level for the Rockport boys hockey team this winter.
A gifted offensive player and phenomenal skater, the first-year standout led the Vikings with 14 goals in 21 games. He also dished out eight assists, finishing second on his squad with 22 total points.
Heath shined on faceoffs as well, where he won 19 of his 37 (51 percent) battles in the one-on-one scenarios. His impact was felt early and often, as he took home All-Tournament honors back in December at the BankGloucester Holiday tournament.
Heath ultimately helped the Vikings and first-year head coach Carl Ellis qualify for the Division 4 playoffs, where they nearly upset defending state champion Winthrop on the road in the opening round. He scored twice in the narrow 5-4 OT setback.
Heath’s stellar play didn’t go unnoticed, and he was recently rewarded by being named a Cape Ann League all-star for the 2025-26 campaign.
In addition, teammate and senior captain Ryan Fazio was also honored as a CAL all-star. Fazio not only served as a reliable leader and defenseman anchoring things in the back, but regularly helped ignite Rockport’s offense, too. He finished his farewell high school campaign with nine assists, including one in the season-ending overtime tournament loss to Winthrop.
Newburyport’s Henry Waddell earned CAL Kinney Division Player of the Year honors while Pentucket’s Chase Pelletier took home the same award for the Baker Division. Coaches of the Year went to Newburyport’s Paul Yameen (Kinney) and Amesbury’s Steve Costa (Baker).
Rockport also snagged a Sportsmanship Award alongside Triton.
The Vikings may have finished with just a 4-17 record this season, but they had some great battles against tough opponents and concluded the year with a momentum building showing in the state tournament. They’ll graduate six seniors as they turn the page to next year.