Anthony Palmer Jr., the St. Mary’s High School hockey team’s phenomenal freshman goaltender this season, will enroll at Avon Old Farms School in Connecticut this fall.
In his first year for the Spartans’ varsity, Palmer, 15, put together a superb season under head coach Mark Lee, posting a 1.45 goals against average and recording five shutouts. He was a Catholic Central League and Daily Item All-Star and the MVP of the Christie Serino Hockey Tournament.
Last summer, Palmer, who is 5 feet, 10 inches tall, caught the eye of prep school and college coaches while playing goaltender at the USA National Development Camp. He is ranked as one of the top goaltenders in his age group in the nation and is being projected as a Division 1 college hockey prospect.
Alex Servideo, Anthony’s mother, said that Avon officials had been in correspondence with her during the past few months, and she and her son visited the private, all-boys boarding school where tuition is $72,000 per year.
“We went and looked at the school and we loved it,” said Servideo. “They offered Anthony a spot to play hockey there, and we were excited about the opportunity.”
A Great Experience at St. Mary’s High School
Alex Servideo said her son’s four years at St. Mary’s (he first enrolled as a sixth grader) were extraordinarily beneficial to his development as a student and an athlete.
“We absolutely loved St. Mary’s,” said Servideo. “Anthony excelled there and made so many long-lasting friendships. We knew St. Mary’s had a good hockey program, and it was awesome for Anthony to have the honor of playing hockey for Mark Lee. The school will always be a major contributing factor to Anthony’s journey.”
Said Anthony Palmer Jr., “It was an amazing experience to be a student at St. Mary’s. The coaches, especially Mark Lee, were tremendous. To be able to play hockey as a sixth grader, all the way up to my freshman year, – those three years playing JV hockey and practicing with the varsity helped me so much.”
Honored as St. Mary’s Defensive Player of the Year
Mark Lee, who has stepped down as head coach after a Hall of Fame career, said at the awards banquet before presenting the team’s Defensive Player of the Year Award to Palmer, “This award is not going to be a surprise to anybody. He’s definitely a special type of talent – a lot of it is God-given. But when you have that God-given talent and the work ethic that this young man has, and the right attitude, his future is so bright.
“He’s going to go on and do great things. We know that we’re glad that he was here with us this year, and we want to recognize the guy who was amazing right to the very last period against Catholic Memorial [in the State Tournament].”
Son of a Winthrop High and North Shore Sports Great
The name “Palmer” is well-known on the North Shore sports scene. Anthony Palmer Jr. is the son of the late Anthony Palmer Sr., arguably the greatest athlete in Winthrop High School history. Anthony Palmer Sr. is the only two-time recipient of the Daily Item Football Player of the Year Award, leading the Vikings to back-to-back appearances in the Super Bowl. He was also an All-Star goaltender and outfielder in the Vikings’ athletic program. He is an inductee in the Winthrop High School Athletic Hall of Fame.
“Big Anthony [Anthony Palmer Sr.] went to all the games he could to support his son,” said Alex Servideo. “I know that Big Anthony would be as proud of his son as I am.”