U.S. Olympic Festival Roundup : Rare Ice Makes Boston Players Feel at Home

About 2,000 miles from their native New England, Joe Sacco and Shawn McEachern appear to have found a home at the U.S. Olympic Festival.

So, perhaps, has the South hockey team, comprised of most of the top candidates for the U.S. junior hockey squad.

Sacco and McEachern, teammates at Boston University, combined to lead the North over the East, 6-3, in the opening game of hockey. Sacco scored two goals within 28 seconds in a six-goal third period, with McEachern assisting on each.

Sacco, 20, a member of the 1989 national junior team, will be a junior this fall at Boston University. McEachern, 20, will be a sophomore.

Most of the other junior stars are with the South, which staged a furious third-period rally capped by Marty McInnis’ goal off a rebound with 23 seconds left for a 5-5 tie with the West.

It was the first hockey action at the State Fairgrounds Arena rink in 15 years.

In the ring, four-time national champion Brian Lonon won his second Olympic Festival gold medal with a unanimous decision over Lionell Odom Jr.

“Everything went just like I wanted it to,” the 25-year-old Army veteran from Fort Hood, Texas, said. “This is a lot of satisfaction because I won at a new weight class (112 pounds), I beat someone who’s a challenge to me and I can move on toward the world championships.”

U.S. amateur champion Raul Marquez of Houston, at 17 the youngest finalist, beat Larry Dixon 3-2 at 147 pounds. Tonga McClain, the 19-year-old Golden Gloves titlist at 132 pounds from Racine, Wis., won a 5-0 decision over Prescott Gray.

At 106 pounds, two-time Golden Gloves champion Eric Griffin, 21, of Houston, dominated Angelo Rolon of New York.

All festival winners qualify for a box-off for the world championships teams.

Kenny Monday is struggling in pursuit of getting the gold in freestyle wrestling as the long grind of participating in a mini-tournament Sunday and the festival takes its toll. But he’s almost there.

Monday, the 1988 Olympic champion at 163 pounds fought his seventh and eighth matches in three days, beating No. 2 seed Greg Elinsky, 1-0.

Michael Gomez, who eliminated 1984 Olympic champ Randy Lewis on Monday, appeared to have won the opener against No. 2 seed Greg Randall until Randall scored a controversial two-point takedown with five seconds to go. Randall wasn’t awarded the points, which tied the score at 6, until the match was over. Then he won with a takedown 1:10 into overtime.

Randall won 14-2 at night and will face 1988 Olympic champion John Smith at 136.5.

In women’s tennis, top-seeded Dierdre Herman of Lawrence, Kan., beat Anne Mall, 6-2, 6-2, and No. 2 seed Erika deLone of Lincoln, Mass., won, 6-1, 6-2 winner over Jackie Moe. The winners reached the semifinals, along with Susan Sommerville of Dearborn, Mich., and Miko Hemsi of Denver. Hemsi eliminated fourth-seeded Julie Exum, 7-5, 6-4.

The top remaining seeded player in men’s singles, No. 3 Sean Steinour of Vineland, N.J., fought off a match point in the second set and rallied for a 0-6, 7-6, 6-1 victory over Rick Witsken.

Joining Steinour in the men’s semifinals were fourth-seeded Cary Lothringer of San Antonio; Robbie Wendell of Sunnyvale, Calif., and Jason Rayman of Plantation, Fla.

Denise Parker, 15, of South Jordan, Utah, rallied to win the women’s archery gold medal. Ed Eliason, the oldest competitor at 51, held on for the men’s championship by two points.

In fast pitch softball, Barbara Reinalda of Chino, Calif., pitched a one-hitter as the East beat the North, 5-0. In the second game, the South edged the West, 1-0.