PEABODY (Podcast) For their excellence both in the classroom and in their respective athletic endeavors, a pair of Peabody High athletes have been named the Moynihan Lumber Student-Athletes of the Month for December in hockey standout Penny Spack and NEC record quarterback and basketball standout Shea Lynch. More information on Penny is posted below. Details on Shea Lynch Click Here
Penny Spack – Peabody High School – with Bill Newell
Penny SpackPenny is one of the premier players in the Northeast Hockey League this winter for the Peabody/Lynnfield/North Reading co-op squad, logging big minutes on the blue-line. The Tanners currently sport a 12-3 record and were ranked No. 8 in Division 1 in the most recent MIAA state rankings. The team is currently second in the NEHL standings and has picked up big wins over Beverly, Fenwick and Marblehead while currently in line to host a first round tournament game. 
Penny says the team’s chemistry and close relationships have played a big part in the team’s success this year as she has grown up playing club hockey with most of the players on the team even though the program consists of players from three different schools. She has also seen time on the blue-line with her younger sister, Eleni.“It has been a great year so far,” said Penny, a three-sport athlete at Peabody High who plays soccer in the fall and softball in the spring. “It’s been so great having my sister on the bench next to me and I have loved playing with the kids I grew up playing with. The team chemistry is great.”The senior captain has been one of the team’s top blue-liners since her freshman year and is a two-way threat that takes care of the puck in her own end and makes plays inside the opposing blue line. She leads Peabody with 13 points and nine goals this season and has been especially difficult to contain on the power play.“I definitely try to make plays if the opportunity is there but I’m still a defenseman at heart,” she said. “We recently introduced a new power play and that has helped with scoring opportunities.”In the classroom Penny has a grade point average above 4.0 and is ranked No. 6 in her class. She has achieved that grade point average with a difficult course load that includes AP literature, AP physics, AP economic and AP calculus. “It’s a tough course load so I’ve really had to focus on my organizational skills,” she said. Penny is still weighing her college options but plans to play hockey in some capacity wherever she attends.
Penny also is plays for the NHE Eagles that won the U19 New Hampshire State Championship this year. she also plays for the U18 RES Angels Softball Program.
