A Team On and Off the Ice

When not chasing pucks, Girls' helping out at New England's largest food bank.

It's been a highly successful year for Belmont High School Girls' Ice Hockey. Playing in arguably one of the toughest public school leagues in Massachusetts, if not the country, the Marauders have used senior leadership along with outstanding play from each of the offensive lines and defensive pairings to secure 16 wins and a place in the MIAA Division 2 state semi-finals vs Duxbury on Saturday night, March 10. But they are more than just teammates on the ice. The team got together to volunteering a shift at The Greater Boston Food Bank, the largest hunger-relief organization in New England, distributing 35 million pounds of food annually enough to provide meals to as many as 545,000 people at risk of hunger.

• Photos (1)

Belmont Girls In State Semis After 5-2 Win Over Norwood

Three goals in five minutes in second period secures win; meet No. 1 Duxbury Saturday.

A three-goal outburst in the final five minutes of the third period was more than enough to propel the fifth-ranked Belmont High School Girls' Hockey into the Division 2 state semifinals with a convincing 5-2 victory over number four Norwood High School Mustangs Monday night in Canton. "They showed that they wanted this game and played so well," said Head Coach Mark Haley at the end of the quarterfinal match. Belmont will meet number 1 and undefeated Duxbury High School, likely on Saturday, March 10 in Bourne on Cape Cod.  While Belmont goalscorers – led once again by junior Alexandra Cellucci with a pair of goals and an assist – continued their hot pace (10 goals in two playoff games), the story of the game was the brick wall built in …

• Photos (54)

Belmont Girls' Hockey In Quarterfinals vs Norwood Tonight

Follow the match via Belmont Patch's twitter feed.

It will be number 4 against number 5 as the Belmont High School Marauders meets Norwood in the quarterfinals of the Division 2 state Girls' Ice Hockey championships Monday night in Canton. The game will be held at 7:30 p.m. in the Canton Metropolis Skating Rink on Washington Street which is also Route 138. You can also follow the game via Belmont Patch's twitter feed.  Both teams earned their trip to the quarters with hard-fought victories that were won late. Belmont's Alexandra Cellucci scored nearly two minutes into overtime to dispatch Canton, 5-4, Wednesday while Norwood's star Emily Kelly scored with 52 seconds remaining in the game to lead the Mustangs past Martha's Vineyard, 4-3, Friday night.

• Photos (2)

Belmont Girls' Hockey Win OT Thriller, 5-4, over Canton

Alexandra Cellucci's goal secures Marauder's place in quarterfinals.

Junior Alexandra Cellucci's rocket of a wrist shot into the top of Canton's net early in sudden-death overtime gave the Belmont High School Marauder's a thrilling 5-4 victory over the Canton High School Bulldogs at Skip Viglirolo Skating Rink in Belmont Wednesday, Feb. 29. Cellucci's goal, coming off a pin-point pass from linemate senior Caroline McCarthy on a two-on-one breakout, sends fifth-ranked Belmont to the quarterfinals of the MIAA Division 2 State Tournament on Sunday.  In a game that saw great swings of momentum, Belmont rushed off to a three goal lead midway through the second period as each Marauder line scored in a three minute span. Senior assist captain and second line center Shannon Reynolds, Cellucci and fellow junior …

•  1 Comment
• Photos (28)

Update: Girls' Hockey Playoff Feb. 29 at 5 p.m.

Leap day is date for home tournament game for skating Marauders.

While their opponant will be decided tonight, fans of the Belmont High School Girls' Ice Hockey team now know when and where their first playoff game will take place.  The girls will face off at 5 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 29, at the Skip Viglirolo Skating Rink on Concord Avenue with the winner of tonight's preliminary game between 12th-ranked Canton High School and 21st-ranked Ursuline Academy of Dedham. While snow is expected to arrive by 2 p.m., it will likely turn into rain when the game begins.   Belmont, who finished the regular season with a 14-4-2 record, is the fifth-ranked team of the 21 playoff teams in the MIAA Division 2 state championships.

• Photos (1)

Belmont Girls' Hockey Starts Playoffs at Home

Will play the winner of the Canton/Ursuline play-in.

Winning 14 games has allowed the Belmont High School Girls' Ice Hockey team at least one game of home cooking as they will host a home game in the Division 2 state tournament. Just who they will play and when, that remains to be determined. Belmont is the fifth-ranked team of the 21 playoff teams and will a home game in the first round. Yet the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association has yet to provide a time or date for the game at the Skip Viglirolo Skating Rink. And while their opponant is still unknown, it will be one of the two teams that are playing Monday, Feb. 27, in a preliminary round match between 12th Canton and 21st Ursuline Academy of Dedham. Belmont and Canton have Westwood as a common opponent with Canton …

•  1 Comment
• Photos (1)

McCarthy's Hat Trick Gives Belmont a Last-Second Tie at Watertown

Senior center's true hat trick including tying goal with 14 seconds left in the game.

After scoring what appeared to be yet another heart-crushing goal in her career against Belmont Monday afternoon, Watertown senior forward Erika Kelly began shimmying her shoulders as she skated by her friends at Watertown's Ryan Skating Rink, a gesture that confirmed the belief that Watertown would once again beat their arch rivals. What Kelly and her Watertown teammates were not counting on was Belmont senior center Caroline McCarthy performing her own bit of magic by producing a hat trick out of thin air.  Capping a wild third period comeback, McCarthy scored her final of three consecutive goals with 14 seconds remaining and securing a 3-3 tie against one of only three teams that have defeated Belmont this season. This is the second …

• Photos (2)

Last Second Comeback Secures Girls' Hockey Tie with Top-Rank Woburn

Alexandra Cellucci's goal with 11 seconds left gives Belmont 3-3 tie with Tanners Wednesday.

An exciting two-goal comeback, the final tally coming with 11 seconds left in the final period, propelled Belmont High School Girls' Ice Hockey to a 3-3 tie at host Woburn in a battle Wednesday night between two of the top teams in the state. Junior forward Alexandra Cellucci scored with seconds remaining to give the 7th-ranked Marauders bragging rights over the 3rd ranked and perennial powerhouse Tanners as they beat Woburn, 3-2, in Belmont in January. While taking the measure of Woburn, the team's final two games of the season will test them as they have a Saturday night game with ranked Lexington, and on Monday afternoon in Watertown against one of only two teams to beat the team this season.

• Photos (1)

Boys' Hoops in the Playoffs; Girls' Hockey Double Up Rockets

Boys' Hockey losses out to Reading.

The penultimate week of the winter team season found Belmont teams make and end playoffs chances. Boys' D-flect high-flying Rockets to make playoffs Belmont Boys' Basketball came into Friday's, Feb. 10, game against the league-leading Reading Rockets needing a win at home to secure a place in the Division 2 North playoffs. The Marauders, riding a three game winning streak, also came into the rematch – having lost exactly one month previous by seven, 67-60 – with a plan to stymie the Rocket's running offense with an emphasis of putting a body on everyone. How well did the plan work? After seeing Reading push the lead to seven at 22-15 at 3:56 in the second quarter, the Rockets wouldn't score another point until 2:14 left in the third, …

• Photos (8)

For Belmont High Girls' Hockey, Woburn Win was a Game Changer

Winning Marauders' – with cover girl Caroline McCarthy – are garnering regional coverage.