Before the Belmont High School girls hockey team began its quest for a state title, Coach Brendan Kelleher told his captain to “go out and write the script.”
That’s precisely what senior Sadie Taylor did.
Just 52 seconds into the Marauders 2-0 win over Arlington Catholic in the first round of the Division 1 state tournament, Taylor’s 13th goal of the season gave Belmont the lead.
Driving the net, Taylor received a feed from freshman Alexcia Fici and beat Cougars goalie Katlin Sacco.
“Sadie’s the engine that drives this thing,” Kelleher said postgame. “Her energy and compete levels are through the roof.”
The game took a fast pace early, with Belmont forechecking hard. As a result, Arlington Catholic struggled to break the puck out.
“Today was a day that we wanted to turn the aggressive meter up a little bit,” Kelleher said.
The Cougars best look of the opening frame came with just under three minutes to play. From the slot, seventh-grader Amelia Paes rang the right post.
- Elsie Lakin-Schultz took a shot over the opponent’s defense. (Rachel Zhong/Belmont Voice)
- Alexcia Fici followed the puck to gain possession. (Rachel Zhong/Belmont Voice)
- Alexcia Fici chased after the puck from the opponent. (Rachel Zhong/Belmont Voice)
- Kate Townsend gained control of the puck. (Rachel Zhong/Belmont Voice)
- Mia Smith and Amelia Long chased the puck. (Rachel Zhong/Belmont Voice)
- Sadie Taylor went after the puck in the face-off. (Rachel Zhong/Belmont Voice)
- Belmont High School Varsity Girls Hockey captain, Thea Monovich shouted as she walked out of the locker room to begin the second period. (Rachel Zhong/Belmont Voice)
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Freshman Amelia Long’s first goal and point of the season extended the Belmont lead to 2-0 with 15 seconds to play in the first period. She ripped a shot from the point, which made its way through traffic and beat Sacco five-hole.
“Couldn’t think of a better time,” Kelleher said. “Everyone on the team went over and congratulated her.”
The second period began much like the first ended — with Belmont pressing hard. The Marauders dominated the first half of the frame with their quick passes and team speed.
Arlington Catholic settled into its game after sophomore Elsie Lakin-Schultz was assessed a body-checking minor at 8:47. The Cougars possessed the puck in their offensive zone, peppering junior netminder Jil Costa with shots — but she stood tall between the pipes. Costa recorded her ninth shutout of the season in the victory.
Belmont continued to lock down defensively in the third period as the Cougars pushed to get on the board.
“They’ve grown up a lot,” Kelleher said. “They give us all confidence.”
Now only four wins stand in between Belmont and a first state title. Up next: the winner of Reading versus Pope Francis.
“We’ll reset, we’ll enjoy it today, and we’ll be back at the rink tomorrow,” Kelleher said.