Molly Halloran feels a few nerves leading into her second time in a USA Hockey-affiliated camp—but she knows her butterflies precede excitement.
Maggie Grant feels similarly motivated by the opportunity ahead.
The two Belmont residents who attend private high schools will head to the campus of Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, to meet, train, and compete with top players from around the country under the guidance of USA Hockey later this summer after emerging as top prospects during the multiweek Massachusetts Hockey CCM High Performance Program.
“It’s the best feeling because it’s how I know I’ve worked so hard for it and belong there,” Halloran said.
A sophomore at Buckingham Browne & Nichols in Cambridge, Halloran will participate in the Girls National 16/17 Camp (2008/2009 birth years), July 18 through 23, as part of the 170-player field and one of 22 from Massachusetts. Grant, an eighth-grader at The Rivers School in Weston, will head to the Girls National 15 Camp (2010 birth year) July 24 through 29 as part of a 212-player roster and one of 30 Massachusetts representatives.
Halloran played on the Belmont High School junior varsity ice hockey team in her last year with the school system. She reclassified and repeated eighth grade at BB&N for both academic and athletic reasons, she said. Her older brother, Ryan Halloran, graduated from Belmont High School in 2024 and plays football at Mass Maritime.
Halloran, also a softball player for BB&N, participated in the National 15 camp two years ago. She was not selected last year but looks forward to connecting with her peers, soaking up knowledge, and impressing college coaches. The Girls National 16/17 Camp also serves as an evaluation for any remaining spots at August’s USA Hockey Under-18 National Festival in Lake Placid, New York.
Halloran, who plays club hockey with the Haverhill-based Collegiate Prospects Combine (CPC) program, aspires to play Division I hockey. The part of the recruiting process where direct communication with coaches is allowed kicks off on June 15. Prior experience at the “very, very competitive” camp helped Halloran focus on her goals this time around.
“What I’m hoping to get out of it is to gain a stronger mental edge, not being able to get knocked off my game so easily,” Halloran said. “Being able to battle adversity through good and bad games. The key thing that I took out of it last time was playing against like-minded players who have the same interests, goals and want to get better, just as I do.”
The two don’t know each other well, though Halloran was once a classmate of Grant’s older sister, Grace.
Grant went to Belmont Public Schools through sixth grade and was reclassified as a sixth-grader at Rivers. As an eighth-grader this winter, she joined the varsity ice hockey team at Rivers. Grant also played school soccer and lacrosse for the middle school program.
A member of the Boston Jr. Eagles on the club circuit who got similar experience at the Eastern Select Camp last spring, the left winger learned of the High Performance Program through her coaches and hockey friends. She felt some nerves, but performed well.
“I had to shake it off because that is the worst way to play,” said Grant, who hopes to play college hockey someday and enjoys going to games at the local Beanpot schools. “The level of play was so high that I was even grateful to be there.”
The vibe around these camps, both Halloran and Grant said, is competitive yet friendly. For example, Grant roomed with a player from Florida at Eastern Select Camp and maintains a relationship with her. Being split into teams and breakout nutrition and off-ice sessions with players from around the country forges strong bonds.
“Everyone’s trying to show everything that they can do, but knowing a lot of people that I’ve played with and against… I know their playing style,” Grant said. “I don’t try to do too much myself; I try to pass a lot and take the opportunities that I can. You kind of have to find the right balance.”
Belmont Boys At The Cusp
Belmont High School sophomore winger Liam Guilderson, who participated in the Boys National 15 Camp last year, did not get selected for this year’s national camp. He made the final 40 but did not emerge as one of the 15 Massachusetts athletes invited. Kellan Murphy, a Belmont resident who attends Catholic Memorial, also made the final 40 for the 15-year-old age group.
