Belmont High School boys hockey captain Adam Bauer isn’t satisfied with the team’s newly minted status as the top-ranked public school team in the Division I MIAA Power Rankings.
Sure, dispatching two of the three public schools ranked above them last weekend proved something. But games versus private school powers like Pope Francis Prep, St. John’s Prep, and Catholic Memorial hang in the balance as the Marauders (12-4-1, 9-2-1 Middlesex League) close the regular season and eye the state tournament later this month.
“Obviously, there are bragging rights that come with being the top public school team. Definitely, with other Middlesex League teams, there’s a pecking order that you’d like to be at the top there,” Adam Bauer said. “But we’ve got bigger goals of winning states this year, and you have to go through the Catholic schools to win that.”
“Public school vs. non-public school doesn’t matter; we want to beat them all,” he added.
Last weekend, the Marauders captured the Doherty division title at the fourth annual Ed Burns Coffee Pot Tournament, knocking off rival Arlington 4-0 in Sunday’s championship game at John A. Ryan Arena in Watertown. Belmont went 3-0 in the tournament by a combined score of 11-1, emerging as a top team among its field of eight of the top Massachusetts public high school teams.
Previous Coverage
Belmont Boys ReturnStrong Core, Adds Young Depth for 2024-25
After topping then-No. 6 Arlington and No. 3 Hingham over the weekend, Belmont rose to No. 6 in Tuesday’s edition of the MIAA Division I Power Rankings.
“We have a big this week to close things out,” Belmont High coach Tim Foley said. “Obviously, with the success we had in the [Coffee Pot] tournament and in our own league … the team is really coming together at the right time.”
The Bauer brothers dominated the weekend. Adam, who centers the Marauders top line, reached the 100-point career plateau. Ethan, a sophomore netminder, took home tournament MVP honors after stopping 31 shots in the championship game.
Adam Bauer leads Belmont in scoring, averaging more than two points per game, racking up 17 goals and 21 assists through the first 17 games of the year. Linemates Liam Guilderson (16 goals, 19 assists) and Leo Packard (17 goals, 13 assists), a sophomore and junior respectively, boast impressive numbers. Freshman center Thomas Courtney netted a couple of clutch goals in recent games.
Ethan Bauer owns a 1.80 goals against average and two shutouts. His 6-foot-3-inch, 180-pound frame, coupled with sound fundamentals, makes him an impactful goalie.
“He’s really come into his own this year,” Foley said. “Knowing he’s back there gives us a lot of confidence.”
Adam Bauer feels Belmont’s postseason essentially began in late January, with seven of the last eight games to close the regular season against top-12 power-rated Division 1 teams. The further they got into the schedule, the more student sections grew, and community supporters packed the stands of games both at home (the same John A. Ryan Arena in Watertown) and on the road.
“We keep going up and up,” he said. “We’re a force to be reckoned with now. I don’t think there’s any team in the state that we can’t put up a fight against.”
Belmont plays Arlington once more — this time on the road Sunday at Ed Burns Ice Arena — before participating in the two-day Cardinal Classic hosted by powerhouse Pope Francis Prep of Springfield, the top-ranked Division I team, to close the regular season. The program has four goals: winning the Coffee Pot Tournament, Middlesex League title, Cardinal Classic crown, and a long run in the state tournament. All are achieved or in progress.
The MIAA will release tournament brackets on Feb. 22, and postseason games begin on Feb. 24. The ultimate goal is hoisting a state championship trophy at the TD Garden on March 16.
“Anticipation is building for the playoffs,” Adam Bauer said. “There’s a lot of excitement in the school and around town.”