The last two seasons of Belmont High School girls hockey came with major changes, and the 2025-26 campaign appears no different.
Two years ago, the school fielded a co-op team with Watertown. Last year, the Marauders became their own program again, albeit without a true home rink. With the Belmont Sports Complex now officially open, the program is finally fully independent.
“There’ve been so many changes, and it just feels like we’re finally back to a sense of normalcy,” senior defender and captain Caroline French said. “Obviously, it was great at and with Watertown, but I just feel like this is definitely full circle.”
Coming off a 17-4-1 campaign and reaching the quarterfinals of the MIAA Division 1 tournament, the varsity-only program hosted Milton at the Skip Viglirolo Ice Rink on Dec. 8 at 4:30 p.m. against Milton High School.
The Marauders play a loaded schedule. Milton reached the Division 2 semifinals last year. Division 2 powerhouse Duxbury High School visits Dec. 13. Reigning Division 1 state champion Hingham, the team that knocked Belmont out last winter, comes to town Dec. 23. The Marauders travel to defending Division 2 state champ Medfield on Jan. 19.
Middlesex League foes Burlington High School (home Dec. 20), Reading Memorial High School (away Jan. 3, home Jan. 31), Arlington High School (home Jan. 7, away Feb. 4) and Woburn Memorial High School (home Jan. 10, away Feb. 7) all present challenges.
“Our league games are never easy,” coach Brendan Kelleher said. “And we’re playing the iron.”
And on Dec. 29, Belmont hosts the first annual Dan Kelleher Girls Hockey Showcase. Belmont plays Arlington Catholic following Woburn vs. Waltham.
No longer will the nomadic Marauders play home games at John A. Ryan Skating Arena in Watertown. Kelleher commended Watertown for its efforts in giving the program its temporary home.
Forward Mackenzie Clarke (14 goals, 8 assists last season) is the team’s lone returning league all-star and the school’s field hockey program’s all-time leading scorer, bound to play the sport at the University of Connecticut. Goalkeeper Jil Costa, a Boston Globe and Boston Herald All-Scholastic and the Middlesex League Liberty MVP, transferred to the Canterbury School in Connecticut.
Look for Elinor Dorn, Serena Field, and Annabelle Kenneally to compete for time in goal.
They’ll also have to replace the production of graduated Sadie Taylor, the only graduated senior, whose 25 total points (14 goals, 11 assists) led the team in scoring last winter.
“We rely heavily on our systems,” Kelleher said. “We rely heavily on our forechecking system, creating chaos. We’re going to cause turnovers that lead to a lot of goals.”
Other key returners include senior defenders Thea Monovich (1 goal, 9 assists) and French, senior forward Sydney Mun (3 goals, 3 assists), junior defender Elsie Lakin-Schultz (3 goals, 6 assists), junior forward Gigi Mastrangelo, Yui Ochi and Adele Goho, sophomore forwards Mia Smith (6 goals, 7 assists) and Lexi Fici (3 goals, 10 assists), and a quartet of freshmen — forward Mackenzie Tierney (5 goals, 4 assists) and defenders Amelia Long, Kate Townsend and Ava Keefe — who played varsity as eighth graders last winter.
Four more freshmen made the roster this winter: Kenneally and forwards Elise Tandy, Isabella Berberia and Emmie Plunkett. Junior defender Martha Dimas, who missed last year due to injury, is expected back in the first half of the season.
The key to younger players stepping up and contributing, Smith said, is an inclusive environment. Though she’s only a sophomore, Smith is experienced.
“We make sure they feel welcome,” she said. “Our young players are big parts of the team, so it’s about keeping them engaged and feeling like they have a big role.”
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Many of the ice hockey players spent the fall on the field hockey or soccer teams, falling in the Round of 8 and 4, respectively. This year’s seniors saw their ice hockey seasons end in that same round twice. They hope to shake the “Elite Eight curse.”
”We’re definitely competitors,” French said. “Everyone here is hungry to get further.”
There’s just something about finally being home. The new rink is just a short walk across Harris Field and is a new community pillar. For the seniors, it’s a return to a modern home at the same site as the old one that the current seniors played in as freshmen and eighth graders.
“It’s such a wonderful opportunity that the town has given us,” Monovich said. “It’s a big advantage. All the people that have come together to make this rink are truly amazing.”
