At the end of last season, Belmont Hill looked to be one of the favorites entering this winter. Sure, there were losses throughout the lineup. But the majority of the core from last season was slated to return.
That's not quite how it went.
Harvard commit David Bosco (Winchester, Mass.) and Dartmouth commit Jake Tavares (Belmont, Mass.) left for the USHL. As a sophomore last season, Bosco led Belmont Hill in points with 47, while Tavares, then a junior, led the team in goals with 19.
There are still some powerful sure-bet players on the Sextant roster. But it will largely be comprised of a team with players who have something to prove.
"It's always exciting when you get to this time of year," Belmont Hill head coach Brian Phinney said. "You don't know who's gonna step up. You can always be surprised at the end of the day."
While this lineup may have its growing pains, there's no doubt it could make some serious noise come March.
Stepping up to score
No matter what, Patrick Woods (Charlestown, Mass.) was always going to play a big role on this team. The '07 is a do-it-all pivot, and had 15 goals and 32 points in 32 games last season. His role will be even larger this season.
The same can be said for Matthew Carolan (Stow, Mass.). He had 14 points last season and is a senior who should take another step.
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"They've been impact players for us in years past," Phinney said. "I think they are supposed to make another step in their game, which would be really exciting to see."
Because Belmont Hill is a day school and has a middle school, it's normal for players to be developed in-house and spring onto the scene as juniors or seniors. Jin Lee (Natick, Mass.) and Michael Sullivan (North Andover, Mass.) were prime examples of that last season.
Phinney thinks juniors Harry Lavoie (Stow, Mass.) and Liam Boyle (Needham, Mass.) could be next. Lavoie made a big impact last season with 11 goals and 20 points, while Boyle posted six points.
"Those are two players who I think can take another step," Phinney said.
Woods, Carolan, Lavoie and Boyle are important for culture and leadership reasons, too, according to Phinney.
Since Andrew Giguere (Georgetown, Mass.) left for Governor's Academy, there are more spots up for grabs throughout the Sextants' four lines.
Phinney is always respectful of the tryout process — he doesn't like to share names of players who haven't made the team yet. But Belmont Hill has a treasure trove of '10s who could make a big impact this season if they do make the team.
Sam Lee (Woburn, Mass.), Robert Dekleine (Westboro, Mass.) and Landon Roe (Darien, Conn.) have all been standouts with the superb Minuteman Flames' 15O team. All boast high-end offensive skills with a likely ability to make an immediate impact at the prep level.
On defense and in net
It starts with Evan Jones (Arlington, Mass.). As a junior, the Dartmouth commit led all prep defensemen in points (42). While his point total will likely jump again, his defensive play never suffers either, and that will be tested this winter, as he's thrust back into every situation.
"He's going to be great," Phinney said. "Year two of prep. He obviously had an impact last year, and there are ways in which he can continue to grow his game."
One area where Jones will be important: leadership.
"He does some magical things on the ice, but as a leader, he is great and really good at setting standards and holding standards," Phinney said."
Belmont Hill suffered losses on the backend, too. The Sextants graduated Grayson Cohen (Weston, Mass.), Stephen Fabiano (Charlestown, Mass.), Evan Dresser (Everett, Mass.) and Jack Duffy (Walpole, Mass.). Brady Sloper (North Andover, Mass.), like Bosco and Tavares, left early for the USHL.
There is room for players like senior Louis Marobella (Sudbury, Mass.) to step up. The same can be said for Lance Toland (Burlington, Mass.), an '08. Toland split time between forward and defense last season, but will be needed on the blue line quite a bit this winter.
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Alex Guo (Weston, Mass.) is an intriguing '10 who saw some legit playing time last year, tallying six points as a freshman.
"He learned a lot last year," Phinney said. "He's ready to take another step."
Like with up front, Belmont Hill has two young guns who I think could make an impact: Nick Ware (West Roxbury, Mass.) and Emmett Aufiero (Winchester, Mass.).
Ware, at 5-foot-11 and 165 pounds, had a stellar fall for the Neponset Valley River Rats' 15O team. He's a '10 who was with Catholic Memorial last year. Aufiero is an '11. But at 6 feet and 155 pounds, he's shown that he has the size and poise to hold his own as a defenseman in prep. He's been a standout with the Islanders Hockey Club.
No matter who is on defense, they can relax a bit with senior '07 JJ Thibodeau in net. The Waltham, Mass., native has consistently been one of Belmont Hill's go-to netminders since his freshman year in 2022-23. But with Keagin Wilson (Hingham, Mass.) graduated, the net is all Thibodeau's.
"We obviously feel really good about JJ," Phinney said.
Expectations
In 2022-23, Belmont Hill was coming off a run to the Elite 8 title game. The Sextants had lost big-time players all over the roster. I remember watching their opening game against Nobles, a 4-2 loss, and an onlooker saying, "I won't be watching much of Belmont Hill this year."
Belmont Hill went 20-7-3 that season, making the Elite 8 semifinal game. Players all over the roster made significant strides.
That might just be the blueprint for this winter.
"You want to end the season in a better place than you started," Phinney said. "You want to make progress throughout the year. And with the way prep is set up, it can be a little bit unforgiving. You can fall behind the eight ball early."
He's right. It's easy to stumble out of the gate and not regain composure. But that's not typically how things go at Belmont Hill.
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"We're going to have a lot of new kids in the mix," Phinney said. "The strength of our leadership group is going to be really, really important to show them how things are done. The hope is that you just continue to grow and develop.
"As a coach, those types of groups, man, that's a lot of fun to work with."
