Watertown's Kelly Haunts Belmont Again - This Time on the Ice

It has seemed as if there is a will in which a Watertown girls team can beat Belmont, Erika Kelly is the way they are going to do it.

Kelly, the three sport senior standout, has been the bane of Belmont's contest for the past three years, whether on the field hockey pitch, the softball diamond and on the ice.

And Wednesday, Dec. 14, afternoon's match between the neighboring rivals saw Kelly the difference once again, scoring twice as Watertown began its season with a hard fought 4-2 victory at Belmont's "Skip" Viglirolo Rink, despite being outplayed for long stretches by a Marauder team that peppered Raiders' sophomore goalie Anna Kleis with 32 shots. 

"Kleis is a young starter who we need to play well and she came through against a Belmont team that hustles and works hard," said Watertown Head Coach Steve Russo. 

And if Kelly was the best for the Ladies in Black, Belmont's senior captain Caroline McCarthy was Kelly's equal, creating all sorts of trouble for Watertown's defenders with speed and outstanding stick handling. 

Watertown got off to a fast start scoring on senior Allison Foley after only four minutes into the game beating Belmont's Megan Foley on a wrist shot from distance. 

Belmont stepped up their game with outstanding passing in the offensive zone and team speed. Twice Belmont players were sent on breakaways within a minute and 20 seconds time from but Kleis stuffed McCarthy and senior Erin O'Donovan to preserve the lead. 

Then Kelly got into the act, gobbling up a Belmont shot that hit a skate and right onto her stick for a break away, snapping a shot into the upper corner of the goal with only 11 seconds remaining in the first period. 

The second period was played as if the ice was tilted towards the Watertown end as Belmont dominated the 15 minutes as the Marauders' top line – McCarthy paired with last year's partners Alexandra Cellucci and O'Donovan – kept Watertown's senior defenders Foley and Meredith Macleod "on our back skate and that really tired us out," said Russo.

But while the Raiders' D bent, Belmont's offense could not get the puck into the back of the net, squandering their best opportunity to bring the contest level.

And the Marauders would be punished for their lack of productivity as another of Russo's young players, Haley Gorman, beat Foley with a blue line shot four minutes into the third period for a 3-0 Raider lead. 

But that lead was reduced a minute later when freshman forward took a centering pass from Shannon Reynolds and slipped a shot just inside Kleis' glove-side post. 

Four minutes later, Cellucci took a McCarthy pass and one timed a wrist shot by Kleis, taking the lead down to one with six minutes in the game and Belmont on a roll. 

Enter Kelly. Staying high in the offensive zone, Kelly released up the ice with freshman Emily Loprete in tow on a two-on-one. Receiving a pass from Loprete, Kelly ripped a shot by Foley with two and half minutes remaining. 

Game, set and match. 

And while the two teams are not scheduled to meet this season — Belmont and Watertown are in different divisions of the Middlesex League — the athletic directors of both schools have agreed that the two will clash at the end of the season before the playoffs get underway.

One final time with Erika.