STONEHAM, Mass. – Not that there’s been any doubt for a long time, but in case there was, Cam Fici proved that he’s the best goal scorer in the MIAA on Tuesday night.
The senior right wing scored a hat trick in Belmont’s 3-1 victory over Middlesex League foe Wakefield at Stoneham Arena. The tone of the game changed quickly midway through the first period when Fici struck twice in a short period of time. He added another one in the second period to put the icing on the cake.
Wakefield entered the game winners of six in a row, but couldn’t find an answer to Fici. First-line left wing Frank Leone scored the lone goal for the Warriors in the third period. The star of the night for Wakefield was senior goaltender Dom DeAngelis, who made 48 saves.
Fici’s first and third goals came in identical fashion. Sophomore center Adam Bauer won clean draws at the right wing circle. His quick stick drew both pucks right back to Fici, who was waiting at the top of the circle. The puck came off his stick quickly and with zip. DeAngelis didn’t have much time to react on either shot. Fici’s second goal came on a nice individual effort. After getting a pass from senior defenseman Theo Martin, he escaped a Wakefield defenseman on the right wing side before going behind the net and scoring on a wraparound.
Tuesday night’s game was yet another example of why Fici is so valuable to his team. Belmont’s depth was better than Wakefield, but no one outside of Fici could find the back of the net. Against the upper-echelon teams in the Middlesex League and Catholic Conference, Belmont won’t have the distinct advantage in depth, but Fici can be a game changer.
By my count, Belmont only played four defensemen, but all were seniors. Captains Joseph Gaziano and Peter Grace are the leaders on the blue line. Both have above-average size and can control the pace of play for this level. Tim Foley’s team has a senior goaltender in Gregory Federico, who wasn’t tested much against Wakefield.
Under the guidance of head coach Mike Geary, Wakefield plays hard and buys into the system. The Warriors keep things simple and don’t deviate from the game plan. The strength of the team is on the back end with four capable blue liners. Wakefield struggles against teams in the Middlesex League’s Liberty Division, but it appears to be at the top of the Freedom Division.
Belmont improved to 9-1-2 while Wakefield fell to 7-5-0. The Marauders next take to the ice on Sunday at the Ed Burns Classic while the Warriors continue a tough stretch with upcoming games against Winchester and Reading.
Here are three standout players from Tuesday's game.
Cam Fici
Belmont, 4/2/04, RW, right shot, 5-9/170
Fici has a good shot. He’s got a quick release and the puck snaps off his stick. That explains his first and third goals. He’s scored plenty of goals over the course of his four-year career, due to his shot. The second goal showed off his shiftiness and ability to evade defenders. He doesn’t necessarily have blazing speed, but he’s quick and opportunistic.
The other thing that stood out to me Tuesday night was his hockey sense and ability to put himself in good positions. He was the third man high and found soft spots in the Wakefield defense. Away from the puck, he anticipated and read the play. As a result, he was able to force turnovers. Fici plays in all situations, including the penalty kill. There might be better prospects in the MIAA, but it’s tough to argue there are better players in terms of what they bring to their respective teams right now.
Adam Bauer
Belmont, 2/15/07, C, right shot, 5-11/150
Bauer now has 13 assists on the season. I didn’t necessarily think the faceoffs were that heavily tilted in favor of Belmont overall, but they were when Bauer was on the ice. The sophomore won both draws that Fici scored on. He made a couple of other nice passes during the game.
Andrew Martin
Wakefield, 8/1/08, RW, left shot, 5-11/155
Martin didn’t score in this game but showed glimpses of why he’s had success finding the back of the net this season. He can rip a puck, as evidenced by a hard wrist shot he took in the first period. A few minutes later, he drove the net coming out of the right wing corner. He made a quick juke before lifting a puck just high and wide. Martin has decent size and was one of the youngest players in the game.
Belmont lines
Donahue - Bauer - Fici
Mi. Pomer - Ma. Pomer - B. Packard
Kelleher - Mahoney - Noone
Nortz - Kefeyan - L. Packard
Gaziano - Martin
Grace - Melanson
Federico
Wakefield lines
Leone - Elwell - DeFeo
Hogan - Curran - Martin
Nemec - Roycroft - Walsh
Colliton - Veilleux
Purcell - Regan
xx - McNeill
DeAngelis
