Waltham High girls hockey team qualifies for state tournament

By LIAM O’BRIEN
Waltham Times Contributing Writer

When a high school sports team gets a new head coach, it takes time for adjustments to be made on both sides of the aisle.

The case was heightened for Chris Smith, who transitioned from coaching in the boys hockey ranks to becoming the Waltham High School (WHS) girls hockey coach heading into the winter, replacing CJ Giardino.

The Hawks program has not skipped a beat, however, qualifying for the MIAA Division 1 state tournament with a 10-0 shellacking of Cambridge Rindge and Latin School on Jan. 25.

“It took a little adjusting,” Smith said, “but the team has adjusted well. The team listens a lot better and takes direction well. We have some really good players that play hard, and we have gotten off to a good start. We have picked up our competition against some of the state’s better teams and that will benefit us in the tournament.”

Clinching a spot in the dance before the calendar even flips to February allows the Hawks ample time to get their minds right while attempting to make a deep run against some formidable foes in the postseason. WHS has received some recognition around the region, garnering consideration for a nod to the Boston Herald’s girls hockey Top 25 rankings as of late.

“It’s nice to have the tournament wrapped up and qualify as early as we did so that we can work on preparing to play and make a run,” Smith said.

The Hawks have been spearheaded by their two captains, junior defenseman Ava Anderson and goaltender Miyana Bahl. Anderson scored twice in the decisive win over Cambridge while Bahl made 12 saves to pitch the shutout.

“They are both leaders,” Smith said. “It’s good to have some upperclassmen leading the squad.”

WHS also has seen valuable contributions from a forward who is not even in high school yet.

“We have a lot of young talent. All I can do is point to Molly Whittier,” Smith said. “As a seventh-grader, she put up 52 points last year and currently she is sitting at 32 points this season as an eighth-grader. It is ridiculous to think of that, but she leads us that way.”

She is flanked by another underclassmen, freshman Olivia Egirous. Both scored against the Falcons.

It was a learning curve for both Smith and the players heading into the season as they lacked a level of familiarity. However, the team and coaching staff have established a distinct rapport that they hope will carry them deep into the playoffs.

“There were some nuances where the guys knew some of the drills already,” Smith said. “It took our team a little bit to get used to some of the drills and some of the weird names they have, but they are getting used to some of the lingo I throw at them, and they are starting to throw it back at me sometimes. It is a nice little concept. They work hard and are detail-oriented. It has been great. We just need to play outside of the structure sometimes.”