Waltham High boys hockey team off to strong start 

Waltham High School boys hockey head coach Chris Maguire could not ask for  a more promising beginning to his tenure as the lead man of a storied Hawks program. After taking over the reins from his father, John, Chris has guided his troops to a 6-0 record so  far.

“It has been a blast,” the younger Maguire said. “It has been something I have looked forward to since getting the good news back in April. Waltham hockey has always been a huge part of my life, from my upbringing to post college. Eventually, stepping into a larger role just felt right and I am excited with the way we have started.”

Maguire had a strong career as a Hawk, making the Eastern Massachusetts All-Star Team during his time on the ice. Now, he is enjoying seeing the current iteration of the WHS squad gel together.

“Everyone has bought in,” Maguire said about this year’s bunch. “We have a great leadership group that the younger guys are looking up to in the way they carry themselves. They understand the way that we play, the history and tradition of Waltham hockey and how much it means to our alumni. Now that our players get to carry on the tradition, they are not taking anything for granted and they are taking advantage of every opportunity.”

Waltham has rolled through much of its competition with shutouts of Newton South and Lincoln-Sudbury along with multi-goal triumphs over Lexington and Newburyport. In their recent contest on Dec. 29, the Hawks eked out an impressive 4-3 matinee victory over Westford Academy. Brendan Butler scored twice to spearhead the offense along with goals from Timmy O’Toole and Max Polipas. Hunter Fucci, Billy Champion and Brian Fleming earned assists.

“On defense, Champion has moved into a very strong role for us,” Maguire said. “We have some high scorers on our first line with O’Toole, Polipas and Fucci. They have done a great job as seniors leading every game from start to finish.”

The Hawks have entered each game well prepared based on the intensity they have been bringing at practice.

“We have been practicing from the start with the thinking that every day is a tryout,” Maguire said. “Our depth is one of our strong suits in the way that these kids compete on a daily basis for spots in the lineup. It’s encouraging and the best way to promote teamwork and bonding when you are competing every day and pushing one another to get the most out of each other.”

WHS will look to continue its winning momentum with upcoming games against North Andover, Concord-Carlisle and Acton-Boxborough.

“The schedule definitely ramps up with some of our league opponents,” Maguire said. “One of our preseason goals is always to compete within our league, and we haven’t won a league title since moving over to our new conference. That is way too long. I know this is something that our senior group and older guys really want to strive for. Our goal is always just to win the day, but the thought always lingers that if we can take care of our league opponents coming up in early January, then we are going to strive to hopefully get another banner here at Waltham.”