BELMONT — To local boys hockey diehards, Saturday’s showcase between Belmont Hill and St. Sebastian’s was deemed a must-see event. A clash between two of the Independent School League’s most decorated groups.

In a bout filled with plenty of highlights, the young standouts delivered for the crowd. Sophomore Jake Tavares buried a pair of goals to go with an assist, while freshman sensation David Bosco (goal, assist) also provided a spark as Belmont Hill overcame an early deficit for a statement 5-2 victory over their longtime rival.

“This is one of the most historic rivalries in prep school hockey,” Belmont Hill senior Jake McManus said. “So obviously, we were looking forward to this. Being able to beat them at home in front of all our fans and alumni, it’s huge for the school.”

Things didn’t start off Belmont Hill’s way. St. Sebastian’s capitalized on a power play opportunity right out of the gate, as Matt Cataldo sniped a goal to put the Arrows ahead, 1-0. They would carry momentum for the majority of the stanza, as Owen Lynch fired a rocket home to provide St. Sebastian’s a 2-1 advantage at the conclusion of the first period.

However, the goals came in flurries for Belmont Hill (10-2-1), with McManus and his group coming to life in the second. The senior swooped in for a loose puck, then deposited it in the cage as his group tied things up at 2-2. Less than two minutes later, Bosco fed a pass to Tavares for an easy goal on the doorstep to give Belmont Hill a 3-2 lead with 2:47 to go in the frame.

With just about 14 minutes remining, the school struck again. This time around, it was McManus who set Bosco up a shot for by the opposing blue line. The freshman decided to fire a prayer of his own.

“We were coming into the zone,” said Bosco. “I knew Jake was coming, he had a guy on his back. We waited, and he made a great play. I was calling out for it. He dropped it, the (defenseman) came up, stepped up on me, and I shot around him.”

His attempt flew into the netting, and Belmont Hill was cruising toward the finish with a 4-2 edge. Marco Beshere added a power-play tally with 11:20 left in regulation to cap the victory.

“For us, we’re still pretty young,” said Belmont Hill coach Brian Phinney. “You’re trying to figure out who you are early in a season. This certainly will help to try and solidify who we are, just get a little bit more of an identity. The crazy thing in the ISL is that you may have certain teams that are doing well, but every game gets crazy. I think this one gets a little bit more of the hype because of the rivalry between the schools, but in this league, you have to show up all the time. We’re going to have to learn those lessons as we go, but I think our guys played hard today.”

St. Sebastian’s Ben Merrill gets taken out by Belmont Hill’s Lindan Verville on Saturday. Belmont Hill won, 5-2. (Staff Photo/Stuart Cahill/Boston Herald)