By MICHAEL PARENTE

Sports Writer

They saw the celebrations. They saw the history. They saw their fathers and uncles wearing the same uniform they wear today. They saw everything they wanted for themselves – and, more importantly, for their legendary coach, Bill Belisle – but had yet to experience in their lifetimes.

The documentary, “Ice Kings,” which told the story of Mount Saint Charles’ epic run of 26 consecutive Rhode Island boys’ hockey championships, struck a nerve with the Mounties at the Woonsocket premiere in November.

Coming off a deflating loss to Bishop Hendricken in last year’s finals, they were determined to bring the title back home after a four-year drought. Watching the movie pushed their desire to a new threshold.

“They wanted to be ‘Ice Kings,’ too,” assistant coach Dave Belisle said. “I remember them at the filming at the Woonsocket Stadium (Theatre). They saw the history right in front of them. They saw it firsthand, and said, ‘Wow, we want to be a part of it!’

“Some of them saw their uncles. They saw the (future) pros in Mount uniforms. They saw the coach singing. They saw so much history that they knew about, but now they saw it firsthand. They were so gung-ho after that. They wanted to win because of the loss last year, but when they saw that film, they just wanted it even more.”

The timing of the movie’s premiere couldn’t have been better from Mount’s standpoint. The regular season began a month later, and it was clear from the start the Mounties were focused on obliterating the competition in Division I. They wrapped up the league title with a 14-0-2 record, and swept back-to-back playoff series to win their first state title since 2003, culminating Tuesday with a 4-3 victory over Hendricken at Schneider Arena.

The journey to the top wasn’t nearly as easy as the record indicated. Mount absorbed the loss of first-line forward Peter DeAngelo for the first month of the season and had to rally from behind twice in the state finals to dethrone the Hawks, who entered the series as the two-time defending champs.

When it was over, Belisle raised the trophy high above his head while his son stood behind him in what Dave later described as the “my most special moment as a coach.”

“Over the last 15 years, I’ve got to say this is probably the team that enjoyed the coach more than any other,” Belisle said. “They saw him coaching on film and saw that he’s no different today than he was then. They realized they’ve got something special. It was an eye-opener. They said, ‘We’ve got to take advantage of this.’”

While Dave has taken a more proactive role in practices and on the bench over the years as his father approaches his 79^th birthday, the elder Belisle is still the backbone of the team’s success. He skates everyday in practice and is as prepared – and sharp – now as he was 33 years ago when he began coaching at Mount.

“The kids really wanted the coach to push them the extra mile,” Belisle said. “They’d say, ‘Let’s sprint more. Let’s get more ice time,’ and we sprinted them more than we ever have and we got more ice whenever we could. They were so focused on getting the championship.

“They weren’t doing it for themselves. They were doing it for their coach. They really wanted him to be back on top. And I saw it in the dressing room – the respect, the effort, the high-fives. They always wanted to be around him. It was more of a father-son relationship between the players and the coach than I’ve seen in a long time. These kids gave a lot. They gave a lot to their coach because he gives a lot to them.”

This year’s team succeeded because of its depth. Nine players scored in double figures for Mount, led by captain John Guay with a team-high 43 points and Jim Fuoroli with 36. DeAngelo returned to the lineup in late December and still finished fifth on the team in scoring with 22 points (13 goals, nine assists.

“The young kids who came on board, like Cameron Hadfield and Trevor Plante, their fathers played here, so they were self-imbedded with that Mount pride,” Belisle said. “Then you’ve got the seniors who hadn’t won it all. They saw their captain from last year, Jeff Lace, leave without winning, and they wanted a piece of history. They wanted to bring it back.

“We had John (Guay) and Jimmy (Fuoroli), Rob VanWinter, Leo Levesque – those seniors were really determined and so focused on bringing it back. I’ve also got to give credit to young kids. They sparked the seniors. (Trevor) Hoffman and (Josh) Fattore – they were our first line defenders as sophomores, but played like seasoned veterans. DeAngelo, (Kyle) Beauchamp, (Tim) Coffey – everyone that skated this year had an input in what we did. Everyone bought into it.”

Now that Belisle is back on top, he and his son are excited about doing it again next season – “No doubt in my mind,” Dave said – ending any thoughts of an early retirement. The Mounties aren’t ready to relinquish their crown as the “Ice Kings” of high school hockey just yet.

“If I had to describe our season, it’d be that picture of coach when he held that trophy up above his head to the crowd, yelling to the alumni, the parents, and the students, and saying, ‘I love you,’” Belisle said. “All our players had big smiles. I think that’s the memory they wanted to see. They wanted to see their coach on the winning end.”