HS Journal: Lancers keep Super 8 three-peat hopes alive

By Ed Flaherty

Two-time defending Massachusetts Super 8 champion Malden Catholic was the 10th seed and final team added to the 2013 play-in bracket, but the Lancers put the rest of the bracket on notice with its 9-1 play-in game victory over Archbishop Williams.

Malden Catholic’s road to a third-straight Super 8 title won’t be a simple one. The Lancers will begin their quest against Springfield Cathedral in a best-of-three series beginning on Sunday.
In their play-in victory, the Lancers received two goals each from Pat Wrenn, Matthew Filipe and Raff Colella. Tyler Sifferelen and Nick Rolli had three assists each and Casey Fitzgerald had two assists.

In the other play-in game, eighth-seeded Central Catholic slipped past No. 9 Hingham in overtime, 4-3.

Corey Webber scored the game-winning goal in OT. Central Catholic will now face top-seeded St. John’s Prep in a best-of-three series beginning on Sunday.   

The rest of the Super 8 field includes: No. 3 BC High, No. 4 Austin Prep, No. 5 Reading and No. 6 Catholic Memorial.

Connecticut

The Simsbury High School boys have won three-straight games and seven of their last eight as they prepare to face Glastonbury on Saturday in the Central Connecticut North championship game.

Simsbury has allowed two goals just twice in its last eight games and has outscored its opponents 32-10 during that stretch.

Simsbury has defeated Glastonbury in both meetings between the teams this season, 3-2 and 2-1.

Maine

It took two overtimes, but Cheverus was finally able to stun two-time defending state champion Thornton Academy, ending the Trojans’ hopes for a Class A three-peat.

Cheverus prevailed 4-3 in the second overtime when Liam Fitzpatrick finished off his hat trick for the Stags (13-6).

With the win, Cheverus advances to face top-seeded Scarborough in the Western Maine semifinals on Saturday.

Cam McLain scored Cheverus’ other goal.

New Hampshire

Predicting the outcome of New Hampshire’s Division 1 boys hockey tournament could prove to be more difficult than picking the right Powerball combination.

With seven teams with double-digit victory totals still in the race, there is no clear-cut favorite to capture the crown.

After the opening round of the tournament dispatched the ninth- and 10th-ranked clubs, the top eight remain with Manchester Memorial and Manchester Central at the top of the heap with identical 14-4 records. Londonderry is close behind at 13-4-1, while St. Thomas (12-5-1), Trinity (11-5-2), Salem (10-6-2) and Pinkerton (10-8) all have designs on the Division 1 title.

Rhode Island

The Warwick girls hockey team earned its first-ever victory against perennial Rhode Island power Mount St. Charles last week, sending the Titans into the postseason with momentum.
Their opponent in the best-of-three Division 1 playoff series? Mount St. Charles.
Warwick will need to recapture the formula that led to last week’s 4-1 victory over the Mounties.

In that game, Warwick trailed 1-0 early but rallied for four goals in the third period. Kelsey Holmes scored twice, while Emily Fox and Abby Ellis also added goals. Kayleen Murphy made 23 saves in goal for the victory.

Mount St. Charles has won six state titles over the previous 10 seasons.

Vermont

Vermont’s postseason will begin on March 1 with opening round games, while the quarterfinals will commence on Tuesday.

In Division 1 boys, South Burlington claimed the No. 1 seed thanks to its 18-2 mark, while Essex (16-2-2) is ranked second and Champlain Valley (13-4-3) is seeded third.
In Division 2 boys, U-32 (17-1) is the top seed, followed by No. 2 Brattleboro (17-3) and No. 3 Burr and Burton (15-3-1).

On the girls’ side, BFA-St. Albans (15-3-2) is the No. 1 seed and Spaulding (13-3-2) is ranked second in Division 1, while Harwood (16-3-1) is No. 1 in Division 2, followed by second-seeded North Country (14-5).

New England Hockey Journal State Rankings

Connecticut

1. Fairfield Prep (19-1)
2. Darien (16-2-2)
3. Notre Dame-West Haven (15-4-1)
4. Ridgefield (15-5)
5. St. Joseph (15-4-1)
6. Xavier (12-5-2)
7. Simsbury (14-6)
8. Amity (13-7)
9. New Canaan (12-6-2)
10. East Catholic (15-5)

Maine

1. Scarborough (17-1)
2. Bangor (15-3)
3 Falmouth (14-3-1)
4. Lewiston (14-3-1)
5. Messalonskee (16-2)
6. Skowhegan (11-2-1)
7. Camden Hills (14-4)
8. Cheverus (12-6)
9. John Bapst (12-5-1)
10. Greely (14-4)

Massachusetts

1. Springfield Cathedral (16-1-4)
2. St. John’s Prep (17-2-1)
3. BC High (14-3-3)
4. Austin Prep (13-1-6)
5. Reading (16-1-5)
6. Central Catholic (14-5-3)
7. Duxbury (14-3-5)
8. Banstable (13-4-4)
8. Winchester (14-5-3)
10. Norwood (13-5-2)

New Hampshire

1. Manchester Central (14-4)
2. Manchester Memorial (14-4)
3. Merrimack (16-2)
4. Spaulding (15-2-1)
5. Berlin (18-0)
6. Bedford (13-3-2)
7. Londonderry (13-4-1)
8. St. Thomas (12-5-1)
9. John Stark/Hopkinton (16-1-1)
10. Bow (11-3-4)

Rhode Island

1. Bishop Hendricken (15-3-1)
2. Lincoln (18-0-1)
3. Mount St. Charles (13-7)
4. La Salle (11-7-1)
5. West Warwick/Exeter/West Greenwich (16-0)
6. Prout (15-6)
7. Cumberland (12-5-1)
8. East Providence (13-2-1)
9. Tolman (11-4-1)
10. Coventry (10-6)

Vermont

1. South Burlington (18-2)
2. Essex (16-2-2)
3. U-32 (17-2-1)
4. Champlain Valley (13-4-3)
5. Burr and Burton (15-3-1)
6. Northfield (14-5-1)
7. North Country (14-5-1)
8. Brattleboro (17-3)
9. Colchester (12-6-2)
10. Rutland (11-7-2)

Ed Flaherty can be reached at feedback@hockeyjournal.com