We’re at the halfway point of the boys MIAA season, and initial impressions are that there’s a lot of parity among the top teams.
Still, it’s a lot of the usual contenders battling for spots in the top 10. St. John's Prep and Xaverian are the top two teams.
The big storyline is how games will play out for seeding in the Division 1 tournament come March. Once the playoffs begin, anybody can beat anybody — that’s the beauty of the MIAA tournament.
Here’s a look at what we’ve learned so far this season and what we’ll be looking for before the Division 1 champion is crowned.
As good as advertised
1. Xaverian: This isn’t a surprise. Xaverian entered the season coming off of two straight losses in the Division 1 championship game. Head coach Dave Spinale’s team boasts a forward grouping of senior leadership — like Jack O’Neil and Jesse Peck mixed with juniors Jackson Morse, Devin Gosciak and Colvin Callahan, along with sophomore Jack Fitzpatrick — that will keep Xaverian competitive this year and next season. The biggest advantage for Xaverian is Cole Pouliot-Porter, and that’s been the case through the first two months. Pouliot-Porter improved throughout the offseason and it’s showed. The Hawks will battle for the No. 1 spot in the tournament all season.
2. St. John’s Prep: Even after losing a fair amount of strong seniors to graduation, head coach Kristian Hanson’s group hasn’t missed a step. After falling to Hingham on opening night, SJP has won 11 straight games. Junior goalie AJ Farese has settled into the net, while seniors Jake Vana, Christian Rosa and Johnny Tighe lead the way for the forwards. As the calendar approaches February, SJP is the best team in Massachusetts.
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3. Arlington: Yes, head coach John Messuri likes to set public expectations low. And yes, Arlington opened this season as a very young team. But the Spy Ponders always are one of the top teams in the MIAA, and through the first two months, that’s the case again. Through 12 games, they're 9-2-1, with big victories over Hingham and BC High. The three blemishes were a 2-2 tie with Catholic Memorial, a 1-0 loss to Pope Francis and a 4-0 defeat to Reading. Like all of Messuri’s teams, this year’s version of Arlington just finds ways to win. It’s that simple.
Three things that have surprised us so far
1. Catholic Memorial struggling early: The Knights play a very difficult schedule. That’s important to note. But after starting the season 3-0, head coach Larry Rooney’s team went 4-6-1 over their next 11 games, notably falling to Xaverian (twice) and St. John’s Shrewsbury and tying Arlington. In that span, CM did take down Pope Francis, 8-3, and get revenge on SJS with a 2-1 win, but the up-and-down nature of the season has been a bit of a surprise. On the bright side, that often can be a learning experience for a team with plans for a deep playoff run. And if there’s anything true about the Knights, it’s that they have their sights set on going deep.
2. Pope Francis having a few early hiccups: The Cardinals had their biggest shock before the puck dropped on the season when head coach Brian Foley was suspended for one year due to a rules violation. In their first nine games, the Cardinals went 5-4 with losses to Don Bosco (N.J.), Franklin, St. John’s Prep and Catholic Memorial. Pope Francis still is figuring out how to play in a post-Josh Iby and CJ Watroba world. However, with players like senior forward Mossy Kearney, senior defenders Jake Jarrell and Zachary Buffone and junior goalie Nick Ritchie, Pope Francis has been able to get back on track, winning three of its last four games.
3. St. John’s Shrewsbury: The Pioneers finished 9-10-1 last season, having an average season in the difficult Catholic Conference. This year, head coach Michael Mead's team won nine of its first 10 games, matching its win total from last season. SJS has been tripped up of late, falling to St. John's Prep and Catholic Memorial and tying Malden Catholic. Still, scoring has been the strength, as seniors Luke Gerardi and Daniel Menyalkin can’t stop filling the back of the net. Freshman Chase Warsofsky has been one of the biggest breakout stars in the MIAA, too.
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Three questions for the stretch run:
1. Which goalies can carry their teams the furthest in the playoffs? To go deep in the MIAA tournament, teams need a strong goalie who gets hot at the right time. That’s what happened with Pouliot-Porter, Ritchie and Reading’s Chris Hanifan last season — all three were the biggest reasons their teams got to the semifinals. All three are looking strong for another run. One other netminder to consider here is Farese with St. John’s Prep. The junior, who is in his first season starting, plays behind an Eagles team dying for another shot at TD Garden.
2. Can a public school overtake a private one for the championship? Since the Super 8 was removed, it’s been a bit more difficult for public schools to compete for championships with the privates. Last season, Reading was the lone public school to make the semifinal and came within one goal of making it to TD Garden. Reading, led by senior forward Cam Fahey and Hanifan in net, easily could make another run. Arlington is another one. Hingham is intriguing. Its top two lines consist of five seniors: Paul Dzavik, Travis Rugg, Brady Gannon, Mason Lemieux and Michael Garrity. Veterans give teams an advantage when the tournament begins, and those five, along with defenseman Jack Rakauskus, certainly do that. Marshfield is another candidate, too.
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3. Which lower seed can repeat what Reading did last year? It’s a big deal for a lower seed to go deep, like Reading did last year when it entered the tournament as the No. 14 seed. That didn’t matter, as the Rockets upset Hingham and Braintree en route to the semifinal. So, which teams ranked outside the top 10 could make a deep run? Archbishop Williams is certainly one. In terms of public schools, Braintree and Franklin are strong contenders.
