Boys MIAA rankings: Catholic Memorial, BC High move into top 5

The top 10 teams seem to be rather defined in MIAA Division 1 boys hockey; how they're ordered is not.

There were a plethora of top-10 matchups over the last week and the results, ironically enough, made putting a top 10 together even more difficult.

I mentioned this in my boys MIAA tournament forecast last week, but the number of contenders for winning the tournament this season is high. I wouldn't be shocked if any of these teams won it all come March.

Let's dive into the latest rankings.

1. Pope Francis (18-2-0)

Previous ranking: 1
Head coach: Brian Foley
Next game: vs. Catholic Memorial, Feb. 15, 12:20 p.m. 

There is no doubt about Pope Francis being the No. 1 team in the state. Foley's team took down Fairfield Prep 6-0 before scoring a 6-1 win against Notre Dame (Conn.). On Wednesday, they continued to roll with a 4-1 victory against Winchester. Junior forward Matt Regan had a nice week, scoring twice against Notre Dame and tallying a goal and a helper against Winchester.

2. St. John's Prep (12-5-0)

Previous ranking: 2
Head coach: Kristian Hanson
Next game: vs. Newburyport, Feb. 15, 2:30 p.m.

While SJP fell to Catholic Memorial, 3-0, on Sunday, the Eagles took down then-No. 7 St. Mary's Lynn, 4-1, on Wednesday. Senior forward Mason Luciano potted a pair of goals, bringing his season total to 10. Even with the loss to CM, I'm still confident in St. John's Prep being the No. 2 team in the MIAA. The rest of its schedule is against Newburyport, Andover and Franklin, so Hanson's team should enter the tournament at No. 2.

BEST OF THE BEST: Top boys prep performers from Feb. 5-11

3. Catholic Memorial (13-5-1)

Previous ranking: 8
Head coach: Larry Rooney
Next game: at Pope Francis, Feb. 15, 12:20 p.m. 

Playing your best hockey at the end of the season is every team's goal and the Knights seem to be hitting their stride at the perfect time. They started the week with a 5-4 win over then-No. 4 Hingham at Pilgrim Arena, a very hard place for opposing teams to play. They followed that up with a 3-0 win against No. 2 St. John's Prep — a game played at the campus of West Point in New York — and a 5-1 win over Archbishop Williams on Wednesday night. Senior forward Luke Long continued to be a force, potting one against SJP and notching a hat trick against Archbishop Williams.

4. BC High (9-5-3)

Previous ranking: 9
Head coach: John Flaherty
Next game: at Falmouth, Feb. 15, 6 p.m. 

BC High also seems to be playing some of its best hockey late in the regular season. Flaherty's team beat then-No. 7 St. Mary's Lynn, 4-0, on Saturday before edging out then-No. 5 Belmont, 2-1, on Tuesday. It was senior Connor Jameson scoring the game-winning goal with 25 seconds left against Belmont, while sophomore goalie Drew Karlovits continued to be a star. Karlovits' play will be the biggest indicator of how far BC High can go come March.

5. Belmont (13-5-1)

Previous ranking: 5
Head coach: Tim Foley
Next game: at Arlington, Feb. 16, 6:30 p.m.

The Marauders probably would've moved up, but they fell to then-No. 9 BC High, 2-1, so they stayed put at No. 5. They scored a huge, 4-0 win over then-No. 3 Arlington to win the Ed Burns Coffee Pot Tournament. They also took down Woburn, 5-1. Sophomore Liam Guilderson continued to be a revelation, scoring four times to beat Woburn. Senior Adam Bauer recorded his 100th point in the win over Arlington. That first line continued to cook.

ED BURNS FINAL: 7 takeaways from Belmont's win

6. Arlington (12-5-2)

Previous ranking: 3
Head coach: John Messuri
Next game: at Woburn, Feb. 15, 12 p.m. 

Moving Arlington down three spots might be a bit much, but things are tight in the top 10. Arlington fell to then-No. 5 Belmont, 4-0, before beating then-No. 6 Reading, 4-2. The win over Reading was huge, as sophomore JP Messuri scored twice and added a helper. Some big tests await Arlington over its final three games: Woburn, Belmont and Braintree.

7. Hingham (13-4-2)

Previous ranking: 4
Head coach: Tony Messina
Next game: vs. Bishop Feehan, Feb. 15, 2 p.m. 

The Harbormen moved down three spots after a 5-4 loss at home against then-No. 8 Catholic Memorial and a 1-1 tie with then-No. 6 Reading. They did rebound well for a whopping 7-0 win over St. John's Shrewsbury on Wednesday night. The Buddy Ferreira Classic will be the final three games for Hingham in the regular season.

8. Reading (10-4-5)

Previous ranking: 6
Head coach: Mark Doherty
Next game: vs. Arlington Catholic, Feb. 15, 4 p.m. 

Reading had a tough week, tying then-No. 4 Hingham, 1-1, before falling to then-No. 3 Arlington, 4-2. The Rockets have stumbled of late, going 0-2-3 in their last five games. Since crushing Wakefield 9-1 on Jan. 25, Reading is 1-2-4. The Buddy Ferreira Classic will provide Doherty's team with a tune-up before the postseason begins.

9. St. Mary's Lynn

Previous ranking: 7
Head coach: Matthew Smith Sr.
Next game: at Malden Catholic, Feb. 15, 5:30 p.m. 

It was a rough week for St. Mary's Lynn. The Spartans fell to then-No. 9 BC High, 4-1, and No. 2 St. John's Prep, 4-1. That shouldn't take away from what's been a great season (so far). After taking on Malden Catholic this week, St. Mary's Lynn gets No. 1 Pope Francis in the first game of the Cardinal Classic. I still like the chances of St. Mary's Lynn entering the big dance.

COACHING NEWS: Nobles boys coach Brian Day to retire at end of the season

10. Xaverian

Previous ranking: 10
Head coach: Dave Spinale
Next game: vs. Notre Dame (CT), Feb. 16, 2 p.m. 

Xaverian only played once over the last week, taking down Chelmsford, 4-0, on Wednesday. So long as the Hawks take care of business in their last three games against Notre Dame, Natick and Marshfield, they should be between the No. 8-11 seed come the tournament.

DROPPED OUT: None

IN THE HUNT: St. John's Shrewsbury, Archbishop Williams, Winchester, Marshfield

RinkWise podcast: Which teams might step up in the MIAA tournament?