We're at roughly the halfway point of the boys MIAA hockey season, which means things are starting to become clearer.
To me, there's a clear top three — for now. And then things get even more competitive from No. 4 to 10.
Hingham is a big reason why.
The Harbormen proved themselves as the top public school — for now. That will be severely tested at the Ed Burns Tournament later this month.
The Catholic Conference Showcase is coming up this Sunday, which should shake up the rankings next week.
Let's dive in.
1. Catholic Memorial (9-1-1)
Previous ranking: 1
Head coach: Larry Rooney
Next game: at Xaverian, Jan. 18, 12:30 p.m.Â
It was another big week for the Knights, beating then-No. 4 St. John's Prep (5-3) and BC High (4-1). In the win over SJP, junior forward Jack McCourt (Milton, Mass.) tallied twice in the first period, helping the Knights past the Eagles in a back-and-forth game. Against BC High, junior forward Dan Antonellis (Belmont, Mass.) scored once and registered two helpers, while senior defenseman James Baker (Dorchester, Mass.) continued his fantastic winter, posting two points. Sunday's matchup with Xaverian will be huge.
2. St. John's Shrewsbury (8-2-0)
Previous ranking: 2
Head coach: Michael Mead
Next game: vs. BC High, Jan. 18, 1 p.m. (at Canton Ice House)Â
It's almost impossible to question St. John's Shrewsbury's status as a top team in Massachusetts. From Jan. 3 to Jan. 10, Mead's team survived the gauntlet of Catholic Memorial, St. John's Prep and Xaverian, winning all three. On Wednesday night, the Pioneers also took down Malden Catholic (6-0). Sophomore forward Nico Santella (Worcester, Mass.) was the hero against Xaverian, scoring in overtime to lift SJS to a 2-1 win. Against Malden Catholic, the Pioneers showcased their depth with forwards Carter Richard (Holden, Mass.), Tyler Bergman (Berlin, Mass.), Matthew Mischel (Berlin, Mass.), Brady Chenevert (Shrewsbury, Mass.) and Jaydon Wrzosek (Dudley, Mass.) scoring, as well as defenseman Ryder Bisson (Holden, Mass.).
3. Xaverian (9-1-0)
Previous ranking: 3
Head coach: Dave Spinale
Next game: vs. Catholic Memorial, Jan. 18, 12:30 p.m.
The Hawks fell to St. John's Shrewsbury (2-1) in overtime on Saturday, but rebounded nicely with a 3-1 win over St. John's Prep on Wednesday night. In the win over St. John's Prep, seniors Ryan Guevremont (Rockland, Mass.) and Daniel Gentile (Westwood, Mass.) got the scoring going in the third, leading the Hawks to victory. Junior forward Max LaRosa (Whitman, Mass.) had the lone goal in the loss to SJS. Spinale's team continues to show it can get scoring from everywhere.
4. Hingham (6-2-1)
Previous ranking: 7
Head coach: Tony Messina
Next game: at Needham, Jan. 17, 1:30 p.m.
It was a statement week for the Harbormen, as they crushed a good Winchester team (7-1) before going into No. 5 Arlington and winning, 2-1. Senior forward Cam McKenna and junior forward Brendan McCarthy were huge in both games. McKenna sniped two goals against Winchester and another against Arlington, while McCarthy scored against Winchester and registered the game-winner against the Spy Ponders. Senior goalie James Whitmore isn't to be slept on. Hingham and Arlington are neck and neck to be the best public school. But the Harbormen have a slight edge right now.
READ MORE: 11 standouts, takeaways from Hingham's win over Arlington
5. Arlington (7-3-0)
Previous ranking: 5
Head coach: John Messuri
Next game: at Melrose, Jan. 21, 7:40 p.m.Â
While the Spy Ponders fell to Hingham, they beat Reading (4-0) right before and Woburn (2-0) right after. For that, Arlington stayed put at No. 5. Senior forward Nolan Russell continued his torrid senior year with two goals against Reading. In the win over Woburn, senior forward Dylan Dinucci stepped up for two lamplighters. Arlington is off until next Wednesday. Senior goalie John Snider had shutouts in both wins.
6. St. John's Prep (4-3-2)
Previous ranking: 4
Head coach: Kris Hanson
Next game: vs. Malden Catholic, Jan. 18, 2:45 p.m. (at Canton Ice House)Â
This is probably slightly too low for St. John's Prep, but the Eagles had a tough week, falling to both Catholic Memorial and Xaverian. A bright spot is that senior defenseman JR Goldstein (Lynnfield, Mass.) scored in both games. Goals have been hard to come by for SJP. Since beating BC High, 7-0, at the Pete Frates Winter Classic, the Eagles have 13 goals in six games. Things won't get any easier in their next five games: Malden Catholic, BC High, St. John's Shrewsbury, Catholic Memorial and Xaverian to round out January.
7. Pope Francis (5-4-2)
Previous ranking: 6
Head coach: Brian Foley
Next game: vs. Archbishop Williams, Jan. 17, 2 p.m.Â
It's been a rocky first half for Pope Francis, and that continued this week. The Cardinals took down Franklin (3-0) but followed that up with a 7-3 loss to St. Mary's Lynn. Foley's team has a sneaky difficult slate of games coming up, with Archbishop Williams on the schedule twice, as well as Braintree and Shrewsbury. I said this on our latest podcast this week, but I'll repeat it here: If, somehow, Pope Francis is a No. 6-12 seed come the Division 1 Tournament, they should be dangerous.
8. Reading (6-1-1)
Previous ranking: 8
Head coach: Mark Doherty
Next game: vs. Woburn, Jan. 19, 1 p.m.Â
The Rockets did drop their matchup with Arlington, but it was their first loss of the season, and they made up for it with a 2-1 win over Winchester. In the victory, junior forwards Aidan Shaughnessy and Kamden Greatorex were the heroes with the goals. Greatorex leads the team in goals (eight) and is tied with forward Jack Melly for the most points (13).
9. Canton (9-0-0)
Previous ranking: 9
Head coach: Brian Shuman
Next game: vs. Bishop Feehan, Jan. 17, 8:40 p.m.Â
The Bulldogs rolled over the competition this week, beating Oliver Ames (7-0), Duxbury (4-1) and Foxboro (6-0). Junior forward Ryan Elrick had a big week, netting a goal against Oliver Ames before scoring twice and adding a helper against Duxbury. In Wednesday's win over Foxboro, senior forward Liam Connolly tallied his first career goal. Canton has been No. 9 all season because of its dominance in Division 2. What will impact its ranking for us the most is how it performs at the Ed Burns Tournament later this month.
READ MORE: Top boys prep performers from Jan. 7-13
10. Arlington Catholic (8-2-0)
Previous ranking: 10
Head coach: Curt Colarullo
Next game: at Framingham, Jan. 17, 7:50 p.m.Â
Arlington Catholic only played once over the last week, taking down a very good Billerica squad, 2-1. Senior forward Stephen Constantine and freshman forward Cael Colarullo had the two tallies. Next week, however, there will be lots more to go off of. Arlington Catholic has a date with an underrated Framingham team on Saturday, followed by Barnstable on Monday, and then Archbishop Williams on Wednesday.
Dropped out:Â None
In the hunt:Â BC High, St. Mary's Lynn, Archbishop Williams, Weymouth
