There will be no Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association (MIAA) championship games at the TD Garden this season.
Sunday, March 15, 2020, was a day marked on many calendars, whether it be players and coaches dreaming of their team being the last one standing or for fans, college coaches and scouts looking to see tomorrow’s talent on display.
Still, the 2019-20 high school hockey season in Massachusetts provided plenty of uplifting moments and great performances that I’ll look back on fondly.
Here are 10 things that I’ll remember most from this year’s MIAA hockey season:
1. Arlington’s seniors stayed for a second championship
In a day and age when many players leave public schools for prep schools or full-season midget hockey, many of Arlington’s seniors decided to stick around for a chance to win a second MIAA Division 1A Super 8 championship. While it will be as co-champs, Arlington’s seniors have a lot to be proud of. The Spy Ponders went 19-1-4, including winning all three games in the Super 8 winners' bracket.
The headliners are Northeastern commit Anthony Messuri and Holy Cross baseball commit Brendan Jones, but several other seniors played pivotal roles: goaltender Nathan Brennan, forwards James Santagati and Brendan Pigott, and defensemen Ryan Davies and Tyler Callahan.
Although there’s nothing wrong with players and their families opting to further academic and athletic aspirations at a prep school, kudos to this group of Arlington seniors for their loyalty and love of town, inspired in part by head coach John Messuri.
2. Canton makes it two straight
The Bulldogs will be co-champs with Lincoln-Sudbury in Division 2 a year after an undefeated run culminated in a state championship at the TD Garden. This group of Canton seniors went 79-9-11 over their four years playing for head coach Brian Shuman.
The best player is multi-sport athlete John Hagan, who will have plenty of options for next season, between a post-graduate year at a prep school or Tier III junior hockey in the region.
Kudos also to Lincoln-Sudbury, co-champs in Division 2 and the only team to defeat Canton over the past two seasons. The Warriors proved to be one of the best teams in the state this season, even playing strong in a couple of games against Division 1 foes.
3. Super 8 play-in games lived up to the hype
The MIAA Super 8 play-in games have historically been a couple of the most intriguing contests of the season. That was especially true a couple of weeks ago at Stoneham Arena with two absolutely thrilling games. With spots in the Super 8 on the line, Burlington rallied from 1-0 and 2-1 deficits to defeat Hingham, 3-2, on a late goal by John Jay. In the nightcap, Reading and Framingham went to double overtime before Will Trischitta, one of the best players in the state, ended it on a short-side snipe.
4. Upsets make tournament time special
The top eight seeds were all out of the Division 1 South Sectional Tournament by the conclusion of the second round, including the aforementioned Harbormen and defending Division 1 state champion, Duxbury.
In Division 3 South, Hopkinton went 19-1-0 in the regular season to earn the top seed, but was unexpectedly bounced in the semifinals.
In Division 1 North, St. John’s Shrewsbury and Westford Academy came out of one side of the bracket after starting the tournament as double-digit seeds.
5. Packed rinks provided electric playoff atmosphere
Although it was truly unfortunate that some families and fans were shut out at the door during Super 8 games held at Stoneham Arena, the atmosphere for many of this year’s tournament games was truly special.
I certainly get the awe factor of playing at Tsongas Center or TD Garden, but I witnessed Super 8 and Division 1 North, Division 2 North and Division 3 North games at Stoneham Arena, O’Brien Rink in Woburn, and Chelmsford Forum in North Billerica that were packed to the rafters with great student support and other fans.
It wasn’t just the Super 8. Back-to-back games at O’Brien Rink between St. Mary’s and Belmont, and Reading and Austin Prep stand out. The Marauders beat the Spartans in as exciting of a 1-0 overtime game as I can remember. Then, it was the first time the Rockets beat crosstown rival Austin Prep in a long, long time. There was hardly an inch of space to stand anywhere in the stands or around the glass at O’Brien.
6. Watching Ryan Leonard dazzle as a young freshman
I’ve seen Pope Francis freshman right wing Ryan Leonard play quite a bit, even before the high school season. He played in this past summer’s STX 68, a combine of many of the top 2005-born players in the U.S., as well as in fall hockey with the Springfield Rifles.
I knew what he was capable of, but he had somewhat of a coming-out party to many fans and media in high school hockey. In his team’s first Super 8 game, Leonard scored a hat trick and added two assists as the Cardinals smashed Catholic Memorial, 6-1.
Ryan’s older brother John Leonard just finished up a rousing 27-goal season at UMass, and will likely follow in those same footsteps with the Minutemen in a few years.
Ryan, an ’05, will likely get a chance to prove himself as one of the best in his age group over the coming 12 months at events such as World Selects Invite, USA Hockey Select 15 Player Development Camp and the 2021 USA Hockey NTDP Evaluation Camp.
7. Special seasons for programs not used to success
Triton made its first sectional final appearance since 1990. Coached by Ryan Sheehan, the Vikings pulled together a great run to get to Tsongas Center before a lopsided loss to Lincoln-Sudbury ended their season.
After a few down seasons, Wakefield earned a tournament bid with an 11-6-3 record under first-year head coach Mike Geary. The Warriors were in most games, even in a challenging Middlesex League.
Although less of a surprise, Belmont put together a terrific season. Not usually on par with Arlington, Reading, Burlington, Woburn, Melrose and Winchester, the Marauders ended up as Division 1 co-champion. The team was led by first-line right wing Ben Fici.
Finally, Catholic Memorial isn’t a team with a lack of tradition, but the Knights returned to the Super 8 for the first time since 2014. A first-round loss didn’t deter them. They battled back for a comeback victory over Burlington to prolong their season for another game before being ousted by St. John’s Prep.
8. Pete Frates Christmas Classic
Playing just a few weeks after the tournament’s namesake passing, the Pete Frates Christmas Classic offered a great opportunity to come together as a community and showcase four of the better high school hockey teams in the state.
Before BC High and St. John’s Prep, the school Frates attended, dropped the puck in the second semifinal, all four teams gathered on the ice for a photo with Pete’s father, John, and brother, Andrew.
BC High won in a shootout, but it was great to see so many former players in the rink to capture the moment and catch up with former teammates and friends.
9. The emotion of it all is what makes it special
Seeing pig piles and the faces of jubilation after a big win is a common occurrence in the postseason. Winning, and even watching a team win and seeing the excitement and pure joy, is one of the great things about sports, specially hockey in this case.
On the other hand, losing is never easy, especially for many seniors who have likely played their final competitive game of hockey. A lot of blood, sweat and hard work went into each player's and team’s season. Having it all end is difficult.
Whether it be the emotion of winning or losing, seeing that emotion solidifies just how hard these players and coaches work.
10. High school hockey community is still special
Although I go to many prep school, junior and midget games across the country, there is something special about the community aspect of high school hockey in Massachusetts.
Whether it’s coaches, trainers or media, many people behind the scenes make high school hockey so special.
As always, it was great seeing all those people in the rinks. A few people who I believe deserve special recognition are Jim Clark of the Boston Globe for going above and beyond with schedules and tournament projections, Phil Stacey of the Salem News for his passionate coverage of north shore hockey and Craig Serio, who videos seemingly every meaningful high school hockey game for broadcast on the internet.
