On paper, there are three tiers of teams entering this year’s MIAA Super 8 Tournament that begins Wednesday night at the Tsongas Center in Lowell.
Since the beginning of the season, it’s been evident that Central Catholic and BC High are the undisputed top two teams in the state. After the Raiders and Eagles, Pope Francis and St. John’s Prep fall into line. Then, Hingham, Andover, Burlington and St. John’s Shrewsbury come after that.
With the Super 8 returning to the old double-elimination format this season, there are likely to be a few upsets and the tournament might not go chalk as had been more likely in the best-of-three quarterfinals the past few years.
On Wednesday, No. 4 Hingham and No. 5 Andover get things going at 5:30 p.m. followed by No. 3 St. John’s Prep and No. 6 Burlington in the nightcap. No. 2 BC High and No. 7 Pope Francis kick off Thursday’s action at 5:30. The final game of the first round will feature No. 1 Central Catholic and No. 8 St. John’s Shrewsbury. All four first round games will be played at the Tsongas Center on the campus of UMass Lowell.
No. 1 Central Catholic (21-1-0)
After a season-opening win against BC High, the Raiders nearly ran the table. The only loss came to Waltham in February. Kim Brandvold’s team might not have faced as tough a schedule as BC High or St. John’s Prep, but the Raiders took care of business in the seven games against Super 8 competition, going 7-0-0 in games against other teams in the field.
’00 Senior Eric Lester is the team’s leading scorer with 15 goals and 15 assists while ’00 junior Will Winship is close behind with 14 goals and 15 assists. Winship is the team’s top prospect with size and an ability to control the play below the dots. Another ’00 junior, Sean Brown, has quickness and vision, leading the team in assists.
A pair of ’02 forwards, freshman Owen Fowler and sophomore Jack Gray, have potential to blossom into coveted prospects. Fowler’s energy and skating ability have several college programs keeping an eye on him.
The defense is led by ’00 senior Joseph Biddle. ’00 junior Ray Galasso, ’00 junior Steve Birch, and ’00 senior Nick Foderaro also log a lot of ice time on the blue line.
The goaltending duties go to ’00 junior Matthew Pasquale, a three-year starter. Fundamentally and athletically, he’s a top flight goaltender for his age group, making USA Hockey’s Player Development Camp three years in a row.
On paper, the Raiders should make it to the TD Garden for a second year in a row. Brandvold’s team will look to avenge last year’s heartache, giving up a fluke goal in overtime to Arlington.
No. 2 BC High (15-4-1)
The Eagles roll out the most depth of any team in the tournament. John Flaherty’s team is solid from first line to third line and was tested throughout the year with a fierce schedule.
Up front, ’00 junior center Thomas Kramer leads the way. He’s as solid of a two-way center as there is in high school hockey this season. For much of the year, classmate Matt Lakus has provided size to the line and makes a very good complimentary winger.
Kramer’s two younger brothers, ’02 freshman forwards Peter Kramer and Joseph Kramer, are talented and can make plays. Senior Danny O’Connell is another player to watch up front.
’01 sophomore defenseman Mikey Adamson is the top college prospect among defensemen in MIAA. He’s a little undersized, but he plays tough. He’s physical and has good feet. He’ll be all over the ice for the Eagles. Senior blue liner Sean Healy is committed to Saint Anselm College.
Late ’00 junior Luke Garrity will man the crease for BC High. He’s been very good for long stretches of the last two seasons.
Despite losing to Central Catholic in the season opener, it’s not a stretch to say the Eagles are the best team in the state on paper. After starting 1-3-1, the Eagles finished the year 14-1 and many of those games weren’t even close.
No. 3 St. John’s Prep (13-3-4)
Kristian Hanson’s team, the 2015 Super 8 champions, doesn’t have a lot of firepower on paper, but there are a few key pieces to keep an eye on over the next few weeks.
’99 senior defenseman Tim Usalis isn’t a Division I prospect, but he’s a veteran who has been around the block. He was a key part of the state champion team as a freshman.
Up front, ’01 junior Brian Carrabes and ’02 sophomore David Sacco are the top threats. Both have the potential to be fringe Division I prospects. Carrabes qualified for USA Hockey’s Select 16 Camp last summer out of Florida, where he spent part of his youth.
Look for ’99 senior Cam Ludwig to get the start in goal, but sophomore Noah Dorsey-Sorofam has also played some this season.
No. 4 Hingham (12-4-6)
The Harbormen always have one of the most challenging schedules in the state and this year is no different. Tony Messina’s group went 2-3-1 against Super 8 competition this year, but also faced several teams on the bubble.
Forwards Marshall Terres and Frankie Higgins provide quality senior leadership and an ability to put pucks in the net. Fellow senior Jake Quilty and junior Will Kenney are also strong options up front.
Juniors Caleb Woodin and Jake Higgins lead the defense. Senior Robbie Kornack will be the starting goaltender when Hingham cruises into the Tsongas Center.
No. 5 Andover (13-5-2)
The Warriors making their first ever Super 8 appearance is a great feel good story after the witch-hunt by a select few parents and administrators that cost coach Chris Kuchar his job temporarily.
Kuchar is back behind the bench after being cleared in an investigation and the team is playing its best hockey. Andover finished the season on a four-game winning streak that included victories over St. John’s Shrewsbury and two teams that just missed the Super 8, Arlington and Newburyport.
Senior forwards Caeden Dillman and Michael Reilly are two of the biggest threats to light the lamp while sophomore Michael Feeney also had a strong season offensively.
The strength to Andover’s team is its defense, led by seniors Matthew Belluche and Jake Lachance, the son of New Jersey Devils scout Scott Lachance and the grandson of legendary BU coach Jack Parker. Belluche is committed to play college lacrosse at Union and Lachance is heading to Berkshire school for a PG year.
Junior Cole Chingris is one of the more underrated goaltenders in the state. Andover will go as far as its defense and goaltending take it in this tournament.
No. 6 Burlington (19-3-0)
The Red Devils have some venerable veterans that lead the way for the Middlesex League champions. Senior forwards Frankie Bonano and Jeff Russo can be lethal scoring threats while juniors Joe Barbieri and Connor Quinlan both had good seasons offensively.
The best college prospect is sophomore forward Ryan O’Halloran, an ’02 who can skate and make plays. He played wing on the top line throughout the regular season.
The defense has experience as well with two seniors, two juniors and a sophomore logging the most minutes on the blue line. Senior captain Paul Barbieri will start in net.
Bob Conceison and his staff have turned Burlington into a serious Super 8 contender year in and year out over the past couple of seasons. The Red Devils went 0-2 against Super 8 competition this year, including a 2-1 loss to first round opponent St. John’s Prep.
No. 7 Pope Francis (17-3-3)
Due to a MIAA rule in regards to a fifth-year player, the Cardinals were seeded last for the play-in games. However, Pope Francis is clearly the third best team in Massachusetts to anyone that follows the sport closely.
Senior Brendan Nehmer is the top offensive producer in Division 1. He has good speed and can make plays. He’ll be coveted by prep schools for a PG year. Juniors Makem Demers, Tyler Wilson, Max Cocchi and Jon Tavella are also threats to score.
Senior defenseman Jacob King should be one of the most sought after blue liners in the state when it comes to prep schools looking for a PG prospect. He has good size and athleticism. He can activate into the play and he has good gaps and an active stick defensively.
Goaltending is the biggest area of concern for the Cardinals. Freshman Ben Zaranek got the start in the play-in game victory over Arlington, but junior Victor Larssen played several key games during the regular season.
No. 8 St. John’s Shrewsbury (14-6-3)
The Pioneers are in the post-season for the first time since 2014. Michael Mead’s team has a good balance of veteran leadership and youthful exuberance.
The best college prospect on the team is ’02 sophomore wing Dhillon Wilde. He can really skate and he had three assists in the Super 8 play-in game against St. Mary’s. Classmate Matthew Myers and junior Tim Farley played with Wilde on the second line Monday.
The all-sophomore third line of Hunter DiGregorio, Sean Clark and Griffin Burns was effective Monday as well.
Senior forwards Will Horrigan and Nick Palermo are veterans who can score goals. Palermo is huge and was fun to watch Monday. He’ll shoot it from anywhere and is a bull in a china shop.
The team’s top defender is senior captain Jack Herlihy. Senior Corey Splaine isn’t the biggest goaltender, but he’s always in position and challenges shooters on top of the crease. He made saves look easy and ate up rebounds on Monday night.
The Pioneers struggled down the stretch, but looked like a serious contender on Monday evening. This isn’t a team to take lightly.
PREDICTION
This isn’t going out on a limb, but BC High wins the Super 8 championship with a triumph over Central Catholic at the TD Garden on March 18.
