The greatest time of the year in Massachusetts high school hockey begins this week with teams having one goal: making it to the TD Garden on Sunday, March 19.
State champions will be crowned that day on the hallowed ice where the hometown Boston Bruins skate. With the elimination of the Super 8, there are just four divisions in boys' hockey now, with enrollment the deciding factor for the most part.
Division 1 will get the most attention, and rightfully so, but there are intriguing storylines and teams to follow in the lower divisions, as well.
Here are previews and predictions for all four divisions as teams from across the state vie to make it to TD Garden.
MIAA TOURNAMENT BRACKETS/RESULTS: Division 1 | Division 2 | Division 3 | Division 4
Division 1
Despite Division 1 having more depth than any other division by far, it’s a two-team race to be labeled as the best in Massachusetts this year. Defending champion St. John’s Prep and Catholic Conference rival Catholic Memorial are the clear-cut top two teams in the state. Coaches Kristian Hanson of SJP and Larry Rooney of CM both boast high-end talent, depth and experience.
SJP has a boatload of talent up front with Cole Blaeser, Jake Vana, Will Van Sicklin, Christian Rosa, Jimmy Ayers, Ben McGilvray and Cam Umlah all producing at solid clips. The defense is led by Aidan Holland, and Brian Cronin has stepped in between the pipes.
Catholic Memorial doesn’t have quite the same amount of depth, but the Knights have the goaltending advantage, thanks to Owen Watson. The CM offense is led by Tyler Hamilton, Joe Marchi, Connor Fryberger and Brendan MacNeil. On the blue line, Bowdoin commit Finn Burke and freshman Anthony Pellitteri have been mainstays.
If a team is to pull off the improbable, look for Hingham, Arlington or Pope Francis. Whether it’s Travis Rugg, Aidan Brazel and Chase McKenna for the Harbormen or Jake Russell, Liam Gore and Evan Jones for the Spy Ponders, Hingham and Arlington provide the best chance of a public school winning. For Pope Francis, can head coach Brian Foley finally get over the top? Forwards CJ Watroba and Josh Iby and defenseman Zachary Buffone give the Cardinals a chance every game. If there’s one team from deep in the pack that can make some noise, look for it to be Reading. The Rockets have three good forwards in Laz Giardina, Evan Pennucci and Robbie Granara.
Prediction: This is boring, but it’s also self-serving. I want to see a rubber match between St. John’s Prep and Catholic Memorial. Depth proves to be too much as St. John’s Prep makes it back-to-back with a win over CM at the TD Garden.
GIRLS' TOURNAMENT BRACKET: Details for MIAA Divisions 1 and 2
Division 2
Can anyone knock Tewksbury off? Despite losing Caden Connors and Jason Cooke to graduation, the Redmen haven’t skipped a beat. Coached by Derek Doherty, Tewksbury has a good shot of going back-to-back. The team is led by forwards Matthew Cooke, Jeremy Insogna and Tyler Barnes, defenseman Nicholas DiCioccio and goaltender Ben O’Keefe. Tewksbury has proven capable of beating Division 1 opponents. As long as the team stays focused and takes all competition seriously, the Redmen should once again be the last team standing in Division 2.
The team on its side of the bracket with the best chance to trip up Tewksbury is Hopkinton. Led by senior Pavhit Mehra and freshman Cam MacPherson, the Hillers have an incredible one-two punch that could cause problems for opponents.
Duxbury and Canton are really the only two teams with a serious chance to knock off Tewksbury. Seniors Connor O’Connell and Aiden Harrington led the way for Duxbury. One under-the-radar freshman for Duxbury is Anderson Kilbourne, who has hockey sense. The hopes of Canton rest squarely on the shoulders of sophomore goaltender Colin Davis.
Prediction: Tewksbury makes it two in a row with another win over Canton.
Division 3
It’s fair to say that Division 3 has the most chance of providing chaos. There are certainly a few frontrunners, led by Scituate, Lynnfield, Medfield and Nauset. However, all four of those teams have holes and there are some teams lurking with a chance.
Scituate played Division 1 Marshfield tough and tied Division 2 Duxbury. The Sailors have a couple of star forwards in Teagan Pratt and James Sullivan. On the blue line, Matt Seghezzi has been a leader for Brian Hurcombe’s team.
Lynnfield didn’t lose until the third-to-last game of the regular season, dropping a contest to Hopkinton. After that, the Pioneers bounced back to finish with two wins. John Gardner’s team is led by defenseman Drew Damiani and forward Jack Carpenter.
Medfield has a superstar for this division in senior Kevin Arthur, who has lit the lamp 25 times. Bill Ladd’s team has some depth and has always proven to be a program to be reckoned with at this level.
The best player in the MIAA that few people have ever heard of is Nauset sophomore forward Logan Poulin. He has 23 goals and 18 assists to average slightly over two points per game as an '06. The fourth seed could be a huge threat in this postseason.
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At the fifth seed, Watertown’s 11-6-3 record doesn’t look all that impressive, but it’s imperative to remember their strength of schedule outweighs much of their counterparts at this division. Defensemen Mauricio Souza and Jack Dickie are underrated blue liners.
Prediction: This is the toughest division to pick. I’ll go with Nauset getting a boost from Poulin and taking down Lynnfield in the state championship game.
Division 4
Defending state champion Sandwich is the second seed and has a great chance of making it back-to-back. Jordan Mohre’s team has a trio of legit superstars for this division, headlined by goaltender junior Mitchell Norkevicius. Up front, senior Colin McIver and junior Chris Cardillo have reached the 40-point mark.
Top-seeded Norwell has enjoyed success once again thanks to utilityman Kevin Leary, who returned from Avon Old Farms prior to last season. Elsewhere, third-seeded Winthrop has a ton of firepower, led by junior captain Peter Silverman, who reached the 50-point mark during the last game of the regular season.
Two dark horses in Division 4 are Stoneham and Swampscott. I don’t think the champion in Division 4 will come from outside the top three, but if it does, look to the Spartans and Big Blue.
Prediction: Sandwich makes it two straight in Division 4 with a win over Norwell at the TD Garden.
