The MIAA Hockey Division 1 Tournament begins Wednesday night with 28 teams vying to be crowned champion at TD Garden in Boston on March 15.
Defending state champion Duxbury is the fourth seed in the South Division. After losing in the Super 8 play-in games, Reading and Hingham are the top seeds in the north and south divisions, respectively.
Below is a look at the seeds, teams and players to watch, and predictions for who will be crowned champion in Division 1:
MIAA Hockey North Division 1
1. Reading (10-5-6)
2. Waltham (13-6-1)
3. Shrewsbury (12-6-2)
4. Belmont (10-5-5)
5. St. Mary’s (12-7-2)
6. Melrose (11-7-3)
7. Bishop Fenwick (11-7-3)
8. Austin Prep (10-7-4)
9. Woburn (9-7-4)
10. Westford (10-8-2)
11. St. John’s Shrewsbury (9-8-5)
12. Central Catholic (10-9-3)
13. Andover (9-9-2)
MIAA Hockey South Division 1
1. Hingham (12-7-3)
2. Natick (13-2-5)
3. Bridgewater Raynham (12-6-2)
4. Duxbury (12-6-4)
5. Braintree (11-6-3)
6. Marshfield (11-6-3)
7. King Phillip (10-5-5)
8. Barnstable (11-7-2)
9. Falmouth (12-9-1)
10. Franklin (9-7-4)
11. Wellesley (10-8-2)
12. Walpole (9-8-5)
13. Mansfield (7-7-6)
14. Archbishop Williams (8-8-4)
15. Milton (7-10-4)
Reading
The Rockets have a talented and deep group. The offense is led by freshman right wing Evan Pennucci, junior left wing Landyn Greatorex, senior center Shawn Golden and senior right wing Sean Barbera. The defense has two solid pairings with mobile seniors Matt Fiorenza and Cam Lawhorne on the top pair. Junior Charlie Miele and senior Brandon Millerick bring some size and physical presence on the second pairing. Senior goaltender Dylan Emery can make some athletic saves. Head coach Mark Doherty’s program is no stranger to the spotlight.
Melrose
Head coach Vin Mirasolo’s team has a very good top line, led by junior left wing Brendan Fennell. Classmates Charlie Haggerty and Quinn McCarthy flank him at center and right wing, respectively. Fennell isn’t the best skater, but he’s hard to knock off pucks, shoots it hard, and uses his size and strength to his advantage. Senior center Cam Marks and senior defenseman Joe Lucien are two other promising players for the Raiders.
St. Mary’s
The Spartans faltered some down the stretch, but Mark Lee’s team has the horsepower to make a run in Division 1 North. The team’s top player is sophomore defenseman Davis Kinne, an offensive-minded blue liner. Freshman forward Brady Bullock is the team’s leading scorer. Juniors Brady Carpenter and Colby Magliozzi are other big threats up front. Lee’s teams always play hard and should be prepared for the playoff grind.
Austin Prep
The Cougars lost a couple of key players to graduation and prep school. Seniors Nolan Ricci and Chris Roy and juniors Joe Thibodeau, Brady McGrath, and Doug Russo are key players up front. The best prospects on the team are younger players. ’05 eighth graders Ty Wood and Cullen Emery are both key contributors and players to watch for the future. On the blue line, Aidan Elkins is one of the better two-way defensemen in the state. Senior Andrew MacDonald has gotten the bulk of the work in net.
Waltham
Senior Brian McNamara leads the Hawks in scoring while senior Justin Moran and juniors Dylan Fogg and Matthew O’Toole have chipped in plenty offensively. John Maguire’s program is always in the mix in Division 1.
Belmont
The Marauders are led by junior forward Ben Fici and senior forwards Matt Brody andÂ
Justin Rocha. Junior defenseman Nolan Duffy is the top blue liner while senior captain Nico Carere is the projected starting goaltender. Fred Allard’s team played a tough schedule in the Middlesex League and could be a tough out.
Woburn
The Tanners are a far better team than their record indicates. Head coach Jim Duran’s team could prove to be a stiff challenge for some of the higher seeds, if they get the puck rolling in the playoffs. Junior forward Jonathan Surette is the unquestioned leader of the team, but junior Lancer Anderson, freshman forward Jackson Powers and senior defenseman Joey Guarino also play pivotal roles. Senior Kevin Burkett is the team’s starting goaltender.
St. John’s Shrewsbury
The Pioneers have a solid group of seniors leading the team offensively. Matt Myers, Sean Clark, Griffin Burns and Brendan Doherty are the go-to guys for coach Michael Mead.
Bishop Fenwick
Head coach Jim Quinlan’s team is capable of making some noise with junior forward Cam Martin and senior forwards Diego Alvarez-Segee, Ian Worthely and Nick Muzzi.Â
Hingham
The Harbormen took two one-goal leads in Sunday’s play-in game loss to Burlington, but couldn’t hold on. Tony Messina’s team has plenty of depth and experience to make a run in Division 1 South. Freshman Aidan Brazel and senior forwards Tim Carroll and Paul Forbes are the players to watch offensively. Sophomore Bob Falvey is the team’s top defenseman. Sophomore Luke Merian got the nod in net Sunday.
Natick
The Redhawks are led by sophomore Sean McWhinnie, a power forward who can play left wing or center. He’s a goal scorer and could take this team on his back. Natick didn’t play the schedule that many of the other teams did, but they have an impressive resume and only lost twice.
Duxbury
Junior forward Billy Mrowka is the team’s offensive leader while seniors Friend Weiler andÂ
Ben Cheney and junior TJ Jones provide secondary scoring. Sophomore Nolan Roche and freshman Wyatt Glass are two younger players to watch. On the blue line, senior Ben Luscko wears a letter and leads the defense.
Braintree
David Fasano’s teams always play hard and compete with some of the best teams in the state. This year was no different. Senior defensemen Kyle Roche, Cam Mooney and Johnny Harrington wear letters and patrol the blue line. The team’s top prospect is freshman forward Nolan Leonard.
Marshfield
Senior Tim Doyle has been a solid four-year contributor for the Rams and leads the 2019-20 edition in scoring. Other key contributors offensively for Dan Connolly’s team are seniors Kevin Moriarty, Bryce McDonough, Griffin Mudge, Matt Mullaney, and sophomore Nick Sourletis. Senior Charlie Kolar leads the blue line.
Prediction
Hingham should come out of the South while any number of teams can make a run in the North. I have Melrose or Reading walking off the TD Garden ice with the trophy.
