The MIAA Hockey Division 1A Super 8 Tournament has never been so wide open. On Wednesday night, the field of eight begins its quest to be the last team standing come March 15 at the TD Garden in Boston.
Arlington, the 2017 Super 8 champion, and BC High, the two-time defending champion, are the top two seeds and the favorites, if there is such a thing in this year’s edition.
There are plenty of intriguing storylines in this year’s Super 8. Can BC High make it three in a row? Will Arlington’s seniors bookend their high school careers with a Super 8 title? Perennial powerhouse Catholic Memorial returns to the Super 8 for the first time since 2014.Â
2020 MIAA Hockey Division 1A Super 8
1. Arlington (16-1-4)
2. BC High (13-3-4)
3. Pope Francis (14-6-2)
4. St. John’s Prep (11-4-5)
5. Xaverian (13-4-4)
6. Catholic Memorial (8-6-6)
7. Burlington (15-4-4)
8. Framingham (15-5-3)
1. Arlington
The Spy Ponders haven’t lost a game since December 23, a 4-2 setback at Pope Francis. John Messuri’s team has to be considered one of the favorites to win the 2020 MIAA Division 1A Super 8.
Up front, Arlington is led by Northeastern commit Anthony Messuri, a senior center who has good speed. Senior left wing Brendan Jones is a Holy Cross baseball commit, but he’s also a very good hockey player. Junior Leo Piandes and sophomore Jake Murphy are two younger forwards who have bright futures.
Seniors Declan Dolan and Ryan Davies and junior Dominic Laiosa are the team’s top blue liners. Expect to see senior Nathan Brennan get the nod in net.
2. BC High
The Eagles will have to claw and fight to get a third straight Super 8 title. John Flaherty’s team lost four Division I caliber players, all underclassmen, from last year’s team.
This year’s team is led by junior Colin Norton and senior Matt Keohane, the team’s first line center. Norton is a smart player who can play wing or center. Freshman Ryan Flaherty has increasingly gotten more ice time as the season has gone along. A center, he plays with an edge and brings it physically in all three zones.
The defense has a good mix of size and mobility. The top blue liner is junior John Logan, who can move pucks north and jump into the offense. Junior Josh Milso and senior Michael Dragon, a Merrimack baseball commit, bring some size to the backend.
Junior Dalton Neelon got a lot of the starts at the beginning of the year, but big freshman Tom Kiessewetter has taken over as the team’s starting goaltender.
3. Pope Francis
Pope Francis will look to finally get over the hump in 2020. The Cardinals came excruciatingly close the last two seasons, losing twice to BC High in overtime at the TD Garden in the Super 8 final.
Brian Foley’s team lost a lot of key players from last year, including the entire top line. There’s far less fire power on this year’s team, but the top line has been good. The team’s leading scorer is freshman right wing Ryan Leonard, the younger brother of former star and current UMass leading scorer John Leonard. Junior center Brandon Spaulding and freshman left wing Ryan Shaw make up the rest of the top line.
Sophomore Jack Kennedy and senior Logan Dapprich are the leaders on the Cardinal blue line. Junior Ben Zaranek is the projected starting goaltender.
4. St. John’s Prep
St. John’s Prep hopes to reincarnate the glory it experienced in 2015 when the Eagles took home the Super 8 trophy. This year’s team has a good amount of depth and some solid younger players who could play a pivotal role if the coaching staff gives them the ice time they deserve.
The team’s top player is freshman forward Cam Russo, a talented ’05. Sophomores Nick Townshend and Cole Lopilato both missed time with injury, but are key pieces up front. Seniors Ned Malolepszy, Patrick Moran, and Ryan Webb and juniors Jake DiNapoli and Zach McKennelly provide experience.
The defense is solid with seniors Jack Gilligan and Andrew Cole and junior John Riley leading the way. Senior Noah Dorsey-Sorofman is a solid goaltender with plenty of experience.Â
5. Xaverian
The Hawks come into the Super 8 with a solid chance to break through. Led by senior forwards Ryan Pomposelli and Matty Ryan, Xaverian can score goals. Sophomore Jack Silva is another forward who has caught my eye in the past. The Hawks have some good size up front.
On defense, juniors Shane Spinale and Andrew Barton play key roles. Junior Kyle Harvey got the start in the two Xaverian games I saw this season.
6. Catholic Memorial
The Knights, in the tournament for the first time since 2014, rely heavily on sophomore goaltender Dom Walecka. Senior defensemen Kevin McCarthy and Paul Guiney play key roles protecting the young netminder. Up front, keep an eye out for junior Will MacNeil.Â
7. Burlington
The Red Devils are in the Super 8 after winning Sunday’s play-in game against Hingham by a score of 3-2. Head coach Bob Conceison’s team has a really good first line and an above average second and third line. One thing that stood out to me Sunday and a couple of times earlier in the season was the physicality of the team’s defense.
Senior center Ryan O’Halloran leads the way offensively. The ’02 is one of the better players in the state and he plays with an edge. Senior left wing Cam Costa, senior center John Condon, senior right wing Jacob Vozikis and junior center Jack Jay are other threats to find the score sheet. He doesn’t log a ton of ice time, but freshman Brendan Janis is a player to watch for the future.
On the blue line, junior Colin Browne brought it physically on Sunday, delivering several big hits. Seniors Spencer Reith and Trevor Janis also play key roles defensively. In goal, junior Joe Trabucco is a steadying force.
8. Framingham
The Flyers have the least depth of any team in the Super 8 field as head coach Will Ortiz routinely just rolls out two forward lines and two defensive pairs.Â
Framingham’s top player is senior center Will Trischitta. He’s a good skater who has the puck on his stick a lot. For a player with a smaller frame, he really snaps off a shot, as he did in double overtime of the team’s Super 8 play-in game victory against Reading.
Other top forwards to watch are senior center Robbie Lopez and junior left wing Hunter Balducci. In the play-in game, both regulation goals were scored by sophomore right wing Thomas Duane.
The defense is led at both ends of the ice by junior Jared Shimelman. Senior goaltender Jake Handy has come up big in several of my viewings. He’ll be relied on heavily, especially later in games when the team’s lack of depth comes back to hurt them.
Prediction
If I have to make a prediction, it’s Arlington over BC High for all the marbles. However, I think St. John’s Prep has a chance to go far, due to its depth and experience. Also, don’t sleep on Pope Francis, a team that seemed to catch fire down the stretch.
