The MIAA Super 8 play-in games are always two of the most exciting games on the high school hockey calendar in Massachusetts.
Four teams vying for the final two spots makes for great theater. This year will likely be no different as four good high school hockey teams will battle it out at the Chelmsford Forum in North Billerica, Mass.
The first game, set for a 5 p.m. puck drop, pits No. 7 Duxbury against No. 10 Xaverian. In the nightcap, No. 8 St. Mary’s will tangle with No. 9 Marshfield. The winner of the first game will move on to face Pope Francis in the first round while the second winner will face defending Super 8 champion BC High.
For those fans, coaches and scouts making the trek and not familiar with the venue, parking can be very sparse so show up early. Route 3 traffic in rush hour is no bargain either.
2019 Super 8 Seeds
1. BC High (16-2-2)
2. Pope Francis (15-1-3)
3. Hingham (17-4-1)
4. Arlington (14-3-3)
5. Framingham (17-3-2)
6. Austin Prep (14-4-3)
7. Duxbury (18-4-0)
8. St. Mary’s (16-5-1)
9. Marshfield (13-5-2)
10. Xaverian (12-6-2)
No. 7 Duxbury (18-4-) vs. No. 10 Xaverian (12-6-2)
These two teams met in the regular season with Duxbury earning a 2-0 win on goals from junior Drake Hadley and senior captain Jake Brennan.
With Xaverian playing a much more difficult schedule in the Catholic Conference and even in non-league games, there weren’t very many common opponents. Both teams played Marshfield and Austin Prep. Xaverian went 1-1-1 while Duxbury was 1-1-0 in games against those foes.
Neither team is exactly entering the post-season on a positive note. The Dragons lost their last two contests of the season — against Hingham and Austin Prep at the Buddy Ferreira Classic.
Xaverian blanked Melrose in the regular season finale, but lost the previous two games against Framingham and Marshfield.
Duxbury has allowed just 1.27 goals per game so its defense and goaltending will be a key to standing up against some good forwards on Xaverian. Expect senior captain Nate Romanelli to get the start between the pipes for John Blake’s team.
The defense is led by senior captain Jack Venturelli and junior Ben Luscko. The blue line will have to stand strong against Xaverian’s top line and the two waves of secondary scoring after that.
Up front, the top point producers have been Brennan, junior captain Ben Cheney and juniors Zach Stewart and Tanner Smith.
For Xaverian, the Hawks enter this game with one of the best seniors in the state. Captain Josh Barton centers the top line and he’s had a tremendous final season of high school hockey with 17 goals and 20 assists in 20 games.
Sophomore Robbie Barletta is one of the more skilled underclassmen in the state. He’s an adept playmaking forward who centers the second line and hops up onto the first power play unit.
Xaverian has solid secondary scoring options in junior alternate captains Ryan Pomposelli and Matty Ryan.
The Hawks’ blue line is a little on the younger side with three sophomores and a senior getting most of the minutes in the team’s finale against Melrose.
In goal, Spinale’s team relies on senior James Herring.
Prediction
Despite Duxbury winning the regular season contest between the two clubs, Xaverian is the better and deeper team. If the Hawks can play up to their potential Monday night, Dave Spinale’s team should move onto the Super 8 first round against Pope Francis. Look for Xaverian to win this one by a final score of 3-2.
No. 8 St. Mary’s (16-5-1) vs. No. 9 Marshfield (13-5-2)
The Spartans and Rams didn’t face off in the regular season, but have two common opponents. Each team lost a game to Hingham and Franklin.
Similarly to the first game, St. Mary’s will have the significant edge in strength of schedule entering this game, meaning they should be more well tested for a big game.
Mark Lee’s Spartans come into this fresh off a tie against Pope Francis. The team also has faced several Super 8 caliber teams in BC High, Hingham, and Austin Prep, albeit going 0-4 in those contests.
Marshfield enters Monday’s tilt winners of five of the last six, giving up just three goals during that span. The lone loss came against Franklin. A shutout victory over Xaverian was in that time frame as well.
Senior forward Paul Rorke leads the way for the Rams, coached by Dan Connolly, who just picked up his 300th career win recently. Juniors Kevin Moriarty and Tim Doyle and sophomore Jake Mastrangelo are the other top producers up front.
On defense, senior Kevin Buckley and junior Jon Jordan lead the way. Senior Jack Gatie is one of the better goaltenders in high school hockey.
St. Mary’s is led by freshman defenseman Davis Kinne, who is in his second season of high school hockey after playing last season as an eighth grader. He’s a smart, puck-moving, offensive defenseman for this level. Senior captain Kyle Ouellette provides some veteran leadership on the blue line. Junior Alex Nazarian, the younger brother of UNH senior forward Are Nazarian, is another key player on the backend.
Junior Joe Purtell will likely get the nod in net.
The Spartans have some key seniors up front as well with Colin Reddy, Nicholas Napolitano and Damon Maribito. A couple of younger players to watch include sophomores Colby Magliozzi, Brady Carpenter and Christian Moran.
While Marshfield hasn’t gone up against as tough of a schedule, the team did make a deep run in the Division 1 Tournament a year ago. The team lost to Waltham in the state title game at the TD Garden after winning the Division 1 South Tournament. Two years ago Marshfield also played in the Super 8 play-in game, losing 4-3 to Austin Prep.
St. Mary’s lost 3-0 to St. John’s Shrewsbury in one of the Super 8 play-in games last season. The Spartans won the Division 1 State Championship the season before.
Prediction
This is a tough game to choose as it could go either way. If forced to make a prediction, Spartans come away with the 2-1 win.
