RinkWise podcast: Who are the teams to beat in the MIAA hockey playoffs?

NEHJ prospects analyst Jeff Cox (right) sits down with Kirk Luedeke on the latest episode of NEHJ's "Rinkwise" podcast.

After previewing the upcoming prep hockey playoffs on Thursday, Jeff Cox and Kirk Luedeke discuss the upcoming MIAA postseason on the latest episode of New England Hockey Journal’s “RinkWise” podcast.

In the first season since the elimination of the Super 8, this will be the MIAA’s first winter with the statewide tournament model that went into effect in the fall.

Under the new format, the top 32 teams will make the Division 1 state tournament in single elimination to decide the winner of the Massachusetts high school hockey crown.

From the high-flying members of the Catholic Conference to several darkhorse public schools, Cox and Luedeke make their way around the MIAA landscape and hit on myriad teams and expected high-impact performers who are vying for a chance to raise a trophy at TD Garden on March 20.

On the top teams that have put themselves in position for championship contention status:
Cox: “The whole year until the end of the Catholic Conference season, and I thought the Xaverian and St. John’s Prep were the teams to beat. And I still think they’re two of the teams to beat, but Catholic Memorial is deserving of being in that. They’re the winners of the Catholic Conference and there’s something to be said for that. … They’re deep, they play hard and they’re well-coached by Larry Rooney.”

On why St. John’s Prep remains a dangerous contender despite the Catholic Conference loss: 
Cox: “They cycle as well as anyone. They have three lines that just go to work, get pucks in deep and do a good job down low, low to high passes, getting guys in the slot and finding them. I know that’s cliché, but it’s really true with them. I don’t know how good their D is because their cycle game is so good, they don’t have to defend that much. Kristian Hanson’s always had teams that play hard and play the game the right way, and this year’s no different.

“I truly believe, even though they lost to CM, I think they’re the team to beat just based on how hard they play and how heavy they are.”

On Xaverian looking for another championship:
Cox: “They’re older. … They also play heavy and they’re well-coached by Dave Spinale, who’s been around forever. They lost a lot of ‘D’ off of last year’s team (the Catholic Conference played a decent amount of games last year compared to everyone else and had a playoff championship that Xaverian did win) so, to me, those three are the teams to beat.”

On the first MIAA postseason without a Super 8:
Cox: “The Super 8 was a great showcase of high school hockey in Mass., and it was really the only time you would see a lot of the big Hockey East coaches there.

“There still might be that this year with some of the younger players in the MIAA like an Owen Keefe at Malden Catholic or Jack Sadowski at Arlington or James Marshall at BC High, but there won’t be the same buzz that there was around the Super 8, which I think is disappointing because Mass. high school obviously doesn’t get the showcase it deserves. And to take away the biggest showcase for Mass. high school hockey is just not a good thing for anyone.”

On the top public schools that have set themselves apart:
Cox: “Hingham probably has the best shot because they’re the deepest team of those three. Individually, they don’t have a Cam Fici like Belmont, they don’t have a Jack Sadowski like Arlington, but they have a bunch of good players and they have about six, seven forwards that are really good hockey players for this level, led by Aidan Brazel.

“Belmont, to me, has the best player in high school hockey this year. He might not be the best prospect going forward — I think he is a good prospect — but Fici has well over 30 goals. The Middlesex League is the toughest league in Mass. high school outside of the Catholic Conference, and some would argue it’s pretty even with the Catholic Conference, but the fact that he’s put up the amount of goals that he has —  almost two goals per game. … If he’s not going, they might have an off night in the tournament.”

“Arlington’s somewhat similar to Belmont. They have a little bit more depth, but Sadowski’s their guy. … He’s as smart of a goal scorer as there is in high school hockey this year. Fici’s a little older, but Sadowski’s an elite, elite brain. One of my favorite ’06s across the country because of how smart he is.”

On public dark horses (Cox named Austin Prep and Pope Francis as the Catholic dark horses):
Cox: “Marshfield won the Ed Burns High School Tournament and beat some good teams along the way. … (Coach) Dan Connolly’s gotten his teams to the Garden in the past … I wouldn’t be surprised to see them make somewhat of a run.

“And then Braintree. I always say this, I sound like a broken record, but (coach) Dave Fasano’s teams always play hard. They always come at you hard. So, they’re another team to watch us based on how hard they play.

“And then to me, the last real dark horse is Reading. … They’re deep, they have three good lines up front. They’re not as deep on the blue line, but (they have some) really good players. They made it to the final of the lesser division at the Ed Burns, losing to Canton, which is probably after Tewkesbury, the next best team in Division 2 this year.”

For more on the upcoming MIAA playoffs, listen to the full episode of NEHJ’s “RinkWise” today.

The podcast can be streamed at hockeyjournal.com/podcast and on major platforms, such as Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

“RinkWise” is brought to you by Paul Vincent Hockey, Laura Stamm Power Skating, Sacred Heart University and University of Nebraska High School, Lovell Hockey and Pro Ambitions.