Boys hockey coaches would possibly need to get their hearts checked now to verify they’re up for what’s about to come back.
The state event is certain to replicate a lot of the parity that stored us guessing this yr. There’s a little bit of a shared joke on how tough it could’ve been for the Super 8 choice of previous to decipher a deserving top-10, leaving little doubt how chaotic this yr’s tournaments – particularly Div. 1 – may very well be.
St. John’s Prep (17-3) rightfully earned the highest seed for a 3rd yr in a row. Its self-discipline, depth and late-game execution helped it nearly run by way of the Catholic Conference – which locked three of the division’s high 4 seeds. Definitively, the Eagles are the workforce to beat.
Yet, head coach Kristian Hanson is aware of how little which means on this event.
“I think hockey is the most difficult sport to win a state championship in because of the level of competition, the amount of teams that are capable of winning it,” he mentioned. “You can just go down the list, but there are several high-end D1 hockey teams in the tournament. … We know how much work there is to be done.”
It says sufficient that Marshfield (16-3-3) – which received the Ed Burns Coffee Pot Tournament’s greater division and principally outplayed Xaverian – is seeded tenth. It says much more that Franklin (13-8), regardless of 4 wins towards top-10 groups, is twelfth. That doesn’t imply they weren’t seeded appropriately, however extra how shut the sector is.
There’s a lot to imagine in on the high, as SJP, defending champion No. 2 Pope Francis (16-5), No. 3 Catholic Memorial (13-4-3), and two-time reigning finalist No. 4 Xaverian (15-4-1) every confirmed they’ve the make-up from the net-out to win a state title. It simply wouldn’t be a shock in the event that they didn’t with what’s coming after them.
A younger No. 6 Arlington (16-3-3) confirmed how harmful it’s when it’s ready. Senior-laden No. 5 Archbishop Williams (16-4-1) is 4-1 in extra time and has principally stored large video games shut. Playmakers are everywhere in the ice for No. 7 Reading (15-5-1) or No. 8 Hingham (13-7-2) to advance deep.
That’s not even together with a bevy of groups outdoors the highest 10 which have proven functionality of taking part in heartbreaker, so we might see some fireworks even within the second spherical.
To a barely lesser diploma, a lot of the identical exists within the different three divisions.
Top-seeded Tewksbury (17-3) allowed Div. 2’s second-fewest objectives per recreation (1.75) whereas it scored probably the most (5.45). It makes for a superb guess to win their second title in three years, however reigning champion No. 2 Canton (15-4-2) might need one thing to say about that in a possible rematch of the 2022 state closing.
No. 3 Concord-Carlisle (16-4) has a number one high line itself. No. 4 Woburn (12-5-1) and No. 6 Billerica (9-7-2) matched up properly in Div. 1-heavy league title races. Fifth-seeded Newburyport (16-4-1) even went 3-1-1 itself towards among the finest in Div. 1.
Last yr’s upsets confirmed you possibly can’t sleep on the Tri-Valley League, and No. 7 Norwood (14-3-3) has solely gotten stronger. Much of the identical might be mentioned of the Patriot League. Seeds 10-20 are all harmful, particularly No. 10 Duxbury (10-8-4), No. 11 Boston Latin (12-8), No. 12 Gloucester (10-8-2) and No. 15 Masconomet (13-7).
After a troublesome out within the closing seconds final yr, top-seeded Nauset (18-1-1) has felt just like the workforce to beat in Div. 3 for the reason that preseason. If a present 15-game win streak doesn’t again up that declare, two one-goal wins over reigning finalist No. 3 Scituate (15-5-2) certainly does. Another assembly between the 2 is kind of attainable at TD Garden.
No. 8 Pembroke (11-5-4) and No. 9 Grafton (12-5-1) are severe sleepers, however the remainder of the highest threats proper now come from the North. No. 2 Shawsheen (19-1) hasn’t misplaced for the reason that opener. No. 4 Lynnfield (10-9-1) and No. 5 Essex Tech (12-7-1) loaded up their schedules to organize for deep runs. No. 6 Marblehead (12-9-1) flipped an 0-6 begin to enter with confidence, whereas No. 7 Triton (11-9) confirmed moments of big-game prowess.
No division has almost as many groups with 12-plus wins seeded outdoors the highest 10 as Div. 3 (15 groups), which might be fascinating to look out for.
Winthrop head coach Dale Dunbar believes he runs extra 4-on-4 observe than anybody after his workforce went to extra time in every of the primary two rounds of final yr’s Div. 4 tourney. It was upset within the second. The top-seeded Vikings (15-3-2) really feel battle-tested and assured to make sure that doesn’t occur once more because the expert favourite.
A 3rd-straight postseason matchup wouldn’t occur till TD Garden for reigning champion No. 3 Norwell (15-5-1) and 2022 champion No. 4 Sandwich (17-4-1), which very properly might develop. No. 2 Nantucket (15-4-1) appears to be like to get again to early-season dominance for a return to the Final Four, whereas No. 5 Dover-Sherborn (16-4) navigated the bigger TVL colleges with poise to make a possible run.
Dunbar says Winthrop doesn’t take a look at information at this level, which no person ought to with No. 7 Wilmington (6-12-2) and No. 10 Stoneham (8-11-1) threatening out of the loaded Middlesex League. No. 6 Hanover (11-9) is at all times well-coached to pose hazard. No. 8 Martha’s Vineyard (9-9-2) and No. 9 Medway (11-9) shouldn’t be taken evenly. All however one workforce seeded 11 by way of 22 has double-digit wins.
Buckle up, everybody.
PREDICTIONS
D1
Champion: No. 1 St. John’s Prep
Final Four: No. 1 St. John’s Prep, No. 3 Catholic Memorial, No. 4 Xaverian, No. 10 Marshfield
Sleeper: No. 12 Franklin
Potential Upset: No. 24 Braintree over No. 9 Westford Academy
Best First-Round Matchup: No. 13 St. John’s (S) vs No. 20 Central Catholic
D2
Champion: No. 2 Canton
Final Four: No. 1 Tewksbury, No. 2 Canton, No. 3 Concord-Carlisle, No. 5 Newburyport
Sleeper: No. 12 Gloucester
Potential Upset: No. 19 Whitman-Hanson over No. 14 Algonquin
Best First-Round Matchup: No. 15 Masconomet vs No. 18 Hopkinton
D3
Champion: No. 3 Scituate
Final Four: No. 1 Nauset, No. 2 Shawsheen, No. 3 Scituate, No. 5 Essex Tech
Sleeper: No. 8 Pembroke
Potential Upset: No. 21 Nashoba over No. 12 Somerset Berkley
Best First-Round Matchup: No. 15 BVT vs No. 18 North Middlesex
D4
Champion: No. 4 Sandwich
Final Four: No. 1 Winthrop, No. 2 Nantucket, No. 3 Norwell, No. 4 Sandwich
Sleeper: No. 10 Stoneham
Potential Upset: No. 18 Abington over No. 15 Bourne
Best First-Round Matchup: No. 14 Lunenburg/Ayer-Shirley vs No. 19 Littleton/Bromfield
Players To Watch
Anthony Amato, Norwood
Chris Cardillo, Sandwich
Jay Carter, Concord-Carlisle
Matthew Cooke, Tewksbury
Mike Corbett, Catholic Memorial
Chase Darcey, Shawsheen
Chris Hanifan, Reading
Evan Jones, Arlington
Mossy Kearney, Pope Francis
Finn Kelly, Archbishop Williams
Cam McGettrick, Marshfield
Ben Paterson, Franklin
Logan Poulin, Nauset
Cole Pouliot-Porter, Xaverian
Travis Rugg, Hingham
Petey Silverman, Winthrop
Griffin Starr, Nantucket
James Sullivan, Scituate
Brendan Tourgee, Canton
Jake Vana, St. John’s Prep
Source: www.bostonherald.com