Boys MIAA rankings: Franklin earns spot in the top 10

The brackets for the MIAA boys hockey tournament will be announced in less than 10 days.

We have a pretty good idea of who the top two teams are. After that, things get very interesting, and that's showcased in this week's rankings.

There are still a couple of games left for each team, so these rankings could change again before the start of the playoffs.

Let's dive in.

1. St. John's Prep (14-3-0)

Previous ranking: 1
Head coach: Kristian Hanson
Next game: vs. St. John's Shrewsbury, Feb. 17, 2:20 p.m. 

Since our last rankings on Feb. 1, St. John's Prep only had one hiccup, which came on Feb. 3 when it was upset by Arlington Catholic, 3-1. That's still not enough to take Hanson's team out of the top spot. Senior captain Jake Vana has been vital for SJP this season, and that's been evident of late. In SJP's 6-0 win over St. Mary's Lynn on Feb. 7, Vana posted three assists. He tallied four goals in the next game, which was a 6-2 win over Newburyport. He scored another in a 4-0 victory against Andover.

2. Xaverian (13-4-0)

Previous ranking: 2
Head coach: Dave Spinale
Next game: at Malden Catholic, Feb. 17, 5:30 p.m. 

Sure, St. John's Prep outscored Xaverian 11-3 over two games in January. But that doesn't mean the Hawks aren't the second-best team in the state. Since the calendar flipped to February, Spinale's team earned a 6-3 win over Malden Catholic, a 6-2 win over Barnstable and a 3-2 win over Chelmsford. Xaverian has two big tests after its game against Malden Catholic: a date at Notre Dame High School in West Haven, Conn., and a home matchup against Marshfield.

3. Catholic Memorial (11-5-3)

Previous ranking: 3
Head coach: Larry Rooney
Next game: at Pope Francis, Feb. 17, 12:30 p.m. 

Catholic Memorial has played a slew of close games lately. After tying BC High, 2-2, the Knights rebounded for a huge, 4-3 win over Archbishop Williams. I've written about Nick D'Olympio (Rockland, Mass.) a lot since last season because I'm a big fan of his game. He posted a hat trick in that game and has progressed this season. CM also took down Falmouth, 4-3, in overtime on Saturday, getting the winner from senior defenseman Adam Parker (Holbrook, Mass.).

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4. Arlington (15-3-2)

Previous ranking: 6
Head coach: John Messuri
Next game: vs. Woburn, Feb. 17, 2:25 p.m. 

On Wednesday night, Arlington clinched the Liberty Division title with a 2-1 win over Reading in overtime. It was a bit of revenge for the Spy Ponders, who lost to Reading, 4-0, back on Jan. 13. The win highlighted maybe the biggest strength of Arlington: young talent. Sophomore Nolan Russell scored both goals against Reading, as he's one of various skillful underclassmen, signaling the beginning of another strong core for Messuri's team. Overall, Arlington is 4-0-1 in its last five games.

5. Pope Francis (13-5-0)

Previous ranking: 7
Interim head coach: Daniel Fenton
Next game: vs. Winchester, Feb. 15, 6:40 p.m. 

Pope Francis moves up two spots due to Archbishop Williams' hiccups. The Cardinals scored an important, 3-0 win over Hingham on Feb. 3 before taking down Northwest Catholic (Conn.), 7-1, and Fairfield Prep (Conn.), 5-3, at the Pope Francis Invitational. Those three wins helped Pope Francis jump to No. 2 in the MIAA Division 1 boys power rankings.

6. Archbishop Williams (14-4-0)

Previous ranking: 4
Head coach: Chris Cunningham
Next game: at Falmouth, Feb. 17, 4 p.m. 

Archbishop Williams falls two spots after going 2-2 in its last four games. Yes, Cunningham's team beat Bishop Fenwick, 10-0, and Exeter (N.H.), 8-3, but fell to two strong MIAA teams. Archies lost a close one with CM, 4-3, on Feb. 7, and then was on the wrong end of a 7-2 drubbing by Franklin. The Buddy Ferreira Classic will serve as a good chance for Archbishop Williams to get right before the postseason.

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7. Reading (14-5-0)

Previous ranking: 5
Head coach: Mark Doherty
Next game: vs. BC High, Feb. 17, 2 p.m. 

Reading falls due to the uncertainty around the middle of the top 10. All teams from Arlington to Marshfield have a case for anywhere from spots 4-8. The Rockets have had a couple of close losses of late, falling to Franklin, 2-1, in the Ed Burns Coffee Pot Tournament semifinal. Then, on Wednesday, Reading fell to Arlington, 2-1, in overtime. Senior Cam Fahey has been on another level this season, posting 17 goals and 34 points in 19 games, making him one of the most dangerous scorers in the MIAA.

8. Marshfield (16-2-2)

Previous ranking: 8
Head coach: Dan Connolly
Next game: vs. Bridgewater-Raynham, Feb. 17, 7:40 p.m. 

Marshfield's top six is one of the best in the state, and it proved that in a 6-1 win over Franklin to win the Ed Burns Tournament Doherty Division championship. Players like Teddy Devoe, Tommy Carroll, Cam McGettrick and Jack Doherty will continue to be vital for Marshfield once the postseason starts. Marshfield is 8-0-2 in its last 10 games.

9. Hingham (11-6-2)

Previous ranking: 9
Head coach: Tony Messina
Next game: vs. Bishop Feehan, Feb. 17, 12 p.m. 

I had Hingham lower than most in my last rankings and I kept them at No. 9 in this edition. The Harbormen lost a tight one with Pope Francis, 3-0, and then lost to Canton, 5-4, in double overtime in an Ed Burns consolation matchup. Since then, Hingham rebounded for a big, 6-0, win over St. John's Shrewsbury and victories against Braintree and Lincoln-Sudbury.

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10. Franklin (13-7-0)

Previous ranking: NR
Head coach: Chris Spillane
Next game: vs. St. John's Prep, Feb. 21, 5 p.m. 

Welcome to the top 10, Franklin. Spillane's team has more than earned the right to be here and has a case to go even higher than No. 10. Despite losing to Marshfield, 6-1, in the Ed Burns Tournament Doherty Division championship, Franklin has been wreaking havoc on some of the top teams in the state. Most recently, Franklin took down Archbishop Williams, 7-2. On Feb. 4, the Panthers beat Reading, 2-1, in the Ed Burns semifinals. They took down Hingham, 6-4, to start the tournament, too. Come the playoffs, Franklin could be a major spoiler.

Dropped out: St. John's Shrewsbury (10-7-1; 10)

In the hunt: Winchester, St. John's Shrewsbury, Westford Academy