There's just one week to go in the girls high school hockey season.
Next Sunday, the brackets will come out, and it will be a mad dash to the Division 1 and 2 crowns.
There's a lot to unpack since our last top 10. There were several high-end matchups, be it Hingham tying Duxbury, Malden Catholic knocking off Peabody/Lynnfield/North Reading and more.
The next week will feature several critical games, too, especially at the Hingham Hockey Showcase. The showcase will feature several of the top teams in the state in a high-end tune-up before the postseason. Hingham, Malden Catholic, Notre Dame (Hingham), Duxbury, Westwood, Archbishop Williams, Arlington, St. Mary's, Braintree, Needham, Andover and Lincoln-Sudbury will all compete at Pilgrim Arena on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday.
One of the biggest matchups will be Monday's tilt between undefeated Hingham and undefeated Westwood, the top seeds in Division 1 and 2, respectively. There will also be an exciting rematch between Duxbury and MC on Tuesday.
Before any of that, though, let's dive into this week's rankings.
1. Hingham (17-0-1)
Previous rank: 1
Head coach: Courtney Turner
Next game: vs. Westwood, Feb. 17, 2:30 p.m.
The Harborwomen went 3-0-1 since our last round of rankings, with all three wins coming via shutout. They beat Whitman-Hanson/Silver Lake, 2-0, before settling for a 2-2 draw with Duxbury. Hingham followed it up with a 3-0 triumph over Canton and a 2-0 win against Marshfield. Izzy Puleo earned all three shutouts in the crease, and Caroline Doherty was among the goal-scorers in each of the wins. The Harborwomen, who are first in the MIAA's Division 1 power rankings, will face undefeated Westwood to kick off the Hingham Hockey Showcase next Monday. They'll also take on Lincoln-Sudbury and St. Mary's in the showcase.
2. Malden Catholic (11-2-3)
Previous rank: 4
Head coach: Alexa Hingston
Next game: vs. Pope Francis, Feb. 15, 5:30 p.m.
The Lancers rattled off three more wins since the last top 10, beating a pair of quality teams in the process. A 4-0 win over Bishop Feehan and a 2-1 win over Peabody/Lynnfield/North Reading bookended a 1-0 win against Bishop Fenwick. Nevin Mustone (Medford, Mass.) scored against Feehan and PLNR, while Megan Mullarkey (Wilmington, Mass.) has come on strong in net of late. MC is now unbeaten in eight in a row (5-0-3) with four straight wins in hand. They sit third in the latest power rankings and will face Pope Francis on Saturday before competing in the Hingham Showcase. They'll face Lincoln-Sudbury, Duxbury and Andover in the showcase.
BIG WIN: 9 standouts from Malden Catholic's 2-1 win over PLNR
3. Notre Dame (Hingham) (10-3-2)
Previous rank: 3
Head coach: John Findley
Next game: vs. Boston Latin, Feb. 15, 3:50 p.m.
The Cougars added a trio of wins to their resume over the last two weeks. They knocked off Arlington Catholic, 3-1, and picked up a key 3-1 win over Duxbury before shutting out St. Mary's, 1-0. Sarah White (Hanover, Mass.) scored in each of the three games, while Erin Kral (Whitman, Mass.) was stout for the shutout against SMH in a rematch of last year's D1 championship. Morgan Brady (Middleboro, Mass.) also scored versus AC and Duxbury. NDA, who is No. 2 in the power rankings, will host Boston Latin on Saturday before facing Braintree, Andover and Arlington in next week's Hingham Showcase to close the regular season.
4. Duxbury (12-4-2)
Previous rank: 2
Head coach: Dan Najarian
Next game: vs. Falmouth, Feb. 15, 3:40 p.m.
The Dragons went 1-1-1 since our last top 10. They gave Hingham a big scare in a 2-2 tie on Feb. 5 but stumbled next time out in a 3-1 loss to NDA. They bounced back on Wednesday with a 4-3 win over Whitman-Hanson/Silver Lake. Four different skaters found the back of the net in the win, including Emily Camara with her first varsity goal. Ceci Tremante and Meg Carney came through with the goals against Hingham. Duxbury, who ranks second in the Division 2 power rankings, has a tough test against Falmouth up next in a rematch of last year's D2 championship. They'll wrap the regular season at the Hingham Showcase, where they'll face St. Mary's, MC and Needham.
5. Methuen/Tewksbury (15-0-3)
Previous rank: 5
Head coach: David O’Hearn
Next game: vs. Arlington Catholic, Feb. 17, 5 p.m.
The Red Rangers remained undefeated, going 3-0-1 with four shutouts since the last round of rankings. They beat Billerica/Chelmsford, 1-0, for a second time this season before taking down Shrewsbury, 4-0. After a 2-0 win against Lincoln-Sudbury, their seven-game win streak came to an end in a scoreless draw with Boston Latin. Sammy Ryan (Methuen, Mass.) scored a pair versus Shrewsbury before adding another against LS. Lyla Chapman (Tewksbury, Mass.) came through with goals in both games as well. Methuen/Tewksbury will cap off the regular season with a home tilt against Arlington Catholic on Monday. They're currently No. 6 in the D1 power rankings.
TOURNAMENT FORECAST:Â Favorites, contenders and sleepers in girls MIAA hockey
6. Haverhill/Pentucket/North Andover (14-2-4)
Previous rank: 6
Head coach: Gary Kane
Next game: vs. Peabody, Feb. 19, 6 p.m.
The Hillies picked up four more wins, extending their winning streak to six in a row. They took down Shrewsbury, 6-1, Westford, 3-0, Billerica/Chelmsford, 2-1, and Andover, 5-1. HPNA's top guns have been firing on all cylinders, too. Kendall LaRiviere (Haverhill, Mass.) had a hat trick and an assist versus Andover, while Quinn Bennett (North Andover, Mass.) had four points (two goals). Mia Kmiec (North Andover, Mass.) added a pair of assists versus Andover after she had a goal and an assist against Westford and two goals against Shrewsbury. Paige Nottingham (Merrimac, Mass.) had a pair of helpers against Westford after posting a goal and an assist against Shrewsbury. The Hillies, who are fourth in the D1 power rankings, will wrap things up against PLNR on Wednesday.
7. Archbishop Williams (12-4-2)
Previous rank: 10
Head coach: Doug Nolan
Next game: at Bishop Feehan, Feb. 15, 4 p.m.
The Bishops continued to roll. They've won four straight since our last rankings and extended their unbeaten streak to eight in a row, going 11-1-2 since Jan. 1. They knocked off Bishop Fenwick, 5-0, before shutting out Sandwich, 2-0. Archies closed out this latest stretch with a 5-2 win over Pope Francis and a 3-2 overtime win versus Bishop Stang. Izzy O'Brien's (Holbrook, Mass.) stellar freshman season continued with the game-winner against Stang, while Caroline Batchelder (Braintree, Mass.) scored versus Sandwich before potting a pair against Pope. Julie Murphy (Canton, Mass.) showed out with a hat trick versus Fenwick. Archies will visit Feehan on Saturday before closing the regular season in the Hingham Showcase next week.
8. Westwood (17-0-1)
Previous rank: 9
Head coach: Lauren Hillberg
Next game: at Hingham, Feb. 17, 2:30 p.m.
The Wolverines remained undefeated after picking up four more high-scoring wins. They took down Dedham, 7-1, before beating Medfield and Hopkinton/Dover-Sherborn, both 6-3. Westwood capped things off with a 6-2 win over Medway/Ashland. They've now posted six or more goals in five straight and seven of their last eight games. Elizabeth Levering scored twice against both Dedham and Hopkinton/Dover-Sherborn, while Kate Sullivan scored twice in the former and added a goal and two assists in the latter. Westwood, who is No. 1 in the D2 power rankings, will face its toughest test of the season when it opens the Hingham Showcase against the undefeated hosts.
ED BURNS COFFEE POT: 7 standouts, takeaways from Belmont’s championship win over Arlington
9. Peabody/Lynnfield/North Reading (13-3-1)
Previous rank: 8
Head coach: Michelle Roach
Next game: at Masconomet, Feb. 15, 7:20 p.m.
The Tanners dropped a spot after going 3-0-1 since the last top 10. They took down Longmeadow, 5-2, before shutting out Algonquin, 1-0, and Gloucester, 3-0. Last time out, PLNR fell short in a 2-1 loss at MC. Freshman Sydney Zizza (Peabody, Mass.) has come on strong of late with goals in three straight, finding the back of the net against Algonquin, Gloucester and MC. Meanwhile, Alyse Mutti (North Reading, Mass.) picked up her 27th career shutout in the win over Gloucester. The Tanners will face Masco and Bishop Fenwick before closing the regular season with a big litmus test against HPNA.
10. Belmont (15-0-2)
Previous rank: NR
Head coach: Brendan Kelleher
Next game: vs. Lexington, Feb. 16, 12 p.m.
The Marauders made their debut in the rankings, checking in at No. 9. Brendan Kelleher's undefeated squad currently ranks No. 7 in the MIAA's power rankings as one of three undefeated teams left in Division 1. Senior captain Sadie Taylor and freshman Mia Smith have been among those setting the pace this season. Since our last top 10, they've gone 3-0-1. After knocking off Winchester, 3-2, Belmont settled for a 3-3 tie with Reading. They came out firing with two straight shutouts, taking down Arlington, 2-0, and Arlington Catholic, 1-0. Taylor came through with both goals against Arlington. The Marauders will face Lexington before finishing the regular season against Waltham.
Dropped out:Â Billerica/Chelmsford (14-5-0)
In the hunt:Â Billerica/Chelmsford, Bishop Feehan (13-4-2), Winthrop (12-3-1), Natick (16-3-1), Bishop Stang (11-5-1), King Philip (14-4-0), Canton (10-6-2), Falmouth (10-6-1), Milton (15-3-1)
