Predicting the 2026 MIAA boys hockey championships

We've reached the final day.

On Sunday, two teams in Division 1, 2, 3 and 4 will battle for an MIAA championship at TD Garden. It will be the biggest game of their lives.

Division 2 is the only bracket with the top two seeds making it to TD Garden, which isn't surprising. Division 3 came close to hitting that, but it will instead be the Nos. 1 and 3 seeds meeting on Sunday.

In Division 1, two lower top-10 seeds are set to do battle, while there's a Cinderella story brewing in Division 4.

I put together a bracket for Division 1 on Feb. 23. While I went 14-for-16 in the first round, I wasn't as lucky the rest of the way. But I'll give myself this: I had Pope Francis in the final. And St. John's Shrewsbury was also in my sleeper teams to watch.

I feel like that averages out to a B-minus performance. Maybe even a generous 'B.'

Here's the full schedule for Sunday, including the girls championships:

• Division 2 girls: No. 2 Milton vs. No. 5 King Philip | 9 a.m.
• Division 3 boys: No. 1 Hanover vs. No. 3 Medfield | 11 a.m.
• Division 1 boys: No. 7 Pope Francis vs. No. 8 St. John’s Shrewsbury | 1 p.m.
• Division 2 boys: No. 1 Canton vs. No. 2 Tewksbury | 3 p.m.
• Division 1 girls: No. 5 Archbishop Williams vs. No. 6 Methuen/Tewksbury | 5:30 p.m.
• Division 4 boys: No. 2 Littleton/Bromfield vs. No. 9 St. Bernard’s | 7:30 p.m.

Let’s dive into my championship day picks.

Division 1: No. 7 Pope Francis vs. No. 8 St. John's Shrewsbury

While these two teams are next to each other in seedings, they've had two very different paths to the final.

Pope Francis has rolled over the competition. A 5-1 win over No. 26 Belmont. A 4-0 win over No. 10 St. Mary's Lynn. A 5-0 win over No. 15 Marshfield. The Cardinals' closest game came in the semifinals against No. 6 Hingham. Pope Francis won, 5-4, but led by three goals in the third.

The margins for St. John's Shrewsbury, however, have been much smaller. The Pioneers needed double overtime to beat No. 25 Acton-Boxboro, 2-1, in the Round of 32, and No. 4 Arlington, 3-2, in the semifinals. In between that, they took down Catholic Conference foes No. 9 BC High (2-1) and No. 1 Catholic Memorial (4-3).

So, does SJS have one more close win up its sleeve? Or will Pope keep its dominance going?

Head coach Michael Mead's team is back for the second year in a row. It's hard to imagine a team going back to the final and losing again. SJS is notorious for playing up to competition, which serves it well against Pope. Sophomore forward Nico Santella (Worcester, Mass.) has been having a memorable postseason, and the defensive core with Ryder and Kevin Bisson (Holden, Mass.), and Connor Secrist (Southboro, Mass.) all bring something different. Ryder is a phenomenal, dynamic puck mover. Secrist is a physical menace, and Kevin scored the OT winner to beat Arlington. In net, Colin McCarthy (Worcester, Mass.) has proven to be one of the better goalies in the state. The junior led SJS through the tournament last season.

Pope is deeper up front. Senior forward Matthew Regan has been the driver of offense, but brothers Whitaker and Wolfgang Zinger, senior Liam Dolan, and juniors Gabe Kolodjay and Quinn Woytowicz have been productive all season. Head coach Brian Foley's team has size on the back end and junior goalie George Ramsey has been strong so far in the postseason.

I have such a hard time picking against a team like SJS. But I think Pope edges this one out.

Prediction: Pope Francis wins, 4-3.

Division 2: No. 1 Canton vs. No. 2 Tewksbury

While this was likely everyone's predicted Division 2 title matchup, I give both of these teams a lot of credit. The MIAA tournament is so hard. It's genuinely so hard not to get upset as the top seeds. Both of these teams proved themselves even more over the last few weeks. These were also the first two Division 2 teams to break into my MIAA weekly top 10 ever.

Both of these squads handily took down their competition to get here. Canton's only close one came in the semifinals when it beat No. 9 Walpole, 1-0. Tewksbury had a close call with No. 6 Westwood in the semifinals, but still won, 5-3.

Ironically enough, these two teams met in the Ed Burns tournament championship on Feb. 8, and Canton smoked Tewksbury, 5-0.

It's a safe bet to assume Tewksbury will be much more ready to go this time.

While Canton is a bit deeper, Tewksbury has the best player in the game with senior Tyler Bourgea, who has 70 points. He's going to be ready to go for his final high school game. Expect multiple big plays from him on Sunday. The same can be said for forwards Kevin Andriolo and Jason Shreenan. On defense, senior Jake Cunha has been one of the top blueliners in the state with a crazy 47 points. Defensemen Michael Macauda and Cam Duval have been vital, too.

The Bulldogs have forwards like Joey Ryan, Andrew Gillis, Ryan Elrick and James Howard, as well as top defenders in Teddy Shuman, Kellen Labanara and Will Doucette.

This doesn't usually happen, but I think this game ends up being a wild one. Canton gets back to TD Garden a year after losing to Billerica and wins an all-time classic.

Prediction: Canton wins, 6-5.

Division 3: No. 1 Hanover vs. No. 3 Medfield

Medfield fell to then-No. 1 Nauset in the final last season. Can Medfield slay the No. 1 seed this time around?

Head coach Jonathan Jepson's team has been on a mission this season, led by senior forward Matthew Dickson and sophomore forward Luke Dickson. Luke has an incredible 42 goals and 73 points, while Matthew has 25 goals and 48 points.

Hanover has been even better throughout the season with seniors Cam Melone and Henry Phillips, and juniors Ryan Kisiel and Connor Hines. Senior Flynn Gardner and freshman Ryan McArdle have both done a great job handling the net this season.

While Hanover has more depth, I don't see Medfield going back to lose.

Prediction: Medfield wins, 3-2.

BOYS MIAA BRACKETS: Division 1 | Division 2 | Division 3 | Division 4

Division 4: No. 2 Littleton/Bromfield vs. No. 9 St. Bernard's

St. Bernard's has been an incredible story, making the championship game as the No. 9 seed. But the Bernardians and Littleton have dominated en route to TD Garden. Littleton has outscored opponents 26-4, while St. Bernard's is at 20-8.

Both teams have high-scoring players. St. Bernard's boasts juniors Matthew Sylvia (81 points), Evan Walker (57 points), Phoenix Fortier (49 points) and Toby Beaulac (45 points), while Littleton has Gavin Werling (55 points), Blake Hannon (51 points), Conor Glew (47 points) and Liam Glew (45 points).

I like St. Bernard's to continue its story.

Prediction: St. Bernard's wins, 5-3.

Watch: Reacting to the NEPSAC boys championships