BOSTON – With the bracket going chalk for the most part, the final team to earn a spot in the MIAA Division 1 hockey tournament was an upset winner.
Playing on the road against Catholic Memorial at Warrior Ice Arena, BC High skated its way into the quarterfinals with a 1-0 win over its archrival. Sophomore left wing James Marshall scored on a breakaway in the third period to give the Eagles a victory and a date against Austin Prep in the next round.
The Eagles entered the tournament as the No. 13 seed. The top seven seeds advanced to the quarterfinals. The only other “underdog” to reach the final eight was No. 9 Braintree as the Wamps defeated Pope Francis in its round of 16 game.
I was lucky enough to attend three games in the round of 16 at the Division 1 level. The student support and packed rinks made for great entertainment. I’m fortunate enough to travel the country watching hockey games. I see a lot of really good hockey teams and players, but the MIAA state tournament is something I look forward to every year. It’s great to see do-or-die games in front of tons of fans.
Depth prevails at St. John’s Prep
I’ve enjoyed watching St. John’s Prep all year as the team comes at you in waves. Kristian Hanson’s team has three dominant lines that can get pucks in deep, cycle, and generate offense. All three lines got in on the action in the team’s 7-0 win over a solid Winchester team.
Outside of sophomores Jake Vana and Christian Rosa, the team’s top offensive players and defensemen are all juniors and seniors. That will bode well for SJP as the tournament progresses. What makes single elimination fun is that anything can happen on any given night, but the Eagles remain my favorite. Watching them cut through Winchester reaffirmed that belief.
Winchester had a good season in the Middlesex League gauntlet. Two young forwards, sophomore center Danny Collins and junior left wing Max Tong, were the notable players in all my viewings of the Sachems.
Hirsch heavy on pucks
Sophomore wing Brendan Hirsch scored two goals in Arlington’s 4-2 win over Malden Catholic Tuesday night. There were other players in the game that had more buzz, but no one played better in the 45 minutes than Hirsch.
He forechecks with tenacity, uses his size and strength to win puck battles, get position in scoring areas, and unleash heavy shots to find the twine. He put on a clinic of just being harder and heavier than his opposition on Tuesday night.
Arlington has some good forwards, but the Spy Ponders’ defensemen and goaltending will have to exceed expectations if they are to help the team sneak past Hingham in the quarterfinals.
Malden Catholic head coach Chris Kuchar has helped restore respectability to the Lancers’ program. He still has a ways to go to get MC to where it was under Chris Serino and John McLean, but this year was a nice building block. Young defensemen, sophomore Owen Keefe and freshman Nick Evans, have the most upside.
Marshall’s skill makes the difference
The only goal scored in Wednesday night’s BC High win over Catholic Memorial came off the stick of Marshall, an immensely talented '06 from Weymouth, Mass. He was the best player on the ice all night and had a majority of the scoring chances for both teams. He took advantage of a fortuitous bounce and slipped in alone on Catholic Memorial senior goaltender Dom Walecka. After a quick juke, he backhanded it just inside the post.
For CM, it’s a disappointing end, but the Knights should hold their heads high. Not many observers saw them winning the Catholic Conference prior to the season. That’s exactly what Larry Rooney’s team did, dethroning St. John’s Prep and Xaverian. CM has a few really good young players, including freshman Tyler Hamilton, who centers the top line and plays power play and penalty kill.
Quarterfinal matchups and predictions
No. 9 Braintree vs. No. 1 St. John’s Prep
No. 13 BC High vs. No. 5 Austin Prep
No. 6 Arlington vs. No. 3 Hingham
No. 7 Belmont vs. No. 2 Xaverian
All four contests bring intrigue. Braintree’s biggest advantage is how hard the team plays. That will be negated against a St. John’s Prep team that also brings a tenacious forecheck and plenty of depth. It will take a second consecutive big performance from '05 goaltender Jack Fitzgerald if the Wamps are going to pull the upset. I like SJP in this one by a score of 4-2.
BC High is hot right now after beating CM. The Eagles actually drew a somewhat favorable quarterfinal matchup. Austin Prep outperformed BC High in the regular season and deserves to be ranked higher. Not that BC High is particularly old, but AP is a very young team as all of its top players are '06s. I’ve got BC High winning 2-1.
Arlington and Hingham met once already in the regular season with the Harbormen taking a 4-1 win. Arlington’s top three or four forwards are just as good or better than Hingham’s top four forwards. The problem for the Spy Ponders is that Hingham has the advantage in depth, defense, and goaltending. Hingham wins 5-3.
Belmont possesses the best individual player in the state, in terms of performance this season. Junior right wing Cam Fici is a goal scoring machine. This is a tough matchup for the Marauders as Xaverian has plenty of depth, experience and size. It will truly be an interesting battle as the Hawks try to shut down Fici. I could see this game going either way, but I’ll give the nod to Xaverian. Hawks win 3-2.
