With the high school hockey season finally getting going, it is time to look at the preseason rankings for the division 1 north and south teams. Since there have not been any games played yet, these rankings are solely based off of expectations and will be more accurate as the season gets going!
Southern Mass High School Hockey Rankings D1
Preseason:
1. BC High: The reigning Super 8 champions have no reason not to start the season at the 1 seed. They graduate 8 skaters, but all three goalies will return as seniors.
2. Pope Francis: Losing in the championship game of the Super 8 last season might prove to be motivation for this team. They return their starting goalie and 3 top scorers in Max Cocchi, Jon Tavella, and Makem Demers who combined for 137 points last year.
3. Marshfield: The reigning southern mass champions slide in nicely at the 3 spot to start the year. They return their top 5 point scorers from last year along with goalie Jack Gatie, who shared the starting job last year.
4. Xaverian: Playing in the Catholic Conference is not easy, but Xaverian usually finds a way to make its way through the d1 south bracket. Returning are their top two scorers from last year along with both of their starting goalies.
5. Hingham: Last year Hingham found themselves in the super 8, but not only did they make it there, they had two close wins over Andover and Central Catholic. They graduate a lot of talent and for them to return to the top, senior Goalie Aaron Richardson has to be their backbone.
6. Catholic Memorial: Catholic Memorial plays one of the hardest schedules in Massachusetts, giving them a healthy advantage once playoff time comes around. They graduated 7 skaters and two goalies, but look to have a bounce back year from their 9-10-4 record last year.
7. Barnstable: Coming off a tough loss to Marshfield in the second-round last year, Barnstable is returning a very good team. Both goalies are returning along with their top scorer Jac Cordeiro, who recorded 28 points last year.
8. Wellesley: Wellesley only had 3 regulation losses all of last season, but unfortunately saw a lot of that talent graduate. 12 skaters and 2 out of 3 goalies graduated.
9. Needham: A good playoff run to the semi finals last season will look to be a building point for Needham. They graduate their starting goalie Dylan Jones, who played most of the games last season, but most of their top scorers look to be returning.
10. Falmouth: An early playoff exit last year for Falmouth, but they return a very young team and all three of their goalies. JP Turner had 43 points last season as a freshman, but left as a transfer leaving some question marks going forward on offense.
Wild Card Team: Bridgewater-Raynham: Senior goalie Conner Harkins will be starting for the Trojans for his 3rd consecutive year. Two years ago, he had a taste of playoff experience and could carry BR this year if all things go well.
Northern Mass High School Hockey Rankings D1
Preseason:
1. Central Catholic: A super 8 appearance last season that featured a win over St Johns (S) and losses against Pope Francis and Hingham should be fuel for the upcoming season for Central Catholic. Top point scorer William Winship is returning who had 29 points last year.
2. St. Johns Prep: Last year featured many big wins such as an early season victory over eventual super 8 champion BC High. They had 2 wins and 2 losses as they were eliminated in the Super 8 by Pope Francis. Returning are a lot of scorers and their backup goalie last year Noah Dorsey-Sorofman.
3. Austin Prep: A 13-8-1 record last year may not be that flashy, but Austin Prep is returning a good team along with both of their goalies. Senior goalie Robbie Farrell will have to play very well for Austin Prep to hold this ranking.
4. St Johns (S) : A run through the super 8 last season was spoiled by St Johns Prep in a 3 to 1 loss, but they return with a lot of scoring from last season. The big question is who will be the starting goalie entering the season. Now graduate Corey Splaine carried most of the weight for the goaltending last season.
5. Waltham: An amazing season last year was capped off by a D1 state championship over Marshfield. There will be challenges up front replacing Connor Blanchard and a question mark looms for the goaltending situation but the Hawks have been resilient.
6. Andover: A trip to the super 8 last season was spoiled by 2 overtime losses at the hands of Hingham and St. Johns (S). They lose a lot of top offensive threats along with their starting goalie transfering out.
7. Winchester: A loss in the division 1 north finals last year to Waltham was the end to a great season by Winchester. They return all of their goalies and a handful of their top scorers in hopes to make it to the Garden this upcoming year.
8. St. Marys Lynn: A loss in the Super 8 play in game was followed by a first round exit in the division 1 north bracket last year, but a lot of goal scoring is returning along with backup goalie Joe Purtell.
9. Burlington: Burlington was eliminated in a one goal loss to Pope Francis in the super 8 last season and only return one of their top scorers from last season. Starting goalie from last year Paul Barbieri graduated leaving a large hole in this years Burlington team.
10. Arlington: A loss at the hands of Pope Francis seems to be a common theme in these rankings, but that’s what happened to Arlington last season as they tried to squeak their way into the super 8. They only graduate 5 skaters and 1 of their 3 goalies.
Wild Card Team: Shrewsbury: Moving up to division 1 this year after consecutive division 3 titles, Shrewsbury will be looking to show they can contend with the best hockey schools in the state this year.