MIAA Massachusetts High School Hockey

Joey McD's December 17th Top 20

It is still early in the season, but with a week of games already played it is time to look at who has been impressive so far.

1. BC High: This BC High team is stacked with players from last years Super 8 championship. They only have one game played and it was a loss to national powerhouse Don Bosco (NJ), but they were the only Massachusetts team to give them a close game.

2. Hingham: Two convincing wins so far for Hingham with one of them over St. Johns Prep. Their next game against Central Catholic will be another test to the strength of this years Hingham team.

3. Pope Francis: With preseason wins over both Xaverian and Malden Catholic, the Cardinals opened up the season playing in the Rider Cup against top teams in the country. They now sit with 1 win 2 losses, a record that will probably not last very long.

4. Xaverian: Coming off of a come from behind third period win over Barnstable, Xaverian now sits with two wins and zero losses on the year so far. A very talented team this year will be tested on Saturday against a good Austin Prep team.

5. Catholic Memorial: Convincing wins over Matignon and Central Catholic started the season off on the right foot. A big loss to Don Bosco (NJ) put CM to two wins and one loss going into a game against St. Sebastian.

6. Mansfield: A great start so far for Mansfield has them all the way up at number six in the first addition of the weekly rankings. They have three wins all in convincing fashion and one over a good Walpole team. Their next big test is their Winter Classic tournament against Shrewsbury and then either Lowell Catholic or Walpole again.

7. Marshfield: A lot of hype going into this season for Marshfield as they are returning a lot of players from last years trip to the Garden. They have only played one game and it was a 2 to 2 tie against division three Coyle & Cassidy.

8. Barnstable: A lot of buzz around this Barnstable team for the 2018-19 season as they entered their first game against a powerful Xaverian team. The Red Raiders held a 2 goal lead in the third period over Xaverian only to see the Hawks storm back and win 3 to 2. There is a lot to look forward to for Barnstable.

9. St. John’s (S): St. Johns of Shrewsbury sits at one win and one loss after a huge win over St. Peter Marian. They face a big test this upcoming Saturday against top ranked BC High.

10. Andover: Andover sits undefeated in their two contests so far. They face off against St. Johns Prep this Wednesday, which will be one of their biggest games of the season.

11. Falmouth: With 1 game played, the Falmouth Clippers sit with a win over a Coyle & Cassidy team that gave Marshfield a very hard time. Their next game is against Wellesley, which will be a tough contest for both teams.

12. Arlington: With a win and a tie on the year, Arlington is looking to get back to the top this season. They have a massive matchup with BC High this Wednesday in which will be a true showing in what type of team Arlington has.

13. St. Marys Lynn: Undefeated on the year so far, St. Marys Lynn has a hard-enough schedule this season to prepare their team for a playoff run. They play in the Christie Serino Christmas Classic against some very tough competition which will be a good test for them.

14. Austin prep: A win over Arlington Catholic and a tie to Archbishop Williams has Austin Prep sitting at number 14 this week. There is a lot of hope for this talented roster, but they have big games against Xaverian and St. Marys Lynn that will test the Cougars.

15. Archbishop Williams: The Bishops started their season with a tie against Austin Prep, one of their toughest matchups of the year. They will look for momentum as they play a good King Philip team on Saturday.

16. Franklin: Franklin graduated a lot of talent last year, but they started the season with an impressive 3 to 0 victory over Malden Catholic. They will look to continue the success this Wednesday against a very good Canton team.

17. St. Johns Prep: A lot of hype entering the season was set to rest when the Eagles lost their opener to Hingham. That is considered a good loss based off of how good this years Hingham team is, but St. Johns Prep will need to have a strong rebound against Andover this Wednesday.

18. Wellesley: Starting the season with a victory over Weymouth is a step in the right direction as Wellesley looks to build on great success from last year. They play Falmouth next followed by Needham, which will both be good tests for the Raiders.

19. Waltham: The reigning division one champions will try to use their experience to guide them in the right direction this year. They sit with a win and tie so far as they enter a state championship rematch against Marshfield this Wednesday.

20. Framingham: With wins over Milton and Shrewsbury, Framingham is looking to continue their success as they enter a matchup with Newton North this Wednesday. They play in the MHL cup over winter break that will have big implications on the rankings all over the board.

Best of the rest: Braintree, Winchester, Burlington, Walpole, Wilmington,

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