1. Pope Francis Cardinals, 6-0-0 (Last week: 1)
Pope Francis remains unbeaten with a dominating 5-0 victory over Franklin on the Panthers’ home ice. The Cardinals went on to capture the Pete Frates Classic, earning thrilling victories over Central Catholic (1-0) and St. John’s Prep (2-1).
2. BC High Eagles, 5-0-1 (Last week: 3)
BC High has come roaring out of the gate, solidifying their ranking with a narrow 2-1 victory over St. John’s of Shrewsbury that saw senior captain Ryan Campbell tally two goals, including the game-winner with 14 seconds to go in the third, and then going unbeaten against strong competition in the Frates Tournament.
3. Malden Catholic Lancers, 1-1-2 (Last week: 2)
Despite winning their annual Serino Christmas Classic, Malden Catholic was forced to settle for ties with Hingham (1-1) and Austin Prep (3-3). MC went on to earn their first victory against Catholic Conference rival Xaverian by a 3-2 score.
4. Austin Prep Cougars, 4-0-1 (Last week: 5)
The undefeated Cougars made their presence known with a decisive 3-3 tie with rival Malden Catholic. AP went on to dominate Billerica 6-0 on New Years’ Eve.
5. Hingham Harbormen, 4-1-2 (Last week: 4)
After a 4-1 loss to St. Mary’s, Hingham’s offensive capabilities were in question. They erased those questions with huge 5-2 and 8-0 wins over Weymouth and Winchester, respectively. Senior Jeff Gordon recorded a hat trick in the victory over the Sachems.
6. St. Mary’s Spartans, 4-2-0 (Last week: 8)
The Spartans have a streak of their own going, with consecutive 4-1 wins over Hingham and Lowell Catholic and a 5-2 victory over Winchester. Through five games started, senior goalie Andrew LoRusso maintains a .937 save percentage
7. St. John’s Prep Eagles, 1-0-1 (Last week: 6)
The Eagles are still looking for a marquee win to reassert themselves as one of Massachusetts’ elite. They played well in the Frates Tournament, but earned only one point after a 2-2 tie with No. 2 BC High and a 2-1 loss to No. 1 Pope Francis.
8. Arlington Catholic Cougars, 4-1-0 (Last week: 10)
The Cougars continue to rise in the polls, up to No. 8 this week after wins over Matignon and Billerica. AC did lose 4-0 to Austin Prep, which will keep them from ascending any higher…for now.
9. Arlington Spy Ponders, 4-1-0 (Last week: 12)
And just behind AC comes crosstown rival Arlington High. The Spy Ponders scored a massive 3-2 victory over the surging Andover Golden Eagles, which propels them back into our statewide top 10.
10. Marshfield Rams, 4-1-1 (Last week: 11)
There is a lot to like with this Marshfield team, with Nick Young and Aidan Connolly as the Rams’ backbone. It was close to being an undefeated 2016 for Marshfield, but it fell 3-1 to No. 5 Hingham on New Years’ Eve.
11. Walpole Rebels, 6-0-0 (Last week: 16)
There is a case to be made for Walpole as the strongest team in the Bay State Conference. The Rebels lead all 54 Division 1 teams in goals scored (33), goals against (2) and goal differential (plus-31). Goalie James Corcoran didn’t allow a goal until Dec. 31 vs. Norwood.
12. Andover Golden Eagles, 4-2-0 (Last week: unranked)
Well hello, Andover. The previously 2-2 Golden Eagles weren’t yet on our radar, but with a massive 5-2 win over the Reading Rockets, Andover has been propelled to our No. 12 slot. Chris Kuchar's team will have plenty of more opportunities to open eyes in the highly competitive DCL/MVC 1.
13. Reading Rockets, 2-2-0 (Last week: 7)
Falling 5-2 to Andover certainly hurt the Rockets in this week’s ranking, and they won’t be back in action until Jan. 4 against Lexington.
14. Catholic Memorial Knights, 4-1-0 (Last week: unranked)
The Knights look resurgent in the early going, with no losses vs. an MIAA opponent yet. Beginning Jan. 9 at Fenway Park, CM begins a stretch (vs. BC High) where eight of its final 13 games are vs. Catholic Conference opponents.
15. Burlington Red Devils, 2-2-0)Last week: 9)
Burlington suffered a 4-1 loss at Barnstable on Wednesday, but will have a big opportunity coming up at Hingham on Jan. 4. What a fun new regular season series that will be.
16. Central Catholic Raiders, 3-2-0 (Last week: 13)
Central faced daunting competition at the Pete Frates Classic, and wasn’t able to tally a goal during the tournament. The Raiders fell 1-0 to Pope Francis and 6-0 to BC High, the top two teams in our rankings.
17. Braintree Wamps, 3-1-0 (Last week: 17)
The Wamps have scored 17 goals in their three wins, including Thursday night's 3-0 blanking of Natick. Head coach Dave Fasano goes for career win No. 200 on Wednesday vs. Framingham in a Carey Division bout.
18. Franklin Panthers, 5-2-0 (Last week: 18
Solid week for the Panthers in Rhode Island, as they went 2-1 with wins over out-of-state powers LaSalle Academy (R.I.) and Bishop Guertin (N.H.)
19. Framingham Flyers, 2-2-1 (Last week: 14)
Framingham picked up a point in a 1-1 tie vs. No. 10 Marshfield at the MHL Cup, but fell 4-0 to No. 14 CM in the final.
20. Waltham Hawks, 4-2-0 (Last week: 19)
The Hawks captured the Unkie Fitzgerald Tournament title with a 7-1 win over Matignon -- the 350th win of coach John Maguire's career.
Next Five: Bridgewater-Raynham (2-1-1), Archbishop Williams (2-1-1), Xaverian (2-2-1), Duxbury (3-1-2), St. John’s of Shrewsbury (1-4-1).
Dropped from rankings: No. 17 Natick (2-1-2), No. 20 Xaverian (2-2-1).