Former Boston College coaching legend Jerry York referred to the men’s Beanpot as the start of “trophy season” for the Eagles – referring to a hunt for titles in the Beanpot, the Hockey East tournament and a national championship around this time of year.
We’ve reached trophy season in MIAA hockey.
The few weeks before the state tournament is a thriller. Teams participate in popular in-season tournaments or nonleague matchups between contenders that could very preview what we see unfold in March. League/conference title races are finalized, and quite a few are coming down to the last game on the league schedule. And with teams looking to hit their stride before do-or-die games come after the regular season cutoff on Feb. 19, there’s a buzz of intensity swirling around several parity-ridden fields.
We have several title races set to finally wrap up this week, while the start of the Farleigh S. Dickinson Tournament and the Buddy Ferreira Classic this weekend pits contenders against one another. This is, of course, a week after the Ed Burns Coffee Pot Tournament did the same for many public-school boys teams.
Speaking of last week – a terrible showing from the crystal ball for our worst week of the year. We may have gotten a bit too excited after a nearly perfect week in goal differential the week prior, following it with six matchups decided by at least four goals and an average differential of exactly three goals (eesh!).
Five of those teams that won handedly were picked against here, too. Apologies to the Falmouth, Reading and Pembroke boys, and the Dedham and Waltham girls. Our punishment is seeing the season’s average goal differential jump 14 points to put us above the 2.00 mark we aimed to finish below in the preseason.
Here are the games we’re looking at the closest this week, with one exception to the one-game-per-team restriction on the boys side because of the Buddy Ferreira Classic:
LAST WEEK’S RECORD: 8-8
OVERALL RECORD: 75-35-12 (.664)
AVERAGE MARGIN: 2.04 goals
**WINNERS in ALL-CAPS**
BOYS
WEDNESDAY
READING at Winchester, 5 p.m. – Reading (13-2-2) followed a loss to Canton in the Ed Burns Coffee Pot Tournament with a five-game unbeaten streak, including a 4-0 win over Arlington that put it in the driver’s seat in the Middlesex League Liberty title race. A win here against Winchester (10-6-1) – which has momentum after taking the Coffee Pot Tournament’s Brinn title – seals the crown outright. A tie or a loss allows Arlington, down three points with two games left, a chance to take at least a share.
ARLINGTON at BC High, 6 p.m. – A classic private-public matchup between historic powers. The Eagles (7-8-1) came out of a tough showing in their Catholic Conference schedule with a tie against St. Mary’s (L). It’ll be telling how it fares against a Spy Ponders (13-5) group in a good position to contend.
Winthrop at GLOUCESTER, 6 p.m. – Gloucester (11-5-1) has won nine of its last 11 games since a 2-3-1 start, including a 4-3 overtime win against the defending Div. 4 state champs in their first league matchup in January. It trails the Vikings (10-5-1) by one point for the lead in the Northeastern Conference North title race with just two conference games left for both. Winthrop hasn’t lost since its last matchup against the Fisherman, so expect some juice here.
THURSDAY
ST. JOHN’S PREP at Arlington Catholic, 7:30 p.m. – Nobody in Div. 1 is hotter than Arlington Catholic (15-2-1) amid a 15-game unbeaten streak and its best year of the power rankings era so far. But the Eagles (11-3-2) are right there with a seven-game win streak of their own, with much of theirs against the vaunted Catholic Conference. A matchup of top-10 teams in the MIAA power rankings, and the biggest test yet for the underdog Cougars before heading to the Buddy Ferreira Classic.
SATURDAY
CATHOLIC MEMORIAL at Pope Francis, 12:30 p.m. – A lot has changed since these two tied 2-2 on Dec. 13. The Knights (14-2-1) won the Catholic Conference and secured its status as a deserving favorite to repeat as Div. 1 state champions, with a suffocating defense that’s allowed more than one goal just once in their last seven games. Pope Francis (11-4-3) has rebounded from a few bumps in the road in January with a strong four-game win streak. This is a much more revealing measuring stick for the D1 outlook.
Pembroke at HANOVER, 3 p.m. – A Patriot League rematch between top-four teams in the MIAA Div. 3 power rankings. It’s hard to pick against Pembroke again after it rolled over Scituate on Monday, extending its unbeaten streak to eight games. We’ll at least say the Titans (12-2-2) should fare better than a 7-2 loss to Hanover (13-2-2) the last time. It’s a challenging week for the Hawks coming off a matchup against a surging Marshfield on Wednesday. This is a big one after dropping a loss to Scituate on Jan. 24.
DOVER-SHERBORN/WESTON at Martha’s Vineyard, 5 p.m. (Farleigh S. Dickinson Tournament) – This tournament schedule shaped out wonderfully. Top-four teams in the MIAA Div. 4 power rankings face off in the semifinals before arguably underrated Div. 3 threats match up. Big implications after Martha’s Vineyard (10-6) and Dover-Sherborn/Weston (10-7) take on Div. 3 powers Nauset and Medfield, respectively, on Wednesday.
BC High at FALMOUTH, 6 p.m. (Buddy Ferreira Classic) – Picking against a dangerous BC High twice in one week feels like a disaster waiting to happen, but Falmouth (13-3-1) has earned its stripes with a nine-game unbeaten streak that includes a 6-1 win and a tie in their two matchups against Nauset. This is the nightcap to what should be an excellent first round in the Buddy Ferreira Classic. Hingham and Bishop Feehan play at noon, Reading and Archbishop Williams play at 2 p.m. in another game to circle, and Arlington Catholic plays Duxbury at 4 p.m.
Essex Tech at LYNNFIELD, 7 p.m. (Farleigh S. Dickinson Tournament) – See above. A winless six-game stretch has hurt Essex Tech (8-6-2) in the Div. 3 power rankings (No. 12), but it’s been right there with several high-quality teams. Big losses to some contenders has done the same for Lynnfield (8-5-3, ranked No. 13), but a 5-2 win over eighth-ranked Marlboro on Feb. 4 puts it in the right direction with a big week against Newburyport and the Hawks ahead. This is a rematch of an earlier 3-3 tie, by the way.
SUNDAY
Matchups aren’t set yet, but action continues in the Farleigh S. Dickinson and Buddy Ferreira tournaments.
Girls
WEDNESDAY
Arlington Catholic at BISHOP FEEHAN, 4:30 p.m. – One thing to count on from Arlington Catholic (8-6-2) at this stage is that it has the tools to compete with any contender Div. 1 has to offer. Bishop Feehan (10-7) has turned around a slow start against a crew of contenders by winning nine of its last 11 games, proving itself as one of those chief competitors. A 1-0 Shamrocks win in their last matchup suggests we could be in for another thriller.
SANDWICH at Nauset, 6:10 p.m. – Sandwich is better than its 6-10-1 record, facing a strength of schedule that only trails Duxbury in Div. 2. It comes off a signature 2-0 win over Falmouth it looks to build momentum off of. Nauset (10-8) took the first tilt between these two in overtime and is in need of some momentum to close out the year — currently the MIAA Div. 2 power rankings’ 10th-ranked team.
METHUEN/TEWKSBURY at Shrewsbury, 6:10 p.m. – You can really circle any MVC/DCL Large game as a potential upset or barn-burner. Eyes turn to this one because a win here seals a second straight league title for Methuen/Tewksbury (15-0-2), which is a rarity in the MVC/DCL Large. Shrewsbury (9-6-1), which just narrowly lost to HPNA 4-3, cannot be overlooked as a threat to upset the Red Rangers.
SATURDAY
ST. MARY’S (L) at Bishop Stang, 11:40 a.m. – Preseason expectations that the Catholic Central League would be loaded with contenders proved true, and these two have emerged as two of the toughest and most consistent. St. Mary’s (13-2-2) took the first matchup by a goal. Bishop Stang (14-2-1) hasn’t lost since, showing its worthy of a return trip to TD Garden. Top-four teams in the MIAA Div. 1 power rankings collide here for another preview of a potential state final matchup.
MILTON at Malden Catholic, 12:30 p.m. – Milton (16-1-1) has mostly handled business since last facing a premier contender, rolling off a 12-game unbeaten streak with a couple of close calls. It wraps up the regular season with a crew of signature challenges to prepare for another hopeful run to TD Garden. Malden Catholic (6-8-2) is far better than its record, in every single game of the state’s second-hardest schedule thus far. Quality matchup of Div. 1 and Div. 2 threats.
NOTRE DAME (H) at Algonquin, 3:20 p.m. — The regular season couldn’t have been plotted any better for these two from an anticipation standpoint, set to near the end as the top teams in the MIAA Div. 1 power rankings. NDA (12-1-3) has been a defensive force in an absolute gauntlet of a schedule, while an unbeaten Algonquin group (17-0) looks to prove itself against its first foe in the top-10 of the power rankings. A major measuring stick to monitor.
WOBURN at Reading, 6 p.m. – Middlesex League Liberty play wraps up this week and the title race is coming down to the wire between three teams. Entering Wednesday, Woburn (12-4, 10-2 M.L.) holds the top spot, Reading (10-2-4, 8-1-3 ML) trails by a point and two-time defending champion Belmont (10-4-3, 8-2-2 ML) trails by two. Depending on what happens Wednesday for all three, this matchup could decide the title. The Tanners took the first head-to-head 5-0, but will likely get a tougher challenge from the Rockets at Burbank this time.
HINGHAM at Duxbury, 7:40 p.m. – Duxbury (12-5-1) closes out a loaded regular-season schedule with three tough tasks, including a rematch with the Harborwomen (12-3-1) group it beat earlier 2-0. We’ve come to expect nothing but parity in girls hockey over the last couple years, and a tight finish in the first matchup suggests it could go the other way this time. A meeting of premier Div. 1 and Div. 2 contenders regardless that should sharpen each other out ahead of potential deep runs in the state tournament.
