Mass. Boys HS Hockey – Final Division 1 Top 20: Resilient St. John’s Prep Win Truly A Team Effort

Massachusetts Boys D1 Top 20

Rank	Team	*PRPRPrevious Ranking	W	L	T
1	St. John's Prep	1	22	3	0
2	Xaverian	3	20	4	1
3	Arlington	7	19	5	2
4	Hingham	2	20	4	1
5	Belmont	4	19	2	3
6	Austin Prep	5	18	4	2
7	Braintree	9	17	4	2
8	Pope Francis	6	13	6	2
9	BC High	19	10	13	1
10	Catholic Memorial	8	15	6	1
11	Marshfield	10	16	6	2
12	St. Mary's	14	11	8	5
13	Franklin	15	14	9	0
14	Reading	12	11	10	2
15	Malden Catholic	13	12	10	0
16	Wellesley	11	12	3	6
17	Archbishop Williams	NR	13	9	1
18	Chelmsford	16	15	6	1
19	Winchester	18	11	9	3
20	Milton	20	14	8	0

Say what you will about the new statewide Divison 1 tournament format, but this year’s post-season was chock full of exciting action and thrilling games. And when it came down to the end, the top two seeds were left standing.

#1 St. John’s Prep (22-3-0) was the top-ranked team heading into the post-season in the HNIB News Massachusetts Division 1 Top 20, and they remain, after pocketing the state title with a win over #2 Xaverian (20-4-1).

The Hawks reached the finals with some nail-biting post-season wins, most notably the 5-4 2OT victory over #3 Arlington (19-5-2) that saw the Spy Ponders rally for three late goals to tie it.

It was that Arlington team that ended #4 Hingham’s (20-4-1) season in a thrilling, quartefinal matchup. Despite the loss, it was a banner season for the Harbormen.

As it was for #5 Belmont (19-2-3). The Marauders won the Middlesex League Liberty title.

Austin Prep (18-4-2) finished at #6 in this its final season as an MIAA program.

#7 Braintree (17-4-2) went unbeaten in its Bay State Conference schedule, and had post-season triumphs over #8 Pope Francis (13-6-2) and Framingham. Things look bright for Pope, who competed with a very young club this winter.

Rounding out the final Top 20 are BC High (10-13-1) at #9 and Catholic Memorial (15-6-1) at #10. The Eagles were the biggest movers of the post-season, and were less than a minute away of beating champion St. John’s Prep in a semifinal contest. One of BC High’s post-season wins was a 1-0 verdict over the Knights.