There's a lot of new video online from the past few days, so here's a rundown of what to look for:

Hoops

• Click HERE to watch the Championship Roundup

The clip above is a 15-minute highlight reel featuring clips from all six of the state championship games at the DCU Center in Worcester.

Hockey

• Click HERE to watch the Championship Roundup
• Click HERE to watch the Super 8 title game

The Championship Roundup is a 10-minute highlight reel featuring clips from the Divisions 1-3 championships at the TD Banknorth Garden, where Needham, Sandwich, and Westfield claimed state titles. The Super 8 title game shows Reading's 3-0 win over Malden Catholic.

Plenty more Super 8 video has been uploaded, including full-length highlight reels from many of the third round and semifinal games. Hop over to Super 8 Central and browse the video player there for the latest.

super 8 championship game
Reading 3, Malden Catholic 0

Fifth-seeded Reading capped a remarkable 26-1 season by blanking Malden Catholic, 3-0, in Sunday's Super 8 championship game at the TD Banknorth Garden.

The Rockets, who put together a 21-1 regular-season record, but likely earned a low seeding after a poor performance in the Division 1A tournament last season, won five consecutive games, beating four Catholic Conference juggernauts (Catholic Memorial, BC High, Xaverian and MC) along the way to becoming the first public school to win the state's biggest prize in 30 years (Hudson, 1978).

What's more, Reading did it in dominating fashion. It outscored opponents, 19-6, in those five victories, and its top line of seniors Pat Kiley, Rob Toczylowski, and Mike Lozzi absolutely shined in tournament play. Goaltender Jeff Wyer, who endured struggles in last year's tournament, was showered with cheers of "MVP" from the Reading faithful as he collected his championship medal following Sunday's win.

Reading broke on top with 3:19 to play in the first period when Kiley made a phenomenal individual effort to get around a defender, then snapped a quick shot off the mask of MC netminder John Carbonneau that trickled over the goal line for a 1-0 advantage.

Rob Toczylowski added a fluky, but possibly pivotal goal just 12 seconds into the second period when his haphazard flip from the neutral zone hopped through Carbonneau for a 2-0 lead.

Wyer made some unbelievable saves in the second period to keep the Rockets out front and Toczylowski swooped in for a third score -- his second of the game -- with 8:27 to play. The goal essentially ensured the Rockets would be leaving Causeway St. with the championship trophy.

Sixth-seeded Malden Catholic enjoyed a phenomenal run to the Super 8 finals, outlasting all four of its leaguemates while posting four consecutive wins to start the tournament. But the Lancers were no match for Reading on Sunday.

***

3rd period

Reading fans are chanting, "Public school." Yep, it looks look we might see a public school win the state's top prize for the first time in three decades tonight.

Malden Catholic fans responded with, "You need Jesus" and "Jesus loves us" chants. The game of chants is more entertaining than the game now.

Reading, 3-0 (8:47, 3rd)

Reading is putting a heftier focus on its defense, bottling up Malden Catholic in the offensive end and clearly trying to sit on this three-goal lead.

You get the feeling the Lancers need to score quick to get some life back in them (and the crowd) before time starts to slip away.

***

Don't Stop Believing

The second intermission featured a nice little 80s rock couplet with Whitesnake's, "Here I Go Again," and Journey's, "Don't Stop Believing." It merely served as the soundtrack for Jumbotron tomfoolery, but the moral here is that if Steve Perry's wailing can't inspire Malden Catholic, nothing can.

***

2nd period

Reading skates into the second intermission with a commanding 3-0 lead over Malden Catholic in the Super 8 title game.

Reading skated 5-on-3 for almost a minute late in the frame, but Malden Catholic was able to kill off its infractions. But it simply doesn't seem like the Lancers' night.

Malden Catholic's Zack Sheppard had what appeared to be an easy goal as he tried to backhand home a rebound near the left post with 1:51 to play in the second stanza. Reading netminder Jeff Wyer somehow kicked out his right leg and turned it booted it aside (a play he had no business making) to keep MC scoreless. Just an unbelievable stop that words can't do justice to.

Reading, 3-0 (4:28, 2nd)

Malden Catholic's Andrew Cerretani had a golden opportunity with a free look in the slot, but his blast ricocheted hard of the crossbar keeping Reading out front, 3-0.

Cerretani got another shot off from in front of the crease a short time after, but Reading netminder Jeff Wyer made the save with his chest protector to keep the Lancers scoreless.

Reading, 3-0 (8:27, 2nd)

Rob Toczylowski flicks one in skating through the left circle and the Rockets extend their lead to 3-0 with 8:27 to play in the second period.

Reading, 2-0 (10:59, 2nd)

Pat Kiley just missed adding to the lead when his shot from the slot sailed just wide of its mark. Reading remains on top, 2-0, thanks to his two goals.

Reading, 2-0 (14:48, 2nd)

Wow, a fluky goal for Reading to start the second period.

Rob Toczylowski nets the game's second game by flicking a seemingly harmless lob from near midice that ate its way through goaltender John Carbonneau to put the Rockets out front, 2-0.

***

1st period

Pat Kiley muscles in a goal off Malden Catholic netminder John Carbonneau at 11:41 of the first period and the Rockets carry a 1-0 advantage into the first intermission.

Hard-skated first period with opportunities for both teams, but only Reading cashed in.

Malden Catholic put a good flurry around the net late in the frame, but Jason Yeomelakis couldn't put a stick to a loose puck at the right post with Jeff Wyer struggling to recover.

Kiley went through defender Evan Yanovitch before snapping a hard shot that seemed to rattle off the mask of Carbonneau before trickling just over the line.

Reading, 1-0 (3:19, 1st)

Reading's Pat Kiley swims around a defender, keeps the puck with his foot and snaps a wrister off John Carbonneau's mask for a 1-0 advantage at 11:41 of the first period.

Scoreless (7:36, 1st)

Best chance during Malden Catholic's power play might have actually been for Reading as RobToczylowski streaked in alone, only to be denied on the doorstep.

Scoreless (9:08, 1st)

Malden Catholic an early edge and the Lancers will go on the power play now with 9:08 to play in the period.

***

This place is packed. Somewhere the Bruins have to be wondering how they can draw these sort of numbers. The lower bowl is just about full and they've started seating people in the balconies (with much of the first few rows of the 300 sections filled, too.

***

Here are tonight's anticipated starting lineups:

MALDEN CATHOLIC

LW - 17 - Zack Sheppard
C - 9 - Craig Carbonneau
RW - 5 - Andrew Cerretani
D - 7 - Greg Crovo
D - 6 - Jared Tringale

Goalie: 30 - John Carbonneau

READING

LW - 20 - Rob Toczylowski
C - 12 - Mike Lozzi
RW - 19 - Pat Kiley
D - 7 - Travis Busch
D - 9 - Garrett Collins

Goalie: 35 - Jeff Wyer

***

Well, the undercard didn't disappoint as Westfield (Division 3), Sandwich (Division 2), and Needham (Division 1) skated to state title victories on the ice at the TD Banknorth Garden.

Now it's time for the main event as Reading jousts with Malden Catholic in the Super 8 final.

For more on tonight's game, check out this preview. Puck drops at 7:30 p.m.

We uploaded video clips from tonight's Super 8 doubleheader in Lowell. Full highlight reels will be available later.

• Click HERE to see Serino, Vecchione talk about CM win
• Click HERE to see Vecchione's winner for MC
• Click HERE to see CM's first-period goals
• Click HERE to see Reading vs. Xaverian

super 8 crossover semifinal
Malden Catholic 3, Catholic Memorial 2

LOWELL -- Freshmen Mike Vecchione and Alex Minter were late-season call-ups to the Malden Catholic boys' hockey team when injuries struck. They didn't look like freshmen on the season's biggest stage.

After Catholic Memorial turned the puck over in its own zone, Minter fed Vecchione alone in the slot. The freshman forward, who already boasted a couple of points on his Super 8 resume this winter, calmly wheeled and slipped the game-winning goal through the 5-hole of netminder Tom Conlin with 2:37 remaining as the Lancers upset the tournament's top seed with a 3-2 triumph at Tsongas Arena.

Malden Catholic is off to its first Super 8 final where it will meet public-school power Reading Sunday evening at the TD Banknorth Garden.

The Lancers, who fell to Catholic Memorial twice during the regular season, overcame a two-goal, first-period deficit to improve to 4-0 in postseason play. This one year after a more veteran squad labored through a dismal 0-3 showing in the state's most prestigious tournament.

In a fast-moving third period, MC never took its foot off the accelerator. They played with an edge -- something Catholic Memorial lacked -- but also didn't make any mental mistakes.

That's what cost CM. The Knights got tripped up around their own blue line and Minter grabbed the puck above the left circle and carried to the high slot before feeding Vecchione. Wearing his now familiar No. 61 (he wore Tony Serino's No. 15 for one game during the tournament), Vecchione spun to his right and watched Conlin drop to the ice before slipping the winner under the prone netminder.

2nd period

Malden Catholic received second-period goals from Greg Crovo (power-play tally at 5:42) and Jason Yeomelakis (1:23) and the Lancers skate into the second intermission knotted at 2 with rival Catholic Memorial.

Yeomelakis gave the Lancers a spark early on as he potted his goal with assists going to Joe White and Craig Carbonneau. MC enjoyed a man advantage a short time later and Crovo evened the game with a quick snapper from near the top of the left circle that buzzed in under the crossbar.

CM wasn't quite as lucky with the pipes. The Knights hit two posts in the period, including Derek Colucci's zap with 6:33 to go (off a pretty cross-ice feed from Mike Collins). The puck slammed hard off the crossbard keeping the game knotted.

Check out Catholic Memorial's two first-period goals in the video highlight entry below.

***

1st period

Catholic Memorial received first-period goals from Derek Colucci (2:54) and Troy Starrett (8:25) to carry a 2-0 advantage over rival Malden Catholic into the first intermission.

Catholic Memorial's Troy Starrett scored with the assists going to Mike Collins and Shane Walsh as the Knights lead, 2-0, with 6:35 to play in the frame.

Catholic Memorial's Derek Colucci pounced on a loose puck in the right circle and pots

Malden Catholic's Christian Roberto skated in alone on CM netminder Tom Conlin a short time after the first goal, but Conlin made a nice stop on a backhander near the left post.

Colucci appeared to skate off the ice injured with about eight minutes to play in the stanza. He was replaced on the top line by Starrett. Colucci returned with about three minutes to play.

***

Starting lineups

Here are the starting lineups for Game 2 of our Super 8 crossover doubleheader:

CATHOLIC MEMORIAL

LW - 5 - Mike Collins
C - 9 - Derek Colucci
RW - 19 - Shane Walsh
D - 4 - Peter Starrett
D - 22 - Garrett Noonan

Goalie: 30 - Tom Conlin

MALDEN CATHOLIC

LW - 17 - Zack Sheppard
C - 9 - Craig Carbonneau
RW - 5 - Andrew Cerretani
D - 7 - Greg Crovo
D - 6 - Jared Tringale

Goalie: 30 - John Carbonneau

super 8 crossover semifinal
Reading 5, Xaverian 2

Reading strikes for two goals early in the third period -- one shorthanded and the other just as the penalty expired -- and the Rockets skate away with a 5-2 triumph over Xaverian in a Super 8 crossover semifinal at Tsongas Arena in Lowell.

The fifth-seeded Rockets move on to Sunday's Super 8 final at the TD Banknorth Garden to skate against the winner of tonight's other semifinal between sixth-seeded Malden Catholic and top-seeded Catholic Memorial.

Just 16 seconds after Reading drew an infraction, Ryan Arsenault skated in alone through the right circle and flicked in a back-breaking goal that put the Rockets on top, 4-2, with 9:59 to play in the game.

Xaverian still had life, but not only could it not muster a goal with the man advantage, Reading's Rob Toczylowski added another goal for the Rockets with 8:45 to go (just as the penalty on the clock expired).

The Hawks again couldn't come up with a power-play tally with a man-advantage starting with 5:46 to go and Reading simply sat on its comfortable three-goal cushion. The game got a bit chippy late and Xaverian skated 5-on-3 for much of the final minutes, but it didn't matter at that point.

***

2nd period

Well, business sure picked up that period.

Reading and Xaverian combined for five goals (there nearly were two more in the late going) and the Rockets skate into the second intermission with a 3-2 advantage.

The Rockets nearly extended their lead with about a minute to play when a Pat Kiley rebound was stuffed home by Garrett Collins, but the referees waved the goal off saying the whistle had blown (though Xaverian netminder Kyle MacDonald never had full possession of the puck).

Xaverian's Andrew White nearly tied this game by blasting one into the net with 2:34 to play in the frame, but the Hawks were whistled for a penalty right as he wound up to shoot.

Reading's Quinlan Junta roofed a blue-line blast at 6:03 and the Rockets jumped back on top, 3-2.

Xaverian responded with two goals just 36 seconds apart to tie this game with 10:13 remaining. Goals go to John Sperzel and Jack Walsh, both rebound efforts.

Reading's Garrett Collins scored a power-play goal on a big blast from the blue line and the Rockets led, 2-0, less than three minutes into the second period.

Bizarre start to the second period as Pat Kiley chipped the puck in front of the net. It managed to hop under Xaverian netminder Kyle MacDonald and into the twine for an unassisted goal at 8 seconds.

***

1st period

A very even period of play without a whole lot of opportunities (though neither team was particularly guarded in its play).

Xaverian came close to drawing first blood when a little 2-on-1 developed with Matt Morin and Matt Hennessey after a Reading turnover at its own blue line, but Hennessey couldn't tuck the puck inside the left post on a return feed.

Reading nearly sneaked Mike Lozzi in 1-on-1 with Xaverian netminder Kyle MacDonald during a shorthanded situation, but MacDonald came out of net to play a loose puck in the high slot before Lozzi could get in.

Shots were even at 6.

***

Starting lineups

Here are the starting lineups for Game 1 of tonight's Super 8 crossover doubleheader:

XAVERIAN

LW - 21 - Mark MacDonald
C - 20 - John Sperzel
RW - 14 - Chris Wagner
D - 15 - Andrew White
D - 19 - Jameson Lee

Goalie: 29 - Kyle MacDonald

READING

LW - 20 - Rob Toczylowski
C - 12 - Mike Lozzi
RW - 19 - Pat Kiley
D - 7 - Travis Busch
D - 9 - Garrett Collins

Goalie: Jeff Wyer

***
Note: The blog is getting a little cluttered with all the live game blogs each night, so we're trying something a little different today and keeping all the posts in one entry. We'll update the headline each time to indicate the time and score at the latest update. We're open to your feedback, so if you'd like to see multiple entries instead of updating one post, let us know in the comments section.

Welcome back to the Tsongas Arena in Lowell, site of tonight's Super 8 semifinal crossovers. Reading meets Xaverian at 6 p.m, while Malden Catholic skates against Catholic Memorial at 8 p.m.

The winners move on to Sunday's championship game at the TD Banknorth Garden.

Back with much more throughout the night.

A friendly reminder that we'll be live from the Tsongas Arena in Lowell this evening, site of a pair of Super 8 semifinal crossover battles.

Reading jousts with Xaverian at 6 p.m., while Malden Catholic skates against Catholic Memorial at 8 p.m. The winners advance to Sunday's championship game at the TD Banknorth Garden.

We'll have live updates and video highlights throughout the night. To catch up on anything you've missed during the tournament, check out Super 8 Central.

Okay, so this day belongs to the hoopsters, but as we kill a little time before the start here, we wanted to pass along this video from yesterday's third round of Super 8 play.

In the clip, Waltham's Kyle Thomas scores what ended up being the lone goal of the Hawks' Super 8 stay in a loss against Reading. The team had endured a 174-minute scoreless streak before Thomas's tally 1:46 into the third period.

So, with nothing to lose, Waltham celebrated a bit. The Hawks emptied their bench and mobbed Thomas behind the net. They tried to play it off as a milestone goal, but the referees saw through the ploy and whistled Waltham for a bench minor.

After 174 scoreless minutes, 90 seconds seemed a small price to pay.

"We had a little fun emptying the bench,'" Maguire told the press following a 4-1 defeat. "We knew we were going to get a bench minor. The ref didn't buy that it was Kyle's 100th goal of the year.'"

• Click HERE to watch the video.

According to a post on the MIAA's website at 7:50 a.m. this morning: "The Division 1A hockey games will be played today as scheduled beginning at 12:30 pm at the DCU Center."

We'll be bringing your coverage throughout the day.

In this segment, the Globe's Matt Porter makes his picks for Saturday's first round Super 8 action at Worcester's DCU Center, and writes an introduction to said segment in the third person. Here we go...

No. 3 St. John's Prep vs. No. 6 Malden Catholic, 12:30 p.m. – (Cue bad impression of the late, great John Facenda: “And on this day, there was little room for error as the Catholic Conference rivals tangled for fleeting post...season...glory. The heralded Eagles and potent Lancers did battle on the frozen sheet to begin the first round of the vaunted Super 8. It was a struggle that saw two evenly-matched...” Okay, you get the idea. It's going to be a battle. Catholic Memorial aside, the rest of the Catholic Conference played tug-of-war all year. (And if that's the case, the Knights were like older kids throwing dodgeballs at the fray.) Want a telling stat? Both the Eagles and Lancers played eight games against Catholic Conference opponents. MC's goal differential in those games was 17-21. The Prep's was 17-22. Both teams are balanced, well-coached and solid in net, and have fought off inconsistent lapses. Their first match ended in a draw (3-3, Jan. 16) and the Prep slid by in their second (2-1, Feb. 2). What more is there to say? I predict ... the mighty Lancers will take their revenge, as the afternoon sun breaks over the rolling hills of Central Massachusetts – er, I mean, Malden Catholic 3, St. John's Prep 2.

No. 2 Hingham vs. No. 7 Xaverian, 2:45 – During football season, I was in Hingham quite a bit. Saw some good games, generally enjoyed myself, and had my first experience with Mary Lou's (an awesome cup of brew, and I'm not even a flavored-coffee guy). I like Hingham, and I wouldn't mind living there someday. It's a nice place. I say all this in a shameless attempt to distract you from the fact I haven't yet seen the Harbormen hockey team play live. It's disgraceful, quite frankly. I followed them from afar, and I regret missing Cam Spiro fill the net in the season's early going (five times in one game? No problem). I slept on one of the better netminders in the area, Nate Eagan. I missed seeing a team that finished 10-1-1, and was crowned the No. 2 team by the Mass. State Coaches Association and the Super 8 committee. It's my fault. I'll get my chance to see the H-Men's offense roll tomorrow, as will Xaverian, fresh off a solid win over Needham in the play-in round. The Hawks played solid postseason hockey in that one – work hard, stay cool, and cash in when the chances come. From what the X-Men have shown as of late, they can hang with anyone not wearing red, grey and white. Since I have to make a prediction, I'll take the favorite and say Hingham, 3, Xaverian 1.

No. 4 BC High vs. No. 5 Reading, 5 – Now this should be a good one. In one corner, with a record of 20-1, they are the Middlesex League champions. They outscored opponents by a 129-24 margin in their 21 games. Their top line, seniors Mike Lozzi, Pat Kiley and Rob Toczylowski, has dominated opponents all season long. I give you, the Reading Rockets. In the other corner, with a record of 11-4-5, they are the defending Super 8 champions. They have a roster of playoff-tested talent like John Heffernan, Tom Curran, Rob Dongara and P.J. Martina. They have the Catholic Conference's best goalie in Sam Marotta. And they dealt the Rockets their only loss of the season (3-1, Jan. 21). I give you, the BC High Eagles. Now let's get it on! Even though the Rockets have a lot to prove after being blown out of last year's Super 8, I'm picking the deeper team here. BC High, 4-2.

No. 1 Catholic Memorial vs. No. 8 Waltham, 7:15 – In the late game, we have Steve Hopkins. Have you heard of Steve Hopkins? If you were in Billerica on Monday, you left a believer in the Waltham goalie's talents. He was outstanding. He was sensational. He was...outstansational. (Ed.: Are the made-up words necessary?) Fine, but really, S. Hopkins was pretty ridiculous. He made save after save and went Ghostbustin' in the shootout: He stoned three Westford shooters, and it's possible the fourth missed the net due to sheer intimidation. Also, Hawks forward Kyle Thomas was nothing short of electrifying, using his wheels aggressively and his bullet shot liberally. But CM's Mike Collins and Derek Colucci know excitement, too. Watch them close, as they fire the puck across the rink at a pinball's pace, giving a young Hawks defense all it can handle - Waltham coach John Maguire dropped senior Don Hopkins back to help out for a few games late in the year; what will his assignment be against the Knights? Meanwhile, the CM defense is deep like Dostoevsky and tougher than a than a steel toothbrush, and they should be able to bottle up Waltham's scoring line for the most part. The Hawks are coming off that emotional win over Westford, and if Dan Rowland (wrist) is healthy, they have a better shot, but right now, I'm calling it CM 5, Waltham 1.

That just about does it. See you at the games. Fire back if you want to by leaving a comment at the top, or email matthew_porter@emerson.edu.

The MIAA has released the times for Saturday's Super 8 action at the DCU Center in Worcester:

• 12:30 p.m. -- No. 3 St. John's Prep vs. No. 6 Malden Catholic
• 2:45 p.m. -- No. 2 Hingham vs. No. 7 Xaverian
• 5 p.m. -- No. 4 BC High vs. No. 5 Reading
• 7:15 p.m. -- No. 1 Catholic Memorial vs. No. 8 Waltham

Keep an eye on Super 8 Central for more tournament coverage.

FASTHockey and Hockey12 will join forces Saturday to stream live coverage of the Super 8 first-round matchups from the DCU Center in Worcester.

From a press release:

FASTHockey is bringing fans high quality streaming video of the games starting at 12:30 p.m. and ending at approximately 10 p.m. Users can see the free webcast by going to FASTHockey.com, signing up for a free account, and clicking on the ICE TV link.

Originally, Hockey12 was to stream the games for $6 per contest or $13.95 for the entire day. With FASTHockey as a sponsor, the games will now be carried free.

Even if you catch the webcast, we'd suggest sticking with this space for plenty of live updates and analysis. We'll provide live coverage of all four games and pass along our own video highlights throughout the day.

The full highlight reels for both Super 8 play-in games are now online.

Click HERE to watch video from Xaverian's 3-0 win over Needham.

Click HERE to watch video from Waltham's shootout win over Westford Academy.

You can find all the latest video, standings, news, and more over at Super 8 Central.

Here's the dramatic shootout that lifted Waltham past Westford Academy after 53 minutes of scoreless hockey in a Super 8 play-in game at the Chelmsford Forum:

Click HERE to watch the video.

Waltham netminder Steve Hopkins stops four shots in the shootout, while Adam Dallaire and Kyle Thomas score for the Hawks as they prevail.

Hopkins stoned Westford's first two shooters, while Dallaire and Thomas each scored for Waltham. Dan Hopkins had a chance to end it, but lost control of the puck near the net. His twin brother took care of punctuating an amazing game by stopping yet another Westford attempt.

Westford outshot Waltham, 34-23, during regulation and overtime.

The Hawks advance to meet Catholic Memorial in Saturday's first round of group play at the DCU Center in Worcester.

We're going to put together a video of the shootout. We'll post that in a bit.

As we reported earlier, Waltham's Dan Rowland didn't skate during regulation or overtime, but he's one of a handful of skaters loosening up in front of the Hawks' bench. We're guessing he might be one of their shooters in the shootout.

Scoreless after overtime.

We're headed to a shootout.

Scoreless with 3:22 to go in overtime.

Westford's Derek Dirubbo broke in with space, but Waltham netminder Steve Hopkins made another beautiful stop early in the overtime session.

Waltham broke in 2-on-1 with 3:46 to go, but the connecting pass was a hair off and that gave Curtis Serafini a second to recover and dive on a loose puck.

Twenty seconds later, Hopkins robbed Dirubbo with a glove save while the winger streaked in from the left side.

Timeout on the ice.

An eight-minute overtime upcoming.

Yep, we're still scoreless.

Still scoreless. You can cut the tension with a knife.

With Waltham on the power play and about 7:30 remaining, Kyle Thomas ripped a wrister off the post.

We're still scoreless.

Waltham and Westford are still scoreless after two periods.

This one feels a lot like Austin Prep vs. Woburn last year. Two goaltenders putting on a show. Are we destined for a scoreless stalemate (Austin Prep prevailed in a shootout during last year's play-in game)?

Waltham netminder Steve Hopkins and Westford Academy goalie Curt Serafini continue to be the story here. Both have made some tremendous stops over the first 30 minutes.

Waltham enjoyed an abbreviated 5-on-3 power play midway through the second stanza, but couldn't dent the scoreboard. Westford, which had one failed opportunity with a man advantage, will carry another power play into the third frame.

Westford dominated much of the early going in the third period and outshot Waltham, 14-4. For the game, the Grey Ghosts boast a 20-14 advantage overall.

Waltham's Steve Hopkins has been cool under heavy pressure over the first seven minutes of the second period (including killing off a power play with some big stops).

We're still scoreless.

No score in North Billerica following one period of play in Game 2 of this Super 8 play-in doubleheader.

Waltham netminder Steve Hopkins and Westford Academy goalie Curt Serafini were outstanding. Both were challenged during the frame and both came up with big stops.

Waltham won the battle on shots, 10-6.

Best chance probably came early in the frame when Kyle Thomas broke in as part of 2-on-1 for Waltham, but Thomas's attempt to stuff home a rebound seemed to kick gently off the post.

Midway through the first period: We're scoreless.

Power play upcoming for Waltham.

Reports before the game indicated that Waltham winger Kyle Thomas would not play tonight due to injury.

Thomas, who led the Greater Boston League with 40 points (16 goals, 24 assists) warmed up in uniform and was announced as a starter, and he's on the ice to start the game.

We'll keep an eye on how much he plays.

Update: Looks like we got a bit of misinformation. The injured player actually appears to be Dan Rowland (he of second in the GBL scoring with 36 points). He is dressed, but has not left the end of the bench during the game.

Thomas has been the catalyst for the Waltham offense thus far.

Xaverian tops Needham, 3-0.

Hawks netminder Kyle MacDonald helped Xaverian pitch its second shutout over Needham this year (teammate Greg Homer blanked the Rockets the first time around), stopping all 16 shots he faced.

Xaverian did a tremendous job bottling up the Rockets and limiting their opportunities (particularly in the first period where they mustered just one shot). The Hawks finished with a 24-16 advantage on shots overall.

Couldn't have asked for a better outcome if you're Xaverian. The Hawks, technically the 10th seed, will now vault to the seventh seed with this win, which means they land on the same side of the bracket with third-seeded St. John's Prep (a team Xaverian beat twice this year in Catholic Conference play) and sixth-seeded Malden Catholic (a team Xaverian went 0-1-1 again in league place). Second-seeded Hingham fills out that group.

***

Part II of this Super 8 doubleheader is up next with Waltham skating against Westford Academy. Back with more shortly.

John Sperzel stuffed home a Cam Miller blast with 8:18 to go.

Xaverian leads Needham, 3-0.

Needham couldn't convert on a power-play chance early in the third and Xaverian isn't giving them many opportunities overall (the Hawks led on shots, 17-9, through two frames).

Here's a video featuring Matt Morin's second-period goal for Xaverian:

Click HERE to watch the highlight.

Matt Morrin polished off a little 2-on-1 with Chris Wagner for a goal at 14:38 and Xaverian has extended its lead to 2-0 over Needham.

Scoreless so far in the second period.

Needham killed off a penalty with Xaverian mustering a few quality chances.

Xaverian junior Jack Walsh tipped home a Matt Glennon shot in front of the net and the Hawks lead Needham, 1-0, at the first intermission.

Needham was aggressive and threw its weight around with some big checks in the opening 15, but Xaverian capitalized in a period without many quality opportunities.

Xaverian outshot Needham, 6-1, in the frame.

Xaverian's Jack Walsh tips one home with 3:26 to play in the first period.

Hawks lead, 1-0.

Scoreless through 10 minutes. Good hitting going on for both sides.

Here are your starting lineups:

Xaverian

LW - Matt Hennessey
C - Matt Morin
RW - Nathan Hardiman
D - Andrew White
D - Gavin Driscoll

Goalie: Kyle MacDonald

Needham

LW - Sam Kane
C - Brett Riley
RW - Mike Sharpe
D - Will Rayner
D - Mike Sullivan

Goalie: Sam Gifford

Welcome to Chelmsford Forum in North Billerica, site of tonight's Super 8 play-in games.

First up: Seventh-seeded Needham vs. 10th-seeded Xaverian. Puck is scheduled to drop at 6:10 p.m.

Needham fans poured off a bus about 10 minutes ago and they've already started some chants for the youth hockey practice on the ice. Seems like they're just warming up for the big game.

Back with more throughout the night.

A few thoughts on tonight's Super 8 play-in games:

Interesting to note that both of tonight's Super 8 play-in games are rematches from the 2007-08 season. Ironically, the lower seed in each of tonight's games was actually the regular-season victor.

Tenth-seeded Xaverian blanked seventh-seeded Needham, 2-0, back on Dec. 29, while ninth-seeded Westford Academy dropped eighth-seeded Waltham, 3-1, on Dec. 19.

Under the current Super 8 format, teams are seeded in spots No. 7-10 based on regular-season winning percentage.

In the early game, Needham is likely chomping at the bit to get back on the ice. Not only is there a bit of a revenge factor against the Hawks this evening, but Needham endured a disappointing 1-0 loss to Chelmsford in the Cahoon Tournament back on Feb. 20 and that defeat may have hurt its chances at landing a top 6 seeding (and avoiding the play-in round all together).

Needham had won 12 in a row prior to that game and was unbeaten in its last 15 (winning 14 of those games, while tying Wellesley, 3-3, on Jan. 9). That streak dated all the way back to the Xaverian loss. Earlier in the year, the Rockets also dropped a 4-3 heartbreaker to BC High (the tournament's fourth seed), while skating to a 2-2 tie with Hingham (the tournament's second seed).

One year after being the only Catholic Conference team not invited to the big dance, Xaverian earned its first Super 8 appearance this winter. They'll need a win tonight to truly reach the dance floor.

The winner advances to meet Hingham in Saturday's first round of round-robin play at the DCU Center in Worcester. The loser falls into the Division 1 South tournament as the top seed and will meet the winner of a first-round game between Weymouth and Framingham.

In the late game, Westford will be looking to reward the committee for bestowing the last available slot to the Grey Ghosts. The seven-member committee debated long and hard about whether Westford or St. Bernard's deserved the final spot in the Super 8 field, but it was the Grey Ghosts that won the vote, 4-3.

That win over Waltham earlier this season likely helped their cause. But it won't help them tonight. Both teams admit they've changed since that first meeting, but will it be enough to change the outcome?

Waltham knows all too well the disappointment of losing a play-in game. The Hawks were unceremoniously bounced during last year's play-in game when Central Catholic erupted for three third-period goals in a 3-1 triumph. Waltham advanced to the Division 1 North finals that year, falling to Woburn in the championship tilt (the Tanners were the other wild card victim in 2007 after losing in a shootout to Austin Prep).

The winner's reward this year? A first-round matchup with top-seeded and heavily favored Catholic Memorial. The loser falls into the Division 1 North bracket as the top seed and will skate against the Matignon-St. Mary's winner in Saturday's quarterfinals.

Back with more from the Chelmsford Forum this evening.

A reminder that we'll be live tonight from the Chelmsford Forum in the North Billerica, where the Super 8 tournament kicks off with a pair of play-in games that will finalize the eight-team field for round-robin play.

We'll have live updates and video highlights in this space. Keep an eye on Super 8 Central for all the latest news from the tournament. There you'll also find the complete tournament schedule (though many times and dates are still to be determined) and much more.

Seventh-seeded Needham skates against 10th-seeded Xaverian at 6:10 p.m., while eighth-seeded Waltham and ninth-seeded Westford Academy battle at 8:10 p.m. The winners advance to Saturday's opening round of play at the DCU Center in Worcester, while the losers fall into their respective Division 1 tournaments as the top seed.

Five leftover thoughts following today's seedings process:

• How about Hingham?: The biggest surprise of the day, to us at least, was the placement of Hingham as the No. 2 seed in the tournament. Granted, the Harbormen topped St. John's Prep (the next logical choice for that slot) earlier this season, but Hingham also fell to BC High in the opening round of the Cape Cod Classic this past week. We figured that -- along with a midseason loss to Waltham -- would push the Harbormen further down in the rankings, but the committee strongly backed them and bestowed a lofty perch.

• BC High vs. CM: Should be fun to see these two rivals meet in round robin play. That's a great pool with BC High, Catholic Memorial, Reading, and the Westford/Waltham winner. If our calculations are correct, BC High will meet Catholic Memorial in the third round of round-robin play and it'll undoubtedly have an effect on how the crossover bracket looks.

• History: Two bits of history were made today: The Catholic Conference got its entire league into the Super 8 bracket for the first time (this after getting a remarkable four teams in last year), while the Catholic Central League was shut out of the Division 1A tournament for the first time in its 18-year history.

• No respect for CMass?: The folks at St. Bernard's of Fitchburg were certainly disappointed with the outcome of the meeting, feeling they deserved a spot in the top 10. The only head-to-head matchup they had against another Super 8 team was a 3-2 loss to Malden Catholic way back on Dec. 27. Safe to say, the Bernardians saved their best hockey for the end of the season, but it simply wasn't enough. Westford seemed to draw accolades for a challenging nonleague schedule, which included wins over Waltham and Xaverian, two teams that the committee had pushed through earlier in the voting.

• Division 1 friendly play-ins: The folks in the Division 1 tournaments usually have to put their brackets on hold while the Super 8 play-ins unfold. Fortunately, those two games broke down with two South competitors (Needham and Xaverian) and two North squads (Waltham and Westford) facing each other on Monday night. That means one team will fall into each bracket (as the top seed) and since those teams more often than not receive a bye, teams don't have to wait until Monday to have a sense of how the brackets will shake down.
  

Recapping today's seedings:

1. Catholic Memorial
2. Hingham
3. St. John's Prep
4. BC High
5. Reading
6. Malden Catholic
7. Needham
8. Waltham
9. Westford Academy
10. Xaverian

***

Monday night's play-in games will be held at 6:10 and 8:10 at the Chelmsford Forum.

Needham (home team) vs. Xaverian, 6:10 p.m.
Waltham (home team) vs. Westford, 8:10 p.m.

The first round will be played at the DCU Center in Worcester on March, 1 (all times are TBA).

Here's the voting from the third round with votes from each trip around the table:

Catholic Memorial earned four of the first five votes (St. John's Prep received the other). The Knights are the top seed.

Hingham earned four of the first six votes (St. John's Prep received the others). The Harbormen are the second seed.

St. John's Prep earned four consecutive votes. The Eagles are the third seed.

BC High earned four of the first five votes (Reading received the other). The Eagles are the fourth seed.

Reading received four consecutive votes. The Rockets are the fifth seed.

Malden Catholic received four of the first five votes (Waltham received the other). The Lancers are the sixth seed.

The final four teams will be seeded by wining percentage:

7. Needham
8. Waltham
9. Westford Academy
10. Xaverian

Needham meets Xaverian, while Waltham tangles with Westford in the play-in games.

Here's the power seeding procedure (from a handout):

8. Teams will be power seeded starting with the No. 1 seed and ending with the No. 10 seed. The power seeding procedure is as follows:

a. The No. 1 seed position will be voted. Each voting member will vote for one team - no abstentions. A majority vote is required for placement.

b. This power seeding process will continue until the first six (6) seeds are filled. The remaining four (4) teams will be Wild Card placed in seeds Nos. 7-10, according to their winning percentage.

9. After all 10 schools are seeded, the committee members will call each school to announce the appropriate school personnel, the team selection and the details of the Wild Card and first-round games.

Westford Academy earns the final spot over St. Bernard's in a riveting 4-3 vote.

The first three votes went to Westford, the next three to St. Bernard's. Bridgewater-Raynham's Dan Buron voted for Westford, sending the Grey Ghosts through to the power-seeding round and completes the 10 team field for the 2008 Super 8 tournament.

Malden Catholic, Xaverian, and Needham all earned entry in the second-round voting process. The 10 teams will now be power seeded in round 3 (with teams that land in spots No. 7-10 seeded by winning percentage).

Dan Shine is speaking on behalf of St. Bernard's (a league rival to his Arlington Catholic) and Jim O'Connor of the Observers group added some kind words on behalf of the Bernardians.

Paul Podolski of the state coaches' association is championing the cause of Westford Academy.

We'll keep you posted.

A team needed four votes to advance. Here's how it went down in the war room:

Malden Catholic earns four of the first six votes on the first trip around the table (St. Bernard's got the other two). Malden Catholic has advanced to the next round.

Xaverian earns four of the first six votes on the second trip around the table (Needham received the other two). Xaverian has advanced to the next round.

Needham earned four of the first six votes on the third trip around the table (Westford Academy received the other two). Needham has advanced to the next round.

Two teams remain: Westford Academy and St. Bernard's.

Six teams, based on unanimous vote in the first round, have assured themselves spot in the Super 8 tournament:

They are: Hingham, Catholic Memorial, BC High, St. John's Prep, Reading, and Waltham.

There are five teams that did not receive unanimous vote and one team must be eliminated from the group featuring: Needham, Westford Academy, Xaverian, Malden Catholic, and St. Bernard's.

Round 2 voting will start shortly, we'll update when the round is complete.

***

Update: Members were first briefed on the voting procedure and now there is some discussion about the remaining teams.

Here's the voting procedure for the top 10 teams (from a handout):

5. Teams who received a unanimous vote will be placed in the top 10 teams. Rank order to be determined by the power seeding procedure stated below.

6. Teams who did not receive unanimous vote will be considered for placement in the top 10 teams. Each voting member will vote for one of the remaining teams -- no abstentions. A majority vote is required for placement in the top 10 teams. Rank order to be determined by seeding procedure stated below. Any team failing to receive a majority vote will be placed back in the pool for future consideration.

7. This voting procedure will continue until 10 teams are placed.

With all the formalities and introductions (finally) out of the way, the Super 8 committee's seven voting members went through the nomination process. Here's how the voting went down in Round 1 (in order of nomination):

Hingham -- 7-0
Catholic Memorial -- 7-0
BC High -- 7-0
St. John's Prep -- 7-0
Reading -- 7-0
Waltham -- 7-0
Needham -- 4-3
Westford Academy -- 5-2
Xaverian -- 6-1
Malden Catholic -- 6-1
St. Bernard's -- 4-3
Austin Prep -- 1-6

No further nominations. Round 1 has been completed.

From the watch list, only Austin Prep has been eliminated from consideration.

Here is the Observer's nomination list, a suggestion (much like the one made by the state coaches' association) by Jim O'Connor's group:

1. Catholic Memorial
2. St. John’s Prep
3. BC High
4. Hingham
5. Reading
6. Malden Catholic
7. Xaverian
8. Waltham
9. Needham
10. St. Bernard’s

We still haven't started, but here's the nomination procedure for Round 1 (as explained on a handout):

1. Any seeding committee member may nominate a school for consideration.

2. The school's nomination will be discussed.

3. A hand vote will be taken -- no abstentions. A majority vote is needed in order to remain in consideration. Teams failing to receive a majority vote will not be reconsidered.

4. This nominating process will continue until there are no more nominations.

We'll check back with the list of teams nominated once the first round has completed.

Committee members, athletic directors, and coaches are beginning to take their seats in the war room here inside the MIAA offices. We'll keep you posted as things get going here.

Just as a comparison, here's the list submitted by the coaches association last year:

1. Catholic Memorial
2. St. John's Prep
3. BC High
4. Malden Catholic
5. Weymouth
6. Austin Prep
7. Reading
8. Waltham
9. Central Catholic
10. Springfield Cathedral
11. Woburn
12. Needham

The committee ultimately swapped some seeds around, but the most notable change was that Woburn worked its way into the top 10 ahead of Springfield Cathedral. The Tanners lost in a play-in game.

Should be interesting to see what happens this year. Check out this year's final watch list in the entries below.

We might not be able to get to your comments during the meeting (things come pretty rapid-fire, but we'll try to approve when we can).

If you'd like to chat with other high school hockey fans about the proceedings, sound off ion our message board.

The Massachusetts State Hockey Coaches Association has trimmed its list to 12 following a meeting this morning. Here's the list:

1. Catholic Memorial
2. Hingham
3. St. John’s Prep
4. BC High
5. Malden Catholic
6. Reading
7. Needham
8. Westford Academy
9. Waltham
10. Xaverian
11. Austin Prep
12. St. Bernard’s

Our thoughts: Nothing terribly surprising here. Coyle-Cassidy and Andover have essentially been, in the association's opinion, eliminated from consideration. That's not to say others will feel differently.

The association produced the same 10 teams as we predicted last night (yes, we're giving ourselves a pat on the back now since this is not assuredly the 10 teams that will be selected at this afternoon's meeting). It is surprising to us to see Hingham rated so high. But we'll see how this afternoon's meeting plays out.

We're in Franklin now. We're headed to the MIAA offices shortly. More from there in a bit.

As we prepare for tomorrow's Super 8 seedings meeting in Franklin (2 p.m.), here's one man's opinion of what might unfold.

Much like we did last year, we're going to strive to be at every single moment of the Super 8 tournament, capturing all the action on the High School Sports Blog and taping all the highlights for relaunched Super 8 Central.

Also, we'll have live updates in this space tomorrow afternoon during the meeting. Stick with us for all the latest from Franklin.

We admittedly didn't see as many regular-season games as we would have liked (blame the Patriots' question for perfection in part for that), but here's what we've gleaned from everything we've seen and read this winter:

The locks

1. Catholic Memorial: Do we even need to offer a reason here? The Knights were clearly the best team in the region this winter and, once again, they're the clear-cut favorite entering the Super 8 tournament. Now, we thought the Knights were a wrecking ball last year when they rumbled into the tournament at 14-2-2, so there's always upset potential.

2. St. John's Prep: Two wins over BC High make the Prep a virtual lock, even if they only mustered one other win in Catholic Conference play. Heck, that was good enough for second place in the league. The Eagles can score in bunches (ask Waltham or Austin Prep) and have a rock-solid goalie in Kyle Pettoruto to compliment.

3. BC High: Can we just point out that the Eagles, defending Super 8 champs, entered last year's shindig with a 12-4-4 record. This year? They're 11-4-5 and boast a goalie who's only given up more than two goals to St. John's Prep in the new year.

4. Reading: That 20-1 record sure is glossy, but color us skeptical until the Rockets win a Super 8 game. Last year was a massive disappointment after Reading, seeded sixth, lost three games in round-robin play by a combined score of 15-5. As one person in Reading told us recently, "The Rockets are a little better this year, so who knows what could happen?" It's true that Reading brings back much of its talent, but will they emerge as true contenders this year? We'd feel more confident if the locals were telling us they were, "a lot better" this winter.

Pleading for top 6 seeding

5. Waltham: The Hawks probably wish they could hit the reset button on a couple of games this winter. A loss to Westford back on Dec. 19 won't help their cause tomorrow, nor will a 1-0 blanking at the hands of Medford on Feb. 13. But their only other loss came at the hands of St. John's Prep (a lopsided defeat at that). Taking home the Cape Cod Classic title, punctuated by a shootout victory over Austin Prep, will help the Hawks as well.

6. Hingham: This year's Weymouth? We'd say there's far more hype about the Harbormen than Weymouth enjoyed at this time last year. I remember a lot of "wow"s when the Wildcats earned the fifth seed last February and I don't think it'll surprise a lot of folks to see Hingham seeded in top 6 this year. Some struggles down the stretch (falling to BC High, tying Duxbury), as well as a midseason loss to Waltham, might leave the Harbormen fighting for that top seed, but a convincing win over the Prep certainly helps that cause.

7. Malden Catholic: Take away a late season hiccup against St. Mary's of Lynn on Feb. 12 and the Lancers are probably a slam dunk for a top spot, right? They boast quality wins over teams fighting for Super 8 berths (Westford, St. Bernard's, and Xaverian), while also skating to two ties with BC High. But don't let the number in the loss column fool you. Remember that the Lancers also lost two games to Catholic Memorial, one to the Prep, and one to Rhode Island's Bishop Hendricken. Not too shabby.

8. Needham: Yet another team that would love a mulligan. The Rockets had ripped off 12 straight wins before enduring a shocking 1-0 loss to Chelmsford Wednesday night at the Cahoon Tournament. Skating to a tie with Hingham will help their cause, as will playing a one-goal game with BC High. But a 2-0 loss to Xaverian certainly begs the question of whether Needham deserve a berth over the Hawks, a team fighting for one of the last spots.

Plan for a play in... at best

9. Xaverian: The Hawks stumbled their way through a 2-5-1 month of January, falling to BC High (twice), Westford, Malden Catholic, and Catholic Memorial in that span. On the positive side, the wins included a 3-0 blanking of St. John's Prep (one of two wins over the Eagles), and the tie came in the rematch with MC. The Hawks finished up the regular season strong and many considered Friday night's scheduled matchup with Coyle-Cassidy a potential Super 8 play-in play-in at the South of Boston Shootout in Bridgewater. Mother Nature preferred to keep us in suspense as the game has been canceled due to the weather. That leaves the fate of the Hawks up in the air, just like...

10. Coyle-Cassidy: Unbeaten in its last 17 games, you could make the case that no one has played better or more consistent hockey (other than CM) than these Division 2 upstarts. The Warriors put themselves on the map with a 2-1 upset of BC High back on Feb. 6, but there's not a heck of a lot to go on besides that. Even coach Dave Borges admitted that he thought the lone reason his team was still being considered was a potential matchup with Xaverian. A win there could have vaulted his team into a Super 8 play-in game. Undoubtedly, fellow competitors in Division 2 South are rooting for Coyle to land a spot with the big boys (even if it's just temporary).

11. Westford Academy: Another team that tripped up against Chelmsford late in the year (those Lions were party crashers for Super 8 contenders in a winter otherwise dotted with struggles). The Grey Ghosts also let one slip away when they gave up a late goal against Winchester Wednesday night at the Irish-American Shootout. What's working in Westford's favor is a win over Andover earlier in the week, along with triumphs earlier in the year over Waltham and Xaverian.

12. St. Bernard's: As a Central Mass. native and someone who spent too much time in Fitchburg, I'm quietly -- yet objectively -- rooting for the Bernardians. As champs of the Catholic Central League, they'll get plenty of consideration from the committee. We're simply not sure the resume will support their candidacy. The positives: Undefeated in February, the Bernardians have won eight straight. Earlier this season, they also skated strong against Malden Catholic before falling, 3-2. But there's no eye-catching win on their schedule, What's more, they're probably not the best team in Central Mass. (that's reserved for 15-1-4 Gardner, who dropped the Bernardians, 6-3, in late January).

Hoping for a miracle

13. Austin Prep: Shootout win over BC High at Cape Cod Classic (it's a tie in the books) looks nice, but late-season loss to St. Bernard's really hurt them. If the Bernardians aren't getting in, neither are the Cougars. They also fell to Westford earlier in the year (handily, too).

14. Andover: Falling to Westford (a common theme in these miracle teams) on Monday night pretty much sealed the Warriors' fate. Andover also tied its previous two games (against Central Catholic and Arlington). Even with wins there, we're not sure it was enough to gain Super 8 consideration.

Forsberg's picks

So, if someone asked us to put together the Super 8 seedings, here's our best guess (with teams 7-10 not seeded by winning percentage, as they will be following the selection meeting).

1. Catholic Memorial
2. St. John's Prep
3. BC High
4. Reading
5. Malden Catholic
6. Waltham
7. Hingham
8. Xaverian
9. Needham
10. Westford Academy

The only debate, in our minds, comes down to whether Coyle-Cassidy did enough to play its way into the tournament. A single win over BC High probably isn't enough and Westford gets the nod based on wins over Waltham and Xaverian.

We're excited for tomorrow's meeting and we're excited for the tournament. We look forward to bringing it all to you.