First round to separate the contenders from pretenders
Not even another snowstorm can stop one of the most anticipated events in high school sports, the MIAA Division 1A boys' hockey tournament, better known as the Super 8.
Starting at 1 p.m. today at Tsongas Arena in Lowell, four games will kick off the tournament leading to the crowning of a new champion in two weeks at the TD Banknorth Garden. This season's Super 8 field is full of interesting stories and a ton of talent. We will find out who is the state's best hockey team.
The Super 8 will also answer some other questions: Was Reading's run to the 2008 title a fluke, or has the balance of power shifted to the public schools? Can top-seed Catholic Memorial win for the first time since 2005?
As a refresher, the first round is a round robin between the four teams in each bracket. In Bracket 1, Catholic Memorial, Hingham, Central Catholic and Winchester will battle, with the top two teams advancing. In Bracket 2, Needham, Malden Catholic, Xaverian and Burlington square off.
This game offers one of the best goaltending matchups in the tournament. Malden Catholic's John Carbonneau, back after missing time with appendicitis, brings his Catholic Conference leading 1.25 goals against average against Kyle MacDonald's 1.68 for Xaverian.
Carbonneau has only allowed one goal in 90 minutes of play against Xaverian. The Hawks must find a way to put more goals past Carbonneau, especially given that his brother Craig, Catholic Conference points leader, and a dangerous Lancers offense await.
This matchup appears to be lopsided. Catholic Memorial has won 12 Super 8 titles. Winchester has won just one Super 8 game, to go with six losses. The Knights won the Catholic Conference and coach Bill Hanson is the dean of this tournament with 77 games behind the bench (62-15 in Super 8).
But, the tide has turned a bit. Catholic Memorial hasn't celebrated at the Garden since 2005, despite being the top seed in the past five tournaments. And a strong Winchester team awaits. The Sachems come from the Middlesex League, one of two leagues to get more than one team in the field.
If Winchester brings its "A" game, the Sachems can skate with anyone. But Winchester must play perfect hockey in a pressure-packed tournament, against an opponent that feasts on mistakes.
Hingham is a familiar face in the tournament (8-14 overall), and only Reading (20 wins) and Arlington (14) have won more Super 8 games among public schools. Central Catholic is making only its second appearance. The first came in 2007.
This game is a coin flip. Both teams were incredibly hard to beat, but with 12 ties between them, they obviously had some trouble finishing.
Both squads tied Catholic Memorial, and Hingham lost to Needham, but otherwise neither team has played any of its Super 8 competitors this year.
This game probably will come down to how Hingham deals with Central's size. The front line for the Raiders is among the biggest in high school hockey, and they are a physical group.
Needham has beaten tournament foes Xaverian, Hingham, and Malden Catholic and won more games this season than any other Super 8 team.
Needham's challenge will be to handle Burlington's depth. In their preliminary round victory over Arlington Catholic (a 6-1 win), the Red Devils got goals from four different lines.
That kind of offensive firepower will be tough for Needham to stop, not to mention the play of Ben Irwin, Burlington's steady senior goaltender.
