Postseason hockey in Massachusetts is about to start and once again, the Catholic Conference is right at the center of the frame.
All six of the conference’s teams qualified for the Division I state tournament this year and five of the six are in the top 10 of the MIAA’s divisional power rankings.
Catholic Memorial, St. John’s Prep and Xaverian own spots one, two, and three.
After 20-plus games in the regular season, each of these teams is coming into the playoffs with different wounds but similar aspirations.
While a state crown sits in the eyes of the entire conference, how they would achieve it and what it means varies for each.
For much on each squad, here’s one storyline to follow for each Catholic Conference team in this year’s postseason.
A second straight Knighting
After winning the Division I state championship for the first time since 2009 last season, Catholic Memorial is staring at the No. 1 seed in the playoffs this year and another date at TD Garden.
Last year, CM carried six losses into the playoffs. This season, the Knights were nearly perfect, tying once and falling by just one goal twice.
In the regular season Larry Rooney’s squad post two different winning streaks of at least five games, and scored at least four goals 11 times.
The prolific offense combined with just 22 goals allowed in 20 games gave the Knights a plus-63 goal differential in the regular season.
There has also been nearly no test that CM has not bested this year. The Knights have beaten seven of the other top nine teams in the Division I rankings.
The only team they have not faced in that group is No. 4 Reading.
The Prep is scorching
A constant force under head coach Kristian Hanson, St. John’s Prep faced serious concern in the middle of the season.
The Eagles had lost three straight games in a row, putting them at 4-3-2.
From that moment however, the Eagles turned things around and haven’t looked back.
Over its final 11 games, Prep went 11-0 with a plus-38 goal differential.
The Eagles beat every team in their conference in that stretch and crushed to end the year in non conference action.
The only question now is, can the winning streak run all the way to the Garden?
More Pioneer magic?
Nobody envied the way Saint John’s Shrewsbury entered the playoffs last year. The Pioneers entered round one with a record of 1-9 in their final 10 contests.
Despite that, something caught fire within the squad, and the team went on an improbable run as the No. 14 seed.
Saint John’s won its first four playoff games including two in overtime to launch itself into the state title game.
Though the Pioneers eventually fell to the Knights, they showed themselves that nothing is insurmountable once March begins.
This season, Saint John’s cooled off in the second leg of conference play but did win two of its last three games, including a comeback victory over then No. 4 Hingham.
With a higher seed this year at No. 8 and the DNA of last year’s run, look to the Pioneers to pull off more postseason wizardry this season.
Redemption for the Hawks
Last year, Xaverian entered the Division I tournament as the No. 8 seed and one of the hottest teams in the state. The Hawks closed the season with four straight shutout victories, and after needing overtime to win their first playoff games, felt they were playing their best hockey in the quarterfinals against No. 1 Pope Francis.
Despite the high-end play from Xaverian, the puck refused to go its way. The Cardinals eventually won the contest 4-1 and left the Hawks one game short of the Final Four which they made the year prior.
This year, after 15 regular season wins, the No. 3 ranked Hawks are looking forward for another chance to show off their postseason skill.
Though they had trouble at times in conference action, Xaverian lost just four games, twice by just one goal, and did not lose to a non conference opponent in the regular season.
The Dogs from Dorchester
With CM, Prep, and Xaverian all vying for the No. 1 seed throughout the year, BC High has continued to hang around the bottom half of the top 10 in Division I, entering the postseason at No. 9.
The Eagles may not be the most feared squad in the conference, but they’ve shown they can compete with the best, twice beating the Pioneers in the regular season.
BC High also finished the regular season with three straight wins, giving them plenty of juice as a dark horse title contender entering the playoffs.
Lancer survivors
Few playoff teams will come out of their regular season as bruised and tested as Malden Catholic.
The Lancers have often found themselves punching up in conference play over the last few seasons and they didn’t make things any easier on themselves by moving up to Division I this season.
Still, despite the record, Malden Catholic is a playoff team, and last year the Lancers proved they can drop anyone when the lights get bright.
Despite winning just three games last regular season, Malden Catholic won its first two playoff games, posting five and then six goals in its victories.
Though the No. 24 seeding will present them with an uphill battle, the Lancers won’t be scared of anyone.
