The winter season came to a thrilling, stunning finish at TD Garden last March.
While it took a tense path to its resting place, the Div. 1 boys hockey trophy still ended up back at St. John’s Prep. On a controversial goal by Johnny Tighe at the final horn, the Eagles were able to capture their second championship since 2022 with a 3-2 victory over Winchester.
The frantic buzzer-beater kickstarted a rule debate spanning most of the offseason. When the dust cleared, the MIAA decided to institute video replay for hockey finals moving forward.
Are the Eagles the favorite to repeat? Possibly. St. John’s Prep sustained some losses from its core, but welcomed back A.J. Farese.
St. John’s Prep is not the only team to fear out of the Catholic Conference. Xaverian followed up its Div. 1 title in 2023 with a trip to the Final Four in 2024. Now the Hawks bring back team captains Devin Gosciak and Jackson Morse (20 points apiece last year), looking to return to the pinnacle. Larry Rooney’s squad at Catholic Memorial will always challenge.
BC High endured a rebuilding year (by its standards) last winter, but now brings back just about everybody, most notably 10 forwards. Seniors Sonny Christian, Chris Brennick, Aidan MacDonald and Mikey McClory will look to provide scoring, while sophomore Drew Karlovits will remain in net. St. John’s (Shrewsbury) lost standout Luke Gerardi to graduation, but figures to remain a strong threat with one of the state’s best in Daniel Menyalkin on the roster.
Do we see one of the publics make a statement like Winchester did last year? The Red and Black should be in contention again as they look to take things one step further with a title. Their Middlesex League cohorts are always dangerous, with Arlington, Belmont and Reading consistently in the mix.
Tony Messina’s group at Hingham will attempt to gain headway out of the South Shore, with Colin Lasch and Robert Dixon serving as captains. The Harbormen might have to contend with a local rival in Marshfield. Pope Francis, meanwhile, will hope to continue its domination out west.
The Div. 2 boys hockey tournament featured a Cinderella team in the form of 11th-seeded Boston Latin, which raised its first state title since 2005. During their journey, the Wolfpack defeated two juggernauts with consecutive wins over Billerica and Duxbury, before pulling away in the championship with a 4-2 victory against Tewksbury.
The program saw the departure of UMass commit Matt Carrara and fellow star Robert Banks, but have key pieces like Billy Cunnife (seven goals, eight assists) and Adam Whitney (six goals, seven assists) returning. After catching fire in the postseason, junior Oliver Murphy will be back in net.
As for expectations?
“It’s hard to say,” said Boston Latin coach Frank Woods. “Last year, if you’d have asked me what the expectations were, it wouldn’t have been to win a state title. You don’t really know what you have until some time in January, or maybe even later than that. I think our goal has to always be competitive in the league, first and foremost. Then qualify for the tournament, and hope to be playing our best hockey at the end of the season to make a run.”
Woburn enjoyed one of its best seasons in years last winter, and pundits believe the school will be in the running for hardware. Jack McEleney and Jack Lee will lead the Tanners.
Tewksbury will have to overcome some major losses with its former perfection line of Jeremy Insogna, Matthew Cooke and Tyler Barnes all graduating. But success runs deep in Derek Doherty’s program. Look for up-and-comers like Tyler Bourgea to help continue the school’s winning trend.
Does Canton have a resurgence this year? It’s probable, given the fact that Travis Thomas (eight goals, 14 assists) and Ryan Elrick (11 goals, 10 assists) are back.
Down Route 3 at The Bog, Duxbury has built a formidable homestead, and the Dragons should be right back in the heat of things come the postseason. Expect Mikey Yucius (12 goals, six assists) to shoulder the scoring load. St. Mary’s is another program that we could see making waves as a dark horse, as is Norwood.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Adam Bauer (Belmont)
Liam Bonner (Duxbury)
Tyler Bourgea (Tewksbury)
Chris Brennick (BC High)
Sonny Christian (BC High)
Patrick Clair (Arlington)
Billy Cunnife (Boston Latin)
Robert Dixon (Hingham)
Jack Doherty (Marshfield)
Ryan Elrick (Canton)
A.J. Farese (St. John’s Prep)
James Gigante (Reading)
Devin Gosciak (Xaverian)
Sammy Holte (Marshfield)
Drew Karlovits (BC High)
Finn Kelly (Archbishop Williams)
Colin Lasch (Hingham)
Jack Lee (Woburn)
Jack McEleney (Woburn)
Cam McKenna (Hingham)
Daniel Menyalkin (St. John’s (S))
JP Messuri (Arlington)
Jackson Morse (Xaverian)
Oliver Murphy (Boston Latin)
Tucker O’Neil (Duxbury)
Teddy Shuman (Canton
Travis Thomas (Canton)
Adam Whitney (Boston Latin)
Mikey Yucius (Duxbury)
