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There were plenty of shakeups to this week's softball Top 25 poll.

Four new teams snuck into the top 10, including Hudson (No. 6), Fairhaven (8), Central Catholic (9) and Bellingham (10).

Four more teams found their way into the poll for the first time as well. Minnechaug checks in at No. 15, following a comeback win over Agawam. Shrewsbury climbed back in at No. 18 while Newton North (21) and Grafton (24) each made debuts.

CHELMSFORD, Mass. -- Central Catholic freshman Olivia Antczak tossed a 3-hitter to lead the Lady Raiders (11-1) to a 3-1 victory over Chelmsford (10-5) on Wednesday night in a battle of Merrimack Valley D1 teams.

Antczak improved to 10-1 on the season, as she struck out 10 batters en route to a 3-hit complete game win. That win also qualified Central Catholic for the MIAA Division 1 North tournament.

Chelmsford got on the board first in the bottom of the opening inning, as junior third baseman Rachel Couto doubled to left center field to drive in second baseman Clancy Taylor. Taylor had reached on a single and would also steal second base.

“I was definitely concerned when they came out and scored early as they also did that to us last game,” said Central Catholic head coach Stacy Ciccolo. “Our goal was to come in, minimize our damage early, and let whatever happens happen throughout the game.”

Chelmsford scored three runs in the opening inning of the team’s first meeting on April 13. In that game, Chelmsford defeated Central Catholic 6-4 to hand the Raiders their only loss to date on the season.

On Wednesday night, Chelmsford starting pitcher Meghan Rich battled through a first inning jam and shut down Central Catholic in order in the second before Central would plate their first run in the third inning.

“We came out early and played with more confidence tonight,” said Ciccolo. “We got a couple of big hits off of a very good pitcher.”

Antczak led off the third with a bomb to left field that would result in a triple, and eventually the game-tying run after a Brittney Hall single.

After Antczak shut Chelmsford down in the bottom of the third, Central would score its final two runs on a leadoff triple by first baseman Leslie Moore, and two RBI singles by Antczak and Nicole Howe.

“We try to emphasize having different people chip in each game,” noted Ciccolo. “It is nice to get it done all over the order and tonight it was done from the six, seven and eight spots.”

Despite a leadoff double in the sixth inning by sophomore Abby Desrosiers, Chelmsford could not find the answer to Antczak. The freshman retired 20 of her final 21 batters for the complete game victory.

Freshman Poise: Antczak is no average freshman, as the slender fireballer shows poise beyond her years on the mound.

“She is so composed and has incredible poise for her age,” Ciccolo said. “She recognizes that there is always something that she needs to work on. She is young and growing and she does a great job of always working on that next pitch.”

Antczak also had a big night at the plate, going 2-for-3 with a triple and one RBI.

She has now won three games in a row since the loss to Chelmsford including an impressive nine inning, 15-strikeout game in a 3-2 win over Methuen.

Intense Rivalry: “In the first game we played them we probably made about four or five errors,” recalled Ciccolo. “Chelmsford hit the ball well as they are a good hitting team but we definitely did not help our cause that game.”

Chelmsford and Central Catholic have battled for the top sport in the MVC Large the last four years and have built a nice rivalry in the MVC Division 1.

“We have a lot of respect for Chelmsford and we have built a nice rivalry with them that played out last year in the tournament. Central Catholic defeated Chelmsford 2-0 in the 2011 Division 1 North sectional semi-finals.

Central Catholic finished the 2011 season with a record of 18-4 and lost to in the Division 1 North final to Acton-Boxborough, 4-0. Despite graduating many key parts of last year’s squad, the 2012 Central Catholic girls look posed to make some noise again come playoff time.

Central Catholic meets up with surprising second place squad Tewksbury on Friday in another important MVC D1 game. Chelmsford will look to rebound from their fourth loss in five games when they take on Westford Academy on Friday afternoon.

Former Central Catholic standout and Wake Forest center Carson Desrosiers will be transferring to Providence College.

Citing a source, ESPN's Adam Finkelstein initially reported the news on his Twitter account.

Desrosiers has confirmed the news on his own Twitter account -- "Excited to be a new member of Friartown! Go Friars," he wrote in a tweet.

The 6-foot-11 Windham, N.H. resident led Central Catholic to MIAA Division 1 state championships in 2008 and 2010, before moving on to Wake Forest. In two seasons in Winston-Salem, he averaged 4.4 points and 3.7 rebounds, with 38 starts, and totaled 112 blocks. His 52 blocks in 2010-11 were the most by a Wake freshman since Tim Duncan.

Desrosiers declared his intent to transfer late last March, and was released from his scholarship.

Per transfer rules, Desrosiers must sit out the 2012-13 season. He will have two years of eligibility remaining starting in the fall of 2013.

Desrosiers is the latest high-profile local to sign on with Friars head coach Ed Cooley. Providence also has commitments from South Kent swingman and Providence native Ricardo Ledo, the nation's No. 21 overall senior; and point guard Kris Dunn, a McDonald's All-American this past season out of New London (Conn.) High.

While our top two squads remained steady this week, there was a whole lot of movement throughour our MIAA softball Top 25 poll this week.

Undefeated Central Catholic moved into the third spot, after New Bedford suffered its first loss of the season. It was a good week for the MVC overall as Dracut also hit a high point in the poll, hitting No. 6 after an impressive run at the Hudson school vacation week tournament, capped by a championship win over the No. 17 Hawks.

Somerset-Berkley, which knocked off the aforementioned Whalers, headlines the teams new to the poll this week. The Blue Raiders make their season debut at No. 15. Also breaking in this week were No. 24 Lynn Classical and No. 25 Bellingham.

The big mover of the week was Holy Name, which jumped up five spots to make its first appearanace in the top 10 this week.

With the unveiling of our MIAA All-State Teams for Boys and Girls late last week, the 2011-12 basketball season has come to close. But before we officially slam the book on another exciting season of hoop, and move on to spring sports, I wanted to get out a few thoughts on the landscape for next season.

To whet your appetite for the 2012-13 season, here are my early projections on the state's must-see teams to watch:

BOYS

Central Catholic - Plenty of talent returning with this squad, which captured the No. 1 overall spot in Division 1 North despite missing Luis Puello (ankle) for most of the season. ESPN Boston All-State guard Tyler Nelson returns as one of the state’s top shooters, but the Raiders also return all three of their regular bigs in Joel Berroa, Doug Gemmell and Nick Cambio.

New Mission – Apparently it’s never too early for bulletin board fodder, because head coach Cory McCarthy is already making some barnstorming rounds, telling ESPNBoston.com this afternoon that if the Titans don’t win the Division 2 state title next year, “I should be fired.” Bold, yes, but it’s hard not to like a lineup of Isshiah Coleman, Nate Anderson, Greg Bridges, Damion Smith and Shaquan Murray. There is some promising talent in those ranks.

Mansfield – Folks are talking about the Hornets being one of the South region’s top teams in two years’ time, between promising freshman Brendan Hill and sophomore Michael Hershman. I’m of the camp that believes with those two versatile parts, paired with a terrific coach in Mike Vaughan, the future is now.

Taunton – Shaquille O’Neal Davis. That’s legitimately his full name, and one you certainly will not forget by this time next year, for reasons that have nothing to do with The Big Aristotle.

West Springfield – Terriers return virtually everyone, including Chris Lipscomb, Paul Bessette, Andy McNulty, Dewey King, and leading scorer Riyadh Asad. West Side is the early favorite next year in Division 1 West.

St. John’s (Shrewsbury) – Junior transfer Tarik Octave was one of the nice surprises of the playoffs, and freshman Davon Jones has shades of former Pioneers great David White all over him (Doesn’t hurt that Jones was also the Pioneers’ starter at safety last fall, too). A boat load of underclassmen return, including Ken Harrington and T.J. Kelley, which should more than make up for the graduation of Matt Palecki.

Danvers – Falcons graduate 6-foot-7 center George Merry, an ESPN Boston All-State selection, but return some terrific guards. Nick McKenna, Nick Bates, Eric Martin and Dan Connors can all shoot the ball, and are perfectly-suited for John Walsh’s four-out offensive system. My early pick to repeat at D3 champs.

BC High – Eagles return what ought to be one of the state’s best backcourts in point guard Charles Collins and ESPN Boston All-State swingman Jameilen Jones. Throw into the mix one of the region’s best basketball minds in Bill Loughnane (he of four state titles) and it’s hard to think of the Eagles as anything but a favorite in the South.

Springfield Central – A plethora of talent graduates, including Chris Prophet, Lee Turner, Jevaughn McMilian, and ESPN Boston Super Teamer Tyrell Springer. But All-State forward Kamari Robinson should have another terrific season, and the way Cornelius Tyson exploded onto the scene in the Division 1 state final makes us all wonder if he’s about to realize the potential that many in the Springfield area have been talking about for so long.

Stoughton – Super Teamer Aaron Calixte and Defensive Player of the Year Marcus Middleton formed the state’s best backcourt in 2011-12. If all goes as planned, they’ll be well-equipped to defend that notion next season.

Wareham – Vikings might not endure an unbeaten regular season again next year. But another year of All-State point guard Darien Fernandez means they’re not going anywhere.

GIRLS

Braintree – Wamps started three freshmen this year: Ashley Russell, Bridget Herlihy, and 6-foot-1 center Molly Reagan. Expect them in conversation for state title contention from now until their time runs out in 2015.

Archbishop Williams – Ditto the Bishops, who have two 6-foot freshmen to look forward to the next three seasons. Add in sophomores Olivia Conrad and Leah Spencer, and their fiery mouthpiece Sara Ryan, and this could be another top-five team come December 2012.

Reading – The Rockets made a flawless run through the Division 2 gauntlet, winning their first Division 2 state title in school history as one of two final unbeaten squads in Massachusetts. Two-time Middlesex MVP and ESPN Boston All-State Olivia Healy returns, as does guard Morgan O’Brien.

Andover – Golden Warriors are expected to come down to Earth with the graduation of two-time ESPN Boston Miss Basketball, Nicole Boudreau, and UConn lacrosse commit Ally Fazio. What might be overlooked amidst Andover’s unprecedented run to a third straight state title is that there were plenty of terrific complimentary backcourt pieces in the underclass.

Central Catholic – Raiders treaded water after some injuries early on. But once junior forward Casey McLaughlin was back to full strength, they made a run all the way to the Division 1 North semifinals. Have to imagine they’ll be in conversation again next year.

THE SUPER TEAM

Guard – Aaron Calixte, Jr., Stoughton
An exceptional athlete gifted with a tenacious motor, and one of the state's most dynamic scorers, the 5-foot-11 Calixte was the driving force behind the Black Knight's run to the Division 2 Eastern Mass. final, and asserted himself as the state's premier point guard. For his junior season, he averaged 19 points and six assists, and was named a Hockomock League All-Star. Calixte also stands out on the gridiron for the Black Knights' football squad.

Guard – Tyrese Hoxter, Jr., Charlestown
After playing in the shadows of former All-Stater Akosa Maduegbunam a year ago, the 6-foot-3 Hoxter thoroughly burst onto the scene and had a monster campaign for the Townies, leading them to the TD Garden floor for the first time since 2005 before bowing out to Brockton in the Division 1 Eastern Mass. Final. This season he averaged 19 points, eight rebounds, three assists and two steals.

Guard – Tyrell Springer, Sr., Springfield Central
After falling short of a state title two seasons ago with New Leadership, the 6-foot-2 Springer led Central to the DCU Center floor this season where the Golden Eagles captured their first Division 1 state title since 1991. The centerpiece of one of the state's most athletic lineups, Springer averaged 15.3 points, 7.5 rebounds, seven assists and 7.3 steals. He is undecided on college plans.

Forward – Jake Layman, Sr., King Philip
The 6-foot-8 Layman was one of the most dominant players in Massachusetts this season, with the ability to score both inside and out, as the Warriors set a school single-season record for wins (18) before suffering a surprise upset in the Division 2 South quarterfinals. In 21 games, he averaged 26.5 points, 16 rebounds, 5.8 blocks, 3.2 assists and three steals. He closes his career with with 1,752 points, 1,098 rebounds and 391 blocks, giving him career averages of 20.6 points, 12.9 rebounds, 4.6 blocks, 2.8 steals and 2.6 assists. This is his second appearance on the Super Team; he also captured the Hockomock League's MVP for the second straight season. Layman, who was named ESPN Boston's "Mr. Basketball" earlier this week, is ranked the nation's No. 62 overall senior by ESPN, and will continue his career next season at the University of Maryland.

Center – Sayvonn Houston, Sr., Brockton
A nightly double-double machine, Houston established himself as one of the state's most dominant true centers, making life difficult down low as the Boxers went 23-3 and made their first Division 1 state final appearance since 1985. He saved his biggest performances for the biggest stages, such as his 20-20 night in the Division 1 South semifinals, or his 22-point, 13-rebound effort in Brockton's overtime win over Charlestown in the Division 1 Eastern Mass. Final at TD Garden. Houston is undecided on college plans.

BEST OF THE REST

Jalen Adams, Soph. G, Melrose
Quickly rising as one of the Bay State's most complete scoring guards, the 6-foot-1 Adams took home Middlesex League MVP honors after averaging 21 points per game. He led the Red Raiders to an 18-2 regular season record, before they fell to state runner-up Brighton in the Division 2 North semifinals. Adams has already declared that he will be transferring to Wilbraham & Monson Academy next season, where he will reclassify to the Class of 2015.

Jaylen Blakely, Jr. G, Brockton
Like Houston, the 5-foot-11 Blakely saved some of his best performances for the crunch time in the playoffs, such as his eight-assist performance in the Boxers' win over Catholic Memorial. Blakely distributed evenly to Brockton's talented shooters and post players, as they went 23-3 and reached their first state final appearance since 1985.

Matt Droney, Sr. F, Catholic Memorial
A terrific shooter, the 6-foot-4 Droney was named the Catholic Conference's MVP after a season of averaging 20.7 points, six assists and five rebounds per game. He also became the eighth player in school history to surpass 1,000 points earlier this season. The Canton resident will be doing a post-graduate season next year at the Taft School in Connecticut.

Darien Fernandez, Jr. G, Wareham
The 5-foot-7 waterbug demonstrated a tenacious motor in leading the Vikings to their second Division 3 Eastern Mass. Final appearance in three seasons. Wareham was the state's last unbeaten before losing to state champion Danvers. For the season, Fernandez averaged 24 points, 10 assists, eight rebounds and five steals, and recorded three triple-doubles. He needs just 45 points next season to reach 1,000 for his career.

Rony Fernandez, Sr. G, Charlestown
Fernandez was one of the most outstanding point guards of the MIAA tournament, leading the Townies to a thrilling win over Lexington in the Division 1 North final before bowing out to state runner-up Brockton in the Eastern Mass. Finals. For the season he averaged 16 points and seven assists. He is undecided on college plans, but is currently fielding interest from Division 1 programs such as Maine, Northeastern and Hartford.

Joey Glynn, Sr. F, Cardinal Spellman
The 6-foot-5 Abington resident did it all this season for the Cardinals, averaging a double-double (18.5 points, 12 rebounds, three steals, 2.2 blocks) as they lost to Eastern Mass. runner-up Wareham in the Division 3 South semifinals. For his career, Glynn scored 1,425 points. He will continue his career next season at Bentley University.

Steve Haladyna, Sr. G/F, St. John’s Prep
One of two repeat All-Staters, the 6-foot-3 Haladyna was unable to lead the Eagles deep in their Division 1 state title defense, but he still leaves the Danvers campus as one of its most decorated basketball stars. He averaged 22.4 points and 9.5 rebounds per game, both team highs, and for his career he finishes with 1,392 points -- second all-time on Prep's scoring list. The South Hamilton resident will continue his career next season at Tufts University.

Malik James, Soph. G, Brighton
The 6-foot-1 James elevated his game when the Bengals needed it most, as they made their first state final appearance in school history, falling to Mahar in the Division 2 title game. For the season, James averaged 18.1 points, 8.2 assists and 4.2 rebounds as the Bengals won their first-ever Eastern Mass. title.

Jameilen Jones, Jr. G, BC High
BC High's season came to an unexpected halt as the Eagles loss in the first round of the Division 1 South tournament, but the 6-foot-2 Jones has established himself as one of Eastern Mass.'s premier two-way players. For the season, he averaged 17 points and eight rebounds as the Eagles went 15-6.

Zach Karalis, Sr. G, North Andover
The 6-foot-1 Karalis was one of the driving forces for the Scarlet Knights, who went 21-2 and reached the playoffs an unprecedented 47th straight time. For the season he averaged 15.9 points and shot 46 percent from the field, to go along with 6.5 rebounds, 4.7 assists and 1.8 steals. Karalis will continue his career next season at Worcester Polytechnic Institute.

Kevin LaFrancis, Sr. C, Acton-Boxborough
After a stellar season in leading the 21-2 Colonials to a Division 1 North semifinal appearance, the 6-foot-6 LaFrancis was named the Dual County League's MVP. He averaged 19.5 points and eight rebounds this season, and finishes his career at A-B with 1,012 career points. He is undecided on college plans.

Alex Lopez, Sr. G, Springfield Commerce
The 5-foot-10 Lopez led the Valley League in scoring for the second straight season, averaging 22.3 points as the Red Raiders went to the Division 1 Western Mass. Finals and took state champion Springfield Central to the wire. He led Western Mass. in field goals made (185) and total points (512). Lopez is currently undecided on college plans.

Damian Lugay, Sr. G, Weymouth
The 6-foot-2 Lugay led the Wildcats to a second straight 17-win season, before they were bounced in the first round of the Division 1 South tournament. For the season he averaged 18.1 points and just under four assists, and leaves Weymouth as a two-time First Team All-Bay State Conference. Lugay is undecided on college plans.

George Merry, Sr. C, Danvers
At 6-foot-7, Merry was a force at both ends of the floor for the Falcons, known for his ability to redirect shots as much as his scoring touch. He averaged 16.1 points, eight rebounds and 6.6 blocks as Danvers captured its first Division 3 state championship in school history. Merry is currently undecided on college plans, but showing interest from several schools in Divisions 2 and 3.

Marcus Middleton, Jr. G, Stoughton
Tasked nightly with locking down the opposition's top scorer, Middleton established himself as one of the state's premier on-ball defenders. Middleton averaged 16 points per game for the Black Knights, who won the Division 2 South title before bowing out to state runner-up Brighton in the Eastern Mass. championship at TD Garden. Middleton also stars on Stoughton's football squad.

Matt Mobley, Sr. G/F, St. Peter-Marian
One of state's most pleasant late-blooming surprises, the 6-foot-3 Mobley was one of the leading scorers in Central Mass. as the Guardians made it all the way to the Division 1 Central Final. For the season, he averaged 23.2 points in leading SPM to its most successful season under head coach Marcus Watson. Mobley finished his career at SPM with 1,175 points, and will do a post-graduate season next year at Worcester Academy.

Tyler Nelson, Soph. G, Central Catholic
The 5-foot-11 Nelson established himself as one of the state's premier shooters, as the Raiders made it to the Division 1 North semifinals before bowing out to champion Charlestown. He averaged 15.5 points and four assists this season, shot 42 percent from three-point range, and 91 percent from the free throw line.

Colin Richey, Jr. G, Whitinsville Christian
After winning a Division 3 state title a year ago, the 6-foot Richey nearly led them back, as the Crusaders lost in the final seconds to state runner-up St. Joseph Central in the state semifinals. For the seaosn, Richey averaged 16.8 points, 6.7 assist and 6.3 rebounds for the Dual Valley League champions.

Kamari Robinson, Jr. F, Springfield Central
The 6-foot-5 Robinson was a rock underneath for the Golden Eagles, who captured their first Division 1 state title since 1991 and third overall. He was a nightly double-double threat this season, averaging 13 points, 11 rebounds, four steals and three assists, as Central went undefeated in Massachusetts.

Michael Thorpe, Sr. G, Newton North
The Tigers went run-and-gun this season, and the 5-foot-11 Thorpe kept them thoroughly going. One year after reaching the Division 1 South finals, he nearly led them back, before losing to state runner-up Brockton in the semifinals. He was named the Bay State Conference's MVP, with averages of 15 points and four assists. Thorpe will continue his career next season at Emerson College.

DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR
MARCUS MIDDLETON, STOUGHTON
The kind of on-ball pressure Middleton provided nightly to some of the state's premier scorers can take its toll physically, but he was routinely up to the task. As teammate Aaron Calixte saw a barrage of double-teams and box-and-one's, Middleton did his part at the other end, hedging off screens and staying one one's hip, chasing them all over the floor. As much praise as Calixte will get in this unprecedented season for the Knights, an equal amount must be thrown Middleton's way.

ALL-DEFENSIVE TEAM
G – Marcus Middleton, Jr., Stoughton
G – Anthony Hodges, Sr., Holy Name
G – Darien Fernandez, Jr., Wareham
F – Jake Layman, Sr., King Philip
C – George Merry, Sr., Danvers

COACH OF THE YEAR
HUGH COLEMAN, BRIGHTON
The Bengals lost their best player before the start of the tournament, and backpedaled into the playoffs with uninspiring losses to Acton-Boxborough and Madison Park. Yet in the end, they were one step away from the school's first-ever state title. Coleman is an unabashed disciple of the legendary Jack O'Brien, and staples of those historic Charlestown squads are sprinkled all over the program. Not only has Coleman done a remarkable job bringing the team to heights never before reached in his three seasons at the helm, but this is a program that will be dangerous for the next few years.

RUNNERS-UP:
Paul Connolly, Newton North
Dean O'Connor, Franklin

FINALISTS:
Kevin Brogioli, Wareham
John Gallivan, Stoughton
Reggie Hobbs, Lexington
Malcolm Smith, East Boston
Chad Softic, Mahar
John Walsh, Danvers
Dennis Wilson, Madison Park

Division 1 state champion Springfield Central remains the No. 1 team in our final MIAA Top 25 poll of the 2011-12 season, which we updated this afternoon, but there is plenty of movement elsewhere.

Divsion 1 runner-up Brockton and Division 1 Eastern Mass. runner-up Charlestown move up to the second and third spots, respectively, while St. John's (Shrewsbury) and Central Catholic round out the top five.

Danvers makes the biggest jump up in the poll, coming in at No. 6 after capturing the Division 3 state title. The biggest plummet is North Andover, which falls to No. 21 after getting upset in the Division 2 North semifinals.

Elsewhere, Mahar enters the poll for the first time in its history, at No. 12, after capturing the Division 2 state championship in a surprise upset of Brighton. Springfield Commerce (14), St. Peter-Marian (17), Lexington (18), St. Mary's of Lynn (23) and Whitinsville Christian (25) all make returns to the poll, while Wakefield (19) and St. Joseph Central (24) make their debuts.

We thank you for following along with us throughout the high school basketball season. And as always, any questions or comments can be left in the comments section below, or by emailing Brendan Hall at bhall@espnboston.com

All eyes will be on the TD Garden Sunday as championships will be decided in six divisions of MIAA hockey title games.

We'll have you covered all day long, but until then, we provide to you a breakdown of each of the game and our prediction:

GIRLS’ FINALS Division 2
No. 1 Duxbury (21-0-1) vs. No. 7 Falmouth (16-4-1), 11 a.m., TD Garden
The Breakdown: If the Dragons win this game, they make a strong argument that they were the strongest girls’ hockey team in the state, regardless of division, with the potential for an undefeated season. As any strong hockey squad goes, the Dragons are built from goal out with sophomore goaltender Rachel Myette (0.91 GAA) looks for her second state title in as many seasons as starter. Duxbury’s blue line corps is regarded as the deepest in the state, led by ESPN Boston Ms. Hockey contender Martha Findley (4-19-23). Of course, Duxbury has plenty of offensive firepower to go along with their strong defensive play with junior forwards Hannah Murphy (18-27-45) and Lily Connolly (18-20-38) as leading scorers. Falmouth has been one of the stories of the tournament, making a run behind first-year head coach Erin Blood. The Clippers have also received strong play from a young goaltender in freshman Maddie Scavotto (1.26 GAA). Falmouth is also deep and experienced on the blue line with senior captain Brenna Callahan and junior Alexx Good. The Clippers have received scoring punch from a pair of freshman forwards in Kelly Ferreira (13-9-22) and Madison Haberl (11-12-23).

The Pick: The defending Division 2 champion Dragons spent half the season as the No. 1 team in our poll. We’re not about to go against them now. Duxbury, 4-1.

Division 1 No. 3 St. Mary’s (Lynn) (21-3-1) vs. No. 4 Arlington Catholic (20-3-1), 9 a.m.
The Breakdown: If two regular season meetings between these Central Catholic powers weren’t enough, we get a rubber match for all the marbles on Sunday. The Lady Spartans came away with two wins in the teams’ regular season series, including a defining 5-2 decision by St. Mary’s on Feb. 1 after they’d been upset by crosstown rival Winthrop/Lynn. Can’t underscore the coaching in this game enough, as Frank Pagliuca has turned in perhaps his finest performance behind the bench and Maggie Taverna has vaulted the Cougars back onto the state’s biggest stage in Year One. Taverna has been helped by one of the state’s most dynamic scorers in senior Natalie Flynn (19-15-34). Adrieana Rossini (8-14-22) has also come up with some huge postseason goals. On the blue line, AC has one of the state’s best in senior Rebecca Zappala. First-year transfers Kaleigh Finigan (30-goal season) and Brittani Lanzilli (25-28-53) have not disappointed while Alison Butler (team-leading 61 points) has taken a huge step forward. The Spartans blue line is airtight with preseason All-Stater Rachel Donahoe leading the group. Lauren Skinnion (7 SO) has been strong as a first-year starter in nets.

The Pick: Third time’s a charm? Not so. Spartans are too strong. St. Mary’s, 4-2.

BOYS’ FINALS Division 3
Medway (19-6-1) vs. Hudson (21-1-1), 1:30 p.m.
The Breakdown: This marks the return of one of the state’s great public hockey programs to its biggest stage in Hudson (seriously, look it up), with the Hawks making their first state finals appearance since 1978, when they took the Div. 1 title from Burlington. The Central sectional champions are strong up front with a trio of 30-point scorers in seniors Tyler Kirby, Tim Murphy and Blake Seymour. The Mustangs are paced by one of the state’s top snipers in Jake O’Rourke (43-13-56). This matchup will also feature two of most dominant D3 goalies in the state with Hudson junior Shane Barry and Medway junior Mike Narducci facing off with sub-2.00 goals against averages.

The Pick: We’re going with the storyline and perhaps the most consistent D3 team throughout the season. Hudson, 3-2.

Division 2 Wilmington (15-4-5) vs. No. 1 Franklin (19-2-3), 3:30 p.m.
The Breakdown: This might be the most intriguing matchup of the day. Both of these teams were among four Division 2 teams on the Mass. Hockey Coaches Association’s initial Super 8 Watch list a month ago and haven’t disappointed in the tournament. Franklin was here a year ago, when they had their hearts broken by Tewksbury in an overtime stunner. Many observers, including us, had last season pegged as the Panthers’ opportunity to break a nearly three-decade long drought, but Chris Spillane has showed why he’s one of the state’s premier coaches. It also hasn’t hurt that Franklin has received tremendous senior seasons from Adam Hall (17-25-42) and Nick Bertoni (25-15-40). Sophomore netminder Mike Donadio (1.64 GAA) has been a revelation. The Wildcats offense has taken off since Cam Owens’ (14-19-33) return to the lineup, while senior captain Dalton Rolli (9-16-25) is an underrated two-way presence. Junior forward Jake Rogers (12-6-20) has come up with some timely goals in the postseason. Sophomore netminder Drew Foley (1.69 GAA) has played his best when it’s counted most, carrying a three-plus game shutout streak into the Wildcats’ North sectional final with Winthrop.

The Pick: The last time the Panthers hoisted the trophy Coach Spillane skated. Unfortunately for the hockey hotbed, this isn’t the year either. Wilmington, 2-1 (OT).



Division 1 Burlington (17-2-6) vs. Milton (19-3-3), 8:15 p.m.
The Breakdown: The Red Devils pulled off a tough feat, bouncing back from a Super 8 play-in game loss (and a very competitive one at that) to pull themselves into the D1 championship. The Middlesex League champions have plenty of speed to burn, and senior assistant captain Trevor Cimino (17-22-39) is about as good a two-way forward as you’ll find. Along with Joe Berardi (22-13-35), Brett Romkey (17-3-20) and C.J. Grinnell (6-14-20), Burlington can score in piles. We’ve also come away impressed by their defensive corps led by Steve Mattos, in addition to Cody Crocker, Adam Crowley and Brien Diffley. The Wildcats ran the Bay State League gauntlet in the South sectional tournament to get to the Garden. Paul Curran (26-33-59) is one of the best pure scorers in the state, and along with top-liners Brian Higgins (23-29-52) and Terrance Walsh (16-33-49), Milton provides matchup problems. Blue-liner John Murtagh is a rock, logging boatloads of ice time, and senior netminder Jay Hankard is peaking at the right time

The Pick: Red Devils are simply too potent, but they’re the pick mostly because of the way they’re playing defensively right now in front of Derek DeCastro. Burlington, 6-3.

Division 1A No. 5 BC High (13-6-5) vs. No. 1 Malden Catholic (19-1-4), 6 p.m.
The Breakdown: After beating another Catholic Conference rival, St. John’s Prep, to advance to the final, Eagles head coach John Flaherty said he’s had a special feeling about this group. That feeling might have developed after BC High skated to a 2-2 tie with MC on Jan. 25, a game in which the Eagles in some regards out-played the Lancers. This will be the fourth meeting between these teams, with MC taking two wins, including a 3-1 win in the Super 8’s round robin last week. The crucible for BC High is which of their defensive units shows up: The out-of-sorts group that surrendered a 7-spot earlier this season to MC, or the cohesive group that bounced Prep and its top line? Of course, that all starts with junior goaltender Peter Cronin (2.00 GAA), who has turned in another solid tournament. Brian Furey leads a much improved blue-line group. The Eagles are also disciplined in their own zone, with Matt Sullivan (12-16-28) providing as much defensively as he does offensively. Everyone knows of the Lancers top line of Brendan Collier, Ryan Fitzgerald and Mike Iovanna, but freshman center Ara Nazarian has been the breakout star of the tournament, filling the scoresheet in every game and tallying five goals. It’s not just offense with MC, however, as you’d be hard pressed to find a deeper, more dynamic top three than Casey Fitzgerald, Colin MacGillivray and Brendan White. If netminder Connor Maloney plays as he did against Central Catholic in the crossover round, that’s game, set, and match.

The Pick: Doin’ it for CS5. MC, 5-3.

NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. -- The Super 8 final is set with BC High and Malden Catholic taking wins in Wednesday night's crossover round games at Merrimack College's Lawler Arena.

With that, ESPN Boston High Schools editor Scott Barboza breaks down three points of emphasis from each of the crossover round games, while highlighting what both the Eagles and Lancers must do to skate away with the championship trophy Sunday at the TD Garden:

NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. -- Correspondent James Walsh files these highlights from Malden Catholic's 4-0 win over Central Catholic in the crossover round of the Super 8 Wednesday at Merrimack College's Lawler Arena.

The Lancers advance to face BC High in the Super 8 championship game Sunday (6 p.m.) at TD Garden:

NORTH ANDOVER – Local hockey fans who hadn't heard of Malden Catholic forward Ara Nazarian before this year's Super 8 tournament have probably heard of him now.

Nazarian, a freshman, collected a goal – his fifth in four Super 8 games – to help the top-seeded Lancers defeat seventh-seeded Central Catholic 4-0 Wednesday in the Super 8 semifinals.

“He tends to figure out the game at each level as he moves up,” Malden Catholic head coach John McLean said. “He's got a pretty good hockey IQ and when he gets a chance he's gonna put it in the net.

“I know what he can do because I've coached him since he was a Mite. He scored in some big games [during the regular season] and he's scored some big ones here. He's a big-time player.”

Malden Catholic, last year's Super 8 champion, also received goals from sophomore defenseman Nick Rolli, senior forward Brendan Collier and junior forward Ryan Fitzgerald.

The victory earned the Lancers a spot in the Super 8 championship game, where they will face BC High on Sunday (6 p.m.) at TD Banknorth Garden. BC High moved on with a 3-2 triumph over St. John's Prep in Wednesday's other semifinal.

“I've had them [BC High] marked from Day 1 as the team that would be there,” McLean said. “Just nonstop. Great coach, great kids and it's gonna be a great game.”

Central Catholic made the program's deepest run in the Super 8 tournament.

“The kids fought all the way to the end,” Central Catholic head coach Mike Jankowski said. “We wanted to be a little more conservative in our own zone. Give up a little bit. Be patient. The kids stayed with it. They did a great job.”

SHOOTING BLANKS
Although Malden Catholic collected both goals scored in the second period, the best chances in the period belonged to the Raiders.

Malden Catholic goaltender Connor Maloney stopped Central Catholic's Corey Webber on a penalty shot with 4:15 left in the period, and then Maloney stopped Michael Hovnanian's breakaway attempt with 3:36 remaining in the period.

“You gotta put those away when you're in trouble,” Jankowksi said. “When you don't finish them the sticks start to get a little heavier.”

“[Maloney] made a few more big saves besides those two,” McLean added. “He kept us in it. This is two games in a row where our offense gets going and we forget we have to play defense. The kids get excited when they score the goals and hear the fans, but defense wins hockey games.

“Maloney had a great game tonight. He was our player of the game.”

OLD FRIENDS MEET AGAIN
Sunday's game will be the fourth time Malden Catholic and BC High have faced each other this season. Malden Catholic posted a 7-4 victory during the regular season, and a 3-1 victory earlier in the Super 8 tournament. The teams also skated to a 2-2 tie during the regular season.

“I'm looking forward to it,” McLean said. “We always have good games with them. It's gonna come down to who going to eat the puck, block a shot. Who's gonna want to get in front and get dirty. I think it's gonna come down to heart. I think it's gonna be a great game for the fans.”

After wrapping up Sunday's action at Merrimack College, ESPN Boston High Schools editor Scott Barboza and correspondent Bruce Lerch looked ahead to Wednesday night's crossover round action at Lawler Arena.

Here are the game times:

-- BC High-St. John's Prep, 5:30 p.m. ET
-- Malden Catholic-Central Catholic, 8 p.m. ET

NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. -- Correspondent James Walsh compiled this highlight package from Central Catholic's 5-4 overtime win over Springfield Cathedral Sunday at Merrimack College's Lawler Arena:

NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. -- The strangest thing about Central Catholic's 5-4 triumph over Springfield Cathedral in Sunday night's Super 8 tournament? The fact that Central Catholic needed Springfield Cathedral's help to pull out the victory.

Since Springfield Cathedral needed to win the contest by at least two goals to have any chance of advancing, the Panthers pulled goaltender John Liquori late in the contest even though they were leading by a goal.

Central Catholic's Mikel Kelleher took advantage by scoring into an empty net with 12.3 seconds left, then the Raiders received the game-winning goal from Jake Donahue with 7:50 left in overtime.

With St. Mary's loss to St. John's Prep, the Raiders advanced to the Super 8's crossover round.

“The format is the format, but needing to win by two is definitely a different way to approach the game,” Springfield Cathedral head coach Brian Foley said. “Winning by one wouldn't have done much for us. We weren't here to just win a game. We were here to advance to Wednesday. It's about competing at the highest level and that's what we were trying to teach the kids.”

Central Catholic, which trailed 3-0 after one period, raised its tournament record to 2-1 and put itself in good position to move on to Wednesday's crossover round. Ryan Daigle, Christian Thompson and Nick Gorski also scored for the Raiders, who replaced goaltender Kyle Williams with Andrew Robbins at the start of the second period.

“Spotting them three goals early wasn't what we planned at all, but [we showed] a lot of character,” Central Catholic head coach Mike Jankowski said. “Robbins sealed the deal for us.

“You have to think a little outside the box, make sure your strategy is correct and if you want to advance in this tournament you have to make sure you do the right things.”

Goals by D.J. Petruzzelli, Jordan Kozub and Frank Crinella handed Cathedral a 3-0 lead after one period. Central Catholic tied it on Gorski's goal 3:16 into the third, but Springfield Cathedral regained the lead when Crinella scored a short-handed goal at 7:38 of the third.

Cathedral, which finished 0-3 in pool play, had to win by more than one goal and then needed things to break right in Sunday's late game between St. John's Prep and St. Mary's to extend its season.

“Maybe some people would have felt better about finishing 1-2 instead of 0-3, but we weren't here for any moral victories,” Foley said. “We wanted to play Wednesday.”

TOUGH CALL
Jankowski said he made the decision to pull Williams with about two minutes left in the opening period, when Cathedral scored on three of its first seven shots.

“It was very hard,” Jankowski said. “Last year he was the one who got us here. He kept us in every game and he's been our goalie all year.

“Robbins is a great goalie, a great kid. He works tremendously hard in practice. He comes to practice and prepares himself like he's playing every day. It was nice for him to get that time. He shut the door for us and came up big.”

POOL HOPPING
Malden Catholic (3-0) and B.C. High (2-1) advanced from Pool 1 and will return to action Wednesday night, when the two crossover games are held at Merrimack College.

Malden Catholic will play Central Catholic in one crossover game, and B.C. High will play St. John's Prep in the other crossover contest.

READING, Mass. -- With less than one minute to go in Charlestown’s Division 1 North tournament quarterfinal game against Central Catholic Thursday, Tyrese Hoxter stepped to the free throw line.

Charlestown was ahead by four points, so if he made both, Hoxter (12 points) could have forced Central to shoot desperation three’s as their only way to get back in the game.

He made the first. If he missed the second, Central could still race down and get a quick basket and make it a one-possession game. His second shot hit the rim and bounced away, keeping Central’s hope temporarily alive.

However, Charlestown’s Tyrik Jackson (10 points, 11 rebounds) came away with the offensive board and passed it out to teammate Rony Fernandez on the perimeter. Central was forced to foul Fernandez, allowing Charlestown (19-4) to hold on for a 54-47 victory.

“I feel like we’re playing great basketball right now,” said Charlestown coach Edson Cardoso. “After the Comcast Tournament (win in February), we just went on a personal vendetta and said, ‘You know what? Every team we play, we’re going to leave it on the court, and that’s what they did tonight.”

Central (22-2) would not go away quietly though. On its next possession, Tyler Nelson (12 points) got a look at a three-pointer, but it missed. His teammate Shawn McCoy got the rebound and tried for the put-back, but that too was off the mark. Finally, it was up to Nick Cambio (10 points, 10 rebounds, 3 blocks) to grab the offensive rebound, but his shot from the baseline missed too.

Taris Wilson came down with the rebound, and he was quickly fouled. As Wilson got to the free throw line, the Central fans began to file out of the gymnasium in mass.

They knew, as the seconds ticked away, that it was not their team’s night. Charlestown will be the team fighting for the Division 1 North title Saturday at the Tsongas Center, not Central Catholic.

“It feels like this team beats us every year, so it feels good to get one on them,” said Fernandez (12 points).

Open And Shut: Over a three-minute span in the middle of the fourth quarter, Charlestown went on a 12-0 run to take back the momentum that seemed to be building in Central’s favor up to that point.

After being down as much as seven in the third quarter, Central came back to take the lead late in the quarter, and maintained it by a slim margin early in the fourth. Charlestown showed its resiliency, taking the lead and then some.

In one sequence during that stretch, Central had to call a timeout because Charlestown scored a basket, then got a steal on the next Central possession, allowing Hoxter to throw down an uncontested dunk. The Townies' faithful erupted in excitement, and Central coach Rick Nault called a timeout before things could get out of hand.

“I wanted to excite the crowd and just give my team a boost because the game was just a seesaw battle, going up and going down,” said Hoxter.

Cardoso will take any momentum in the state tournament, no matter how his team can get it.

“I thought once Hoxter got on that breakaway, throws it down, we get more energy,” he said. “Whatever it takes to motivate these guys. These guys are teenagers, so whatever it takes to motivate them, we’ve got to do it.”

Nullifying Nelson: A large part of the Charlestown defensive gameplan focused on Tyler Nelson. The team was very aware of what the sophomore guard could do when he is given open space to drive or shoot the basketball.

“We wanted to take out (Nelson),” said Fernandez. “We know he’s their shooter, so we had eyes on him and followed him everywhere. We knew he could shoot so we wanted to stop him.”

“I thought with Nelson, every time he caught the ball, get a hand up,” said Cardoso. “When he comes off screens, stay on his hip. We scouted Central and had so many notes on them and saw how many plays they run for him, so I thought we needed to have eyes on him, and I thought Tyrese did a good job on him.”

Few And Proud: As teams get deeper and deeper in the playoffs, it is often the teams with the most depth that advance on. When relying on any one player to carry a team, it can become easy to defend.

That is not the case with Charlestown. It does not rely on any one player to shoulder the load, but instead can depend on multiple players to contribute effectively.

Thursday, six players scored, with four reaching double-digits. That balance will be trouble for the remaining teams in the Division 1 tournament.

“We knew this was going to be a low-scoring game, we didn’t expect to score 85 points against a team like Central,” said Cardoso. “No way are you going to score 85 against a great defensive team like that. We thought that maybe if we moved the ball and some guys got eight, some guys got nine, and we started chipping away, that maybe we’d have a chance to win this game. We didn’t think anybody was going to have a standout, 25 to 30 point game.”