ESPN

BOSTON -- One team's savior proved to be the other team's fatal heartbreaker.

Both No. 5 Central Catholic and No. 8 Catholic Memorial had a lot on the line when the two teams hooked for a Monday matinee at Walter Brown Arena. The Raiders were looking to get back on track after a 3-0 loss to Andover on Saturday, hoping to keep themselves in the hunt for a Super 8 invitation while getting the on-ice product back in shape with things still undecided atop the MVC/DCL Div. 1 standings.

For Catholic Memorial, the math was simple - win your last two games, or miss the postseason for a second consecutive year.

Central goaltender Kyle Williams shined on this day, stopping 30 shots and weathering a third-period penalty shot attempt by CM's Liam Coughlin to help the Raiders hold on for a 1-1 tie.

"They took it to us in spurts, we were able to sustain and Kyle's back," Central head coach Mike Jankowski said. "We had some inconsistencies all year, we fought through things all year. Even the first goal tonight, that's something [Kyle] always gets. For him, the back half of that, he closes the door. If he plays like that and has our back like that, good things are going to happen for us."

The Raiders kept in mind last year's loss to the Knights and made adjustments that helped Williams a great deal, most importantly coming from a defense that worked tirelessly to at least keep the shooting lanes clear so the senior could get good looks on what was coming at him.

Midway through the third period, Williams made the save of the day, getting his blocker up in time to deflect a shot from CM's Kevin Bletzer. Minutes later, he made another stop of a hard wrist shot by Jared Beckwith and got a piece of a tip in front by Thomas Stanton.

The netminder's most important play however, was one that didn't hit the stat sheet as a save. The Knights were awarded a penalty shot with 3:46 remaining in the game, and CM coach Bill Hanson sent out talented forward Liam Coughlin. The junior walked in on Williams, then made a late shift to his backhand. Rather than sit back in shock, Williams simply followed his man and slid over to the far post, forcing Coughlin to take the puck lower then he likely intended and his shot ended up in the side of the Raiders net.

"No pressure, I just went and tried stopping it. I got lucky he missed the net," Williams explained with a touch of modesty.

Then, when asked if he was surprised by Coughlin's move, Williams responded, "Yeah, I guess. He could do anything. I'm just there to stop it."

Clearly the game did not come down to that one play, although it was certainly a highlight moment. Before a question could be asked about the penalty shot, Hanson quickly spoke up for his player:

"I know the question is going to be asked about the penalty shot...is he the guy you want having it? Yeah, he is. There is no one who feels worse about what he's going through right now than I do or his teammates do. It's a tough way to lose."

Mike Kelleher opened the scoring for Central Catholic, banging home a rebound at 13:38 of the opening frame, with assists going to Steven Merrick and Lloyd Hayes. Catholic Memorial tied it in the second as the Knights forced a miscue in their own end and Aaron Marcel went most of the way down the ice for a wrister at 5:38.

TWO STRAIGHT YEARS, NO POSTSEASON FOR CM
Similar to last season, the Knights found themselves entering the final week of the regular season needing points just reach the 20 needed to become eligible for postseason play. This year, they needed to beat Central, and follow that up by knocking off an excellent Fairfield Prep team from Connecticut. The tie left them short of their goal.

Were it not for the stellar outing by Williams, the Knights might have scored four goals, maybe even more given the intensity and hunger they displayed on the ice. Take this game out of the mix and there are several others the Knights will look back on as lost opportunities for points - in particular, ties with Malden Catholic and BC High in games they were leading in the third period, and a loss to St. John's Prep with just six seconds remaining.

Ultimately, however, it was the inability to score enough goals that did them in. According to Hanson, the Knights have scored 39 goals while allowing 40 through 18 games, yet still found themselves with a chance to win two games and become tournament-eligible.

"The last four games we've only scored four goals," Hanson lamented. "That's been the story of our season. We played extremely well tonight against a very good hockey team. The system we had in there worked to a tee. You hold a team like that to one goal, and with the opportunities we had, you should win the hockey game."

LEAGUE FIRST, SUPER 8 LATER
While CM needed the win to keep its postseason hopes alive, the Raiders were in need of points as well as a return to the form that reeled off an 11-game unbeaten stretch (8-0-3) prior to Saturday's loss to Andover.

While improving its resume for Super 8 consideration is certainly in the thought process, Central is still fighting to win a league title, something that is at the forefront of the team's minds right now.

Wednesday, Central hosts an Acton-Boxborough team that hasn't lost in its last six games and has wins over Billerica, Andover and a Super 8 watch-list team in Westford Academy. The Raiders hold a one-point edge in the standings over both Andover and Westford, with the Grey Ghosts taking on Billerica on Wednesday as well.

When asked if his team was thinking about the possibilities of the Super 8 just yet, Jankowski responded, "Not even close. We're so grateful today to be able to contend and now we're really looking to Wednesday. We have to bring everything because A-B's playing so well. We're just going to try and buckle it up and get ready for Wednesday."

MALDEN, Mass. -- For the second time in as many tries, No. 6 Catholic Memorial held a late third-period lead, only to settle for a tie.

Thomas Stanton provided the Knights with a 2-1 lead with less than three minutes remaining in Wednesday night’s Catholic Conference matchup with No. 1 Malden Catholic. And, while CM netminder Shane Starrett consistently stood on his head, stopping 41 Lancer shots, MC junior winger Mike Iovanna’s deflection of a point shot resulted in a 2-2 tie.

Remaining undefeated in Catholic Conference play at 6-0-2, MC wrapped up another regular season league title.

On the other hand, for CM (6-6-2, 2-3-2), it remains a struggle for points.

“I’ve said that in the last couple of weeks we’ve needed to steal a point here and there,” Knights head coach Bill Hanson said. “And we stole a point.”

The Knights now need six points in their final five games to qualify for the state tournament.

Aside from paring a point from the state’s top team, CM might have gained more in its play.

“Tonight definitely helps our confidence,” said Stanton, a senior assistant captain. “They’re a good team. We can play with them, we proved that. I think we just need to prove it to ourselves that we can play with teams like that.”

MC (11-1-3) was off to another quick start with Ryan Fitzgerald tapping in a one-timer off of Brendan Collier’s cross-ice feed at 2:57 of the first.

Neither team was able to find the back of the net until CM caught a dose of puck luck with senior captain Liam Coughlin banking in a puck off an MC defender’s skate with under nine minutes remaining in the third.

Stanton provided what look to be the game-winner before Iovanna got a piece of Brendan White’s shot from the point with 1:43 to play.

“[Starrett] made some good saves and it was tough to get it by him,” said Collier, the Lancers’ senior captain. “They hung around, and you can’t let good teams hang around. They’re scrapping for their lives right now.”

ADJUSTING ON THE FLY
CM was successful clogging up passing lanes and sagging down low, defensively, with a boatload of blocked shots to show for it. While Starrett saw plenty of rubber tossed his way, the Knights rolled with the Lancers’ punches and turned in perhaps their best defensive effort of the season outside of their early win over St. Sebastian’s.

“I thought we adjusted very well in the third period,” Hanson said. “We said, hey, we’ve got a chance to win a hockey game here. We backed off on the forecheck, we weren’t that aggressive. We locked on their wings, locked on them in the offensive zone and the defensive zone, hoping that we’d get a turnover.”

MOMENT FOR PAUSE
Emerging unscathed from Wednesday’s game, MC earned an undefeated conference record for the second time in as many years.

It was a feat that wasn’t lost on Collier.

“It’s a great league, it’s probably the best in high school hockey,” he said. “To be undefeated, it’s just an honor. It just shows how good of a squad we have and how hard we work. Anybody can beat anybody on any given night."

BOSTON – Malden Catholic freshman Ara Nazarian has settled in nicely between Tyler Sifferlen and Brian Cameron on the No. 1 Lancers’ second line.

The center made his presence felt in a big way, midway through Saturday night’s Catholic Conference clash with No. 9 Catholic Memorial at Walter Brown Arena.

With game tied, 1-1, and five minutes remaining in the second period, Nazarian set up the go-ahead goal and then scored what would prove to be the game-winning goal all on one shift in the Lancers’ 5-2 win.

“I think it was a big momentum shift for us,” Nazarian said of the two goals, scored within 45 seconds. “They came out fast, they got the goal at the beginning of the period. That was a big shift for us.”

The only thing that could beat CM goaltender Shane Starrett in the first period was Brendan Collier’s tally at 6:13, coming on a tape-to-tape pass from Mike Iovanna with the Lancer captain streaking toward net. Starrett (33 saves) turned aside 14 shots in the first period alone.

The Knights (5-6-0, 1-3-0) carried play in the first 10 minutes of the second, out-shooting MC, 8-3.

CM found the equalizer just 24 seconds into the second with Knights captain Liam Coughlin was the beneficiary of some slick transition play from linemates Jack O’Hear and Aaron Marcel. Gaining the line with speed, O’Hear found Coughlin alone in front to bury a one-timer up high.

Then, Nazarian and his linemates took over.

First, Nazarian won a faceoff in the offensive end, beating the Knights’ centerman to the puck and then dishing it to Sifferlen camped on the off-wing post for a 2-1 lead.

“I tell my linemates that if I win it forward for them to go to the net,” Nazarian said. “And then I look for them on the backdoor.”

MC (8-1-2, 5-0-1) gained entry into the zone off the ensuing faceoff and, while cycling the puck down low, Nazarian banked in a shot from below the goal line for a 3-1 Lancer lead.

“I was trying to make a pass out front, but it went off the goalie’s pad and in,” Nazarian said.

The Lancers rode the momentum into the third period. Ryan Fitzgerald added a short-handed goal on a breakaway.

Although CM got one back on Miles McCarthy’s strike with 1:59 to play, the Lancers had the last laugh with Iovanna picking up his second point of the night with a breakaway goal with 11 seconds remaining.

PUTTING IT IN PERSPECTIVE
The Knights once again are facing a crucible in qualifying for the postseason tournament.

Hovering around .500 for the last several weeks, the Knights find themselves in dire need of points in the coming weeks against a grueling schedule. CM has the balance of their Catholic Conference schedule coming with four games, including another matchup against MC, in the next two weeks.

What’s been most troubling, however, for Knight head coach Bill Hanson has been the team’s inability to finish in key situations.

“When you get chances, you have to bury them, and we haven’t,” Hanson said.

Unsatisfied with Saturday’s performance, Hanson added, “I’m so disappointed … I refuse to go down like that again. That was embarrassing.”

BOSTON -- Catholic Conference rivals No. 6 Catholic Memorial and No. 7 St. John’s Prep entered Monday’s holiday matinee hungry for a win. Both teams sat at 4-4-0 entering the matchup with the Eagles yet to notch a conference win on the season.

Despite controlling play for the greater part of two periods, it was CM who left Walter Brown Arena with a sub-.500 record. Prep struck for three third-period goals, including senior captain Sam Kurker’s third of game, in a 5-1 victory.

“It was a must-win game,” Kurker said of the Eagles’ mentality leading in.

CM (1-2-0 Catholic) outshot the Eagles, 21-12, through two periods, but trailed 2-1.

Prep goaltender David Letarte (25 saves) was instrumental in keeping the Knights at bay early. Not to mention, Letarte along with the Prep defense, helped limit CM to one goal despite seven power play opportunities, including two 5-on-3 situations during the third period.

“He made some big saves early in the game, to keep things close,” Eagles head coach Kristian Hanson said. “Even after they came back, 2-1, he made a big save after that. If it had gone to 2-2, the game could’ve went either way.”

Prep (1-3-0 Catholic) went to the room with a 1-0 lead after the first intermission.

With the Eagles on the forecheck, Kurker forced a turnover in the Knights’ end. His dish out front found Brian Pinho, who beat CM netminder Shane Starrett with a wristshot for a 1-0 lead at 8:28 of the first.

Starrett denied the Eagles from striking again in the period, stoning Tyler Bird on a 2-on-1 chance, in close, at the goalmouth with five minutes remaining.

The Eagles added to their lead four minuts into the second, with Kurker potting his his first of the game.

Jack O’Hear put CM on the board with a perfectly placed wristshot from the slot. The power play tally, assisted by Liam Coughlin, cut the deficit to one before the second imtermission.

“We were doing alright, we played exceptionally well for two periods,” CM head coach Bill Hanson said. “We were right there with the power play opportunities.”

However, the Knights had the wind kicked out of their sails with Kurker’s second of the game, which came 21 seconds into the third period.

From there, the Eagles dominated what once was a tight game. Prep junior Nick Gianelli netted his first goal of the season on a short-handed breakaway at 1:55. Kurker collected the hat trick with a power-play goal with 6:37 remaining.

“The last couple of games, we’ve have opportunities to score and we haven’t capitalized on them,” Kristian Hanson said. “Today, we had fewer opportunities, but we did a better job with the ones we had.”

POWER TO THE PK
As the Knights’ goal-scoring struggles continued, the Eagles bettered their percentage on the penalty kill, which has been among the state’s best in the first half of the season.

Along with top-line stalwarts Kurker and Pinho, the Eagles’ PK has been a well-rounded group, with contributions from players up and down the lines.

“Our PK’s been pretty strong all year,” Kristian Hanson said. “Sam [Kurker] and Brian [Pinho] kind of lead the way with that, but then we’ve had other guys step in there like [Nick] Gianelli and [Derek] Osbahr and [Nick] Bragole, those were guys that were on the JV last year. This year, they’ve been asked to step up and contribute on the PK and play significant minutes.”

KURKER ON ASCENT
Kurker received weighty praise last week when he was ranked 41st among North American skaters in the NHL Central Scouting’s Midterm draft rankings. As one of only two MIAA skaters (along with MC’s Brendan Collier) included on the list, it speaks volumes that Kurker was the second highest ranked skater with New England roots, following Kent School’s Cristoval Nieves.

The 6-foot-1, 198-pound winger was also the second highest ranked high schooler (behind Nieves) on the list.

The BU-commit credited the achievement to the hard work he’s put in the weight room, under the watchful eye of recently named Boston Red Sox strength coach Mike Boyle.

“It’s nice to get recognition, but you have to keep working hard," Kurker said. "That’s so far off [the draft] that you have to keep on working.”

(Highlights courtesy of the Needham Channel)

WELLESLEY, Mass. -- With under a minute to go in regulation, Catholic Memorial lead the Needham Rockets, 1-0, and looked to be on their way to their third win of the season.

But a Shamus Colman goal tied the game with 39 seconds left and Lucas Davis' goal fired shot into CM’s goal with nine seconds remaining gave the No. 7 Rockets a stunning 2-1 win over the No. 4 Knights.

“Timmy Parlato came up, the puck was loose and he dove, stopped it," said Davis of his game-winner. "The other kid [CM’s Shane Starrett] came out, popped it to me and I finished it. I give all the credit to Timmy Parlato.”

After a lackluster first period, Catholic Memorial (2-1-0) came out strong and controlled the tempo to start the second period. But that momentum was halted at the 6:21 mark when junior captain Liam Coughlin was given a game misconduct for boarding.

Despite losing one of the state’s best forwards, the Knights pressed on and ended up scoring up the game’s first goal at 2:43 in the third period on senior Jack O’Hear’s power-play goal, assisted by John Maher.

With under a minute to go, and a pending face-off in CM’s zone, Needham (3-0-0) called a timeout, pulled goalie Connor Murray and drew up a play, that worked ... Eventually.

“It didn’t work for a couple of faceoff's,” Needham head coach Biil Guisti said of the play he drew up in the timeout. “It took us like two or three faceoffs. On the third faceoff, I told D.J. [Walsh] to get out, and they switched it up. I moved Timmy [Parlato] to the wing, then Lucas [Davis] took the draw, Lucas scrummed it, they got it back to Brendan, Brendan got it over to Shaymus, Shaymus back to Brendan, back to Shaymus and bingo.”

“It was a designed play where they wanted to get the puck back to the D,” Coleman added. “I got an open look, I tried to keep it low and there was a huge screen and it just went in.”

Davis scored the game-winning goal 30 seconds after that.

A Break Through
One of the knock’s on the Needham hockey during the past three seasons is that they couldn’t seem to get past any of their big non-conference opponents, including in Super Eight play.

“It’s a good win,” Davis said. “It’s about time we knocked off one of the top teams. It’s been tough over the past couple of years, trying to knock off the top teams, so we finally did it, it’s a great win.”

The Rockets can’t enjoy the victory too much, they travel to No. 9 Hingham on New Year’s Eve.

For Catholic Memorial the loss may sting for now, but in the big picture it was just a tough break. Losing top class forward Liam Coughlin to a misconduct certainly make things more difficult.

Despite being outshot 32 to 21, the Knights still limited quality scoring chances until the final minute of regulation, and goalie Shane Starrett was solid stopping 30 shots.

The Knights will also play on New Year’s Eve when they host No. 20 Framingham.

With a good number of team's kicking off their hockey schedules on Wednesday night, we thought we'd take a closer look at our Top 5 preseason teams, handicapping the field of could-be Super 8 contenders this season:

(All records and stats from 2010-11)

1. Malden Catholic (21-1-2)
Players to watch: Brendan Collier, Sr. F, 24-39--63; Ryan Fitzgerald, Jr. F, 24-42-66; Mike Iovanna, Jr. F, 10-18--28; Tyler Sifferlen, So. F, 4-7--11; Brendan White, Jr. D, 2-7--9; Colin MacGillivray, Jr. D, 1-7--8.

Key losses: F Mike Vecchione, D Connor Evangelista, F Nick Roberto, G Pat Young.

The skinny: The returning Super 8 champions now have the bull's-eye on their backs, and they're OK with that. The Lancers finally finished the season on top, in no small part thanks to the leadership of Vecchione. Now the torch has been passed to Collier, who inherits the "C' this season. The Charlestown native and BU commit leads a re-tooled lineup. However, MC isn't without its questions. Top-line center Ryan Fitzgerald is on the shelf until around New Year's with a seperated shoulder. Catholic Conference All-Star Connor Evangelista is among the offseason defections and leaves a hole at the top of the Lancers' blue line corps. MC will also breaking in junior goaltender Connor Maloney after the graduation of Pat Young (1.33 GAA). On top of that, the Lancers have a new head coach in John McLean, who's filling in for Chris Serino, who's taken a medical leave. Still, for all those questions, there's still an awful lot of talent around with Iovanna figuring to make a big leap, playing the wing spot vacated by Vecchione. Freshman Ara Nazarian is a name that will be mentioned around the state for quite some time.

X-factor: White and MacGillivray. For all the attention paid to MC's front-line offensive talent, when you get down to the nitty-gritty of playoff time, teams need the horses on the blue line to take control of games. Both are more-than-capable defenders. Fitzgerald's younger sib, Casey, a freshman blue-liner is also a name to watch in the coming seasons.

2. St. John’s Prep (18-6-1)
Players to watch: Sam Kurker, Sr. F, 15-10--25; David Letarte, Sr. G, 2.52 GAA; Nick Pandalena, Sr. D, 2-10--12; Dillon Gargano, Jr. D, 1-1--2; Tyler Bird, So. F, 3-3--6.

Key losses: F Colin Blackwell, F Shane Eiserman, F John Farrow, D Joe Currie.

The skinny: Perhaps none of last year's Super 8 field lost more front-line talent than the Eagles. ESPN Boston Mr. Hockey Colin Blackwell matriculated to Harvard and is now tearing up the ECAC. Also, talented freshman Shane Eiserman left for the prep schools. What the Prep returns, however, could also be envy of most teams. It all starts up front with BU-commit Kurker, who's a true power forward in the old sense of the word; the Eagles will lean on Kurker to improve upon his 15-goal campaign last season. The Eagles also lost most of the blue line, with Nick Pandalena the only returner from their top 5. But the Prep is still built from the net out with Letarte returning between the pipes.

X-factor: Letarte. With a young defense in front of him and possible dip in scoring, it will take an even larger effort from the senior netminder to return Prep to a Super 8 title game.

3. BC High (15-6-3)
Players to watch: Matt Sullivan, Sr. F; Tom Besinger, So. F; Brian Furey, Sr. D; Peter Cronin, Jr. G.

Key losses: F Mike Cashman, F Terence Durkin, F Andrew White,

The skinny: Last year was about the Eagles' return to prominence. Now, this year is all about taking that next step. Still, the roster is young, but they're also battle-tested. "The guys we had last year were excellent leaders," BC High head coach John Flaherty said," now we're asking this group to build upon that moving forward, being leaders on and off the ice." That leadership now falls to Sullivan and Furey. Still, for a unit that's relatively young, there's some talent to be had, including Besinger who was among our Top 5 rookies to watch from last season.

X-factor: Cronin. The then-sophomore netminder turned some heads during the Super 8 tournament last season, as the Eagles went toe-to-toe with MC in the crossover round. If he can repeat that kind of performance, the Eagles are in good hands.

4. Catholic Memorial (8-10-2)
Players to watch: Liam Coughlin, Jr. F, 10-11--21; Jared Beckwith, Sr. D, 4-10--14; Shane Starrett, Jr. G, 1.77 GAA; Jack O'Hear, Jr. F.

Key losses: D Marc Hetnick, F Dan O'Hear, F Chris Stathopoulos, G Tommy Knox.

The skinny: By far the best team in the state not involved in the playoffs last season. With that said, the Knights were fairly green on the blue line last year and took their lumps. The hope is that they'll learn from those experiences. carrying into this season. CM figures to turn a weakness into a strength this year with a deep D corps led by Beckwith, in addition to returners Kevin Bletzer, Dennis Medeiros, Justin Ryder, Ryan Sullivan and John Allaire. The Knights also figure to be strong in net with Starrett after posting a .968 save percentage last year in nine games.

X-factor: Coughlin. An ESPN Boston All-Stater, bears watching in his second year with the Knights and could be the breakout performer of the year. He has the talent and size to change the complexion of game. If he applies himself physically, there's no defense in the state who can match him.

5. Woburn (18-5-2)
Players to watch: Casey Shea, Sr. F, 21-28--49; Danny Holland, Sr. F, 10-14--24; Jake Secatore, Sr. D, 1-12--13.

Key losses: F Alex Holland, D Brian Dulong, G Cam McGlashing, D Brian Smith.

The skinny: A year later, we still find ourselves wondering what could've been in the Super 8 tournament -- had the Tanners gotten a couple of bounces here and there. But, as Woburn head coach Jim Duran told us at the time, "Teams make their own luck in hockey." This year, the Tanners hope the luck breaks their way because they don't lack on talent. UMass-Lowell commit Casey Shea will be perhaps the most dynamic offensive threat in the state (save for the top-liners at MC), and Holland isn't far behind. This group can skate and make plays in tight spaces. In a word, they're fun to watch. The Tanners also return one of the steadiest D-men in the state in Secatore.

X-factor: Sophomore goaltender Jeremy Flibotte. He's tabbed to be McGlashing's replacement in net and saw time sparingly during last season. Can the netminder hold up to the rigors of postseason play? We'll find out.

Here is ESPN Boston's preseason MIAA All-State boys' ice hockey teams:

FIRST TEAM
F - Brendan Collier, Sr., Malden Catholic
F - Ryan Fitzgerald, Jr., Malden Catholic
F - Sam Kurker, Sr., St. John's Prep
D - Jared Beckwith, Sr., Catholic Memorial
D - Peter Sikalis, Sr., Acton-Boxborough
G - Kyle Williams, Sr., Central Catholic

SECOND TEAM
F - Liam Coughlin, Jr., Catholic Memorial
F - Casey Shea, Sr., Woburn
F - Matt Sullivan, Sr., BC High
D - Brendan White, Jr., Malden Catholic
D - Jake Secatore, Sr., Woburn
G - Peter Cronin, Jr., BC High

THIRD TEAM
F - Kevin Emmerling, Sr., St. John's (Shrewsbury)
F - Mike Kelleher, Jr., Central Catholic
F - Conal Lynch, Sr., Boston Latin
D - Connor Fenton, Sr., Braintree
D - Nick Pandalena, Sr., St. John's Prep
G - David Letarte, Sr., St. John's Prep

First Team
F - Colin Blackwell, St. John’s Prep
The senior center and captain led the Eagles with 45 points (24 G, 21A) while earning MVP honors from the Catholic Conference. Playing on Prep’s top lines, in addition to power play and penalty kill units, the Harvard commit was a +42 this season for the Super Eight finalists.

F - Brendan Collier, Malden Catholic
Collier was perhaps the most versatile player in the state. The junior BU commit scored the game-winning goal in the Lancers’ Super Eight championship, but the winger was also a mainstay of MC’s penalty kill units, playing defense. The Charlestown native tallied 63 points (24 G, 39 A) during the regular season while guiding the Lancers to their first D1A title.

F - Mike Vecchione, Malden Catholic
The Lancers captain and UNH signee led their potent offense with 70 points (26G, 44A) during the regular season. The senior winger also broke the Catholic Conference’s all-time single-season scoring record during MC’s run in the Super Eight. The Saugus native is looking at playing in either the British Columbia Hockey League or the United State Hockey League next year.

D - Connor Evangelista, Malden Catholic
The junior blue liner was perhaps the most underrated element to the Lancers’ Super Eight title run. Whether it was through an outlet pass springing the rush or on the penalty kill, the Wakefield native did it all. Evangelista was among the state’s top-scoring defensemen and contributed 25 assists during the regular season for the D1A champion Lancers.

D - Marc Hetnik, Catholic Memorial
The Knights senior was like having a fourth forward out there, who also readily handled the opposing team’s top players night after night. The Chestnut Hill native is considering BU, Holy Cross and Merrimack among his college choices and is likely to play in the British Columbia Hockey League next year.

G - Kyle Williams, Central Catholic
The junior netminder spearheaded the Raiders’ run to the Super Eight. With Williams carrying a bulk of the load, Central Catholic surrendered just 43 goals this season while posting a goal differential of +45. He was also a driving force behind the Raiders’ Super Eight run and turned in a strong performance in a near upset bid against Malden Catholic.

“Line Change” Second Team
F - Tim Driscoll, Hingham
After scoring the winning goal in the Harbormen’s Super Eight championship in 2010, the Holy Cross commit captained Hingham to a D1A return in 2011. The senior winger led the Harbormen with 34 points (12 G, 22A) during the regular season and is exploring opportunities to play a prep postgraduate year of hockey before enrolling at Holy Cross.

F - Ryan Fitzgerald, Malden Catholic
The talented sophomore was the fulcrum the Lancers’ prolific top line, centering Collier and Vecchione. The BC recruit was MC’s second leading scorer during the regular season, netting 66 points (24 G, 42 A) for the Super Eight champions.

F - Tyler Piacentini, Weymouth
The senior captain was the sparkplug to the Wildcats’ Super Eight run. While he was often the smallest player on the ice, Piacentini was typically the most visible, letting his play to the talking. With a 61-point regular season (31 G, 30 A), he finished fourth in the state in scoring to MC’s dynamic first line.

D - Chris Joyce, Needham
The senior blue liner was the Rockets’ third leading scorer and a stalwart on defense who seldom left the ice. Joyce tallied 24 points in the regular season (7 G, 17 A) while leading Needham to yet another Super Eight appearance.

D - Alex Pompeo, Hingham
The senior was among the state’s leading point-getters among blue liners and finished second on the Harbormen in scoring to Driscoll. Pompeo was an integral part of the Harbormen’s Super Eight title run in 2010 and their repeat appearance in 2011.

G - Donald Hesse, St. Mary’s (Lynn)
The Spartans netminder was among the state’s leaders in all goaltending statistical categories, including a measly goals against average of 1.90 during the regular season. Hesse spurred St. Mary’s to its first Super Eight appearance this season. The Salem native is considering playing hockey at several postgraduate prep schools next season.

Best of the Rest
F Garrett Allen, Dartmouth
F Mike Cashman, BC High
F Liam Centrella, Andover
F Tom Coleman, Needham
F Ryan Connors, Marshfield
F Liam Coughlin, Catholic Memorial
F Joe Czarnota, Reading
F Ryan Dempsey, Marblehead
F Ryan Doherty, Tewksbury
F Terence Durkin, BC High
F Kevin Emmerling, St. John’s (Shrewsbury)
F Tommy Evangelista, Central Catholic
F Riley Flanagan, Weymouth
F Dan Graham, Arlington Catholic
F Anthony Hardy, Bridgewater-Raynham
F Mitch Hamor, Beverly
F Alex Holland, Woburn
F Jack Jenkins, Billerica
F Sam Kurker, St. John’s Prep
F Chris Leblanc, Winthrop
F Nick Leonard, Central Catholic
F Conal Lynch, Boston Latin
F Chris Maguire, Waltham
F Jim McGrath, Medfield
F Dan O’Hear, Catholic Memorial
F Ross Olsson, Billerica
F Cam Owens, Wilmington
F Drew Oxley, Saugus
F Kurt Roderigues, Saugus
F Nick Roberto, Malden Catholic
F Jason Salvaggio, Xaverian
F Joe Scarfo, Winthrop
F Casey Shea, Woburn
F Devin Smith, St. John’s (Shrewsbury)
F Andrew Taylor, Oliver Ames
F Zach Wells, Barnstable
F Andrew White, BC High
F Garrett White, Malden Catholic
D Steven Bellew, Hingham
D Steven Bristol, Weymouth
D Sean Kavanagh, Springfield Cathedral
D Cam Kennedy, St. Mary’s (Lynn)
D Jake Kulevich, Marblehead
D Ryley MacEachern, Austin Prep
D Eric Muise, Peabody
D Alex Taddeo, Franklin
G Joe Cerulo, Wakefield
G James Cox, Braintree
G Peter Cronin, BC High
G Zac Rondeau, Springfield Cathedral
G Kyle Jacobs, Pembroke
G Chris Treon, Westwood

All Rookie Team (Top 5 to Watch for Next Year)

1. Shane Eiserman, F, St. John’s Prep
2. Tyler Sifferlen, F, Malden Catholic
3. Tom Besinger, F, BC High
4. Sean Cleary, G, Barnstable
5. Nolan Redler, F, Winchester

Coach of the Year
John Flaherty, BC High
It took just one season for Flaherty, who took over for legend Joe McCabe, to get the Eagles back to the Super Eight after missing the playoffs in the previous two seasons. The BC High graduate guided the Eagles to a 15-6-3 record that included an appearance in the Super Eight crossover round. Flaherty also works at the school as its Director of the Fund.

BOSTON -- It’s never an easy task to roll into Walter Brown Arena and take a game from perennial power Catholic Memorial, but that’s exactly what Weymouth accomplished.

The Wildcats shrugged off a sluggish start to dominate play in the second and third periods in their 2-0 win over the Knights on Monday afternoon.

Brian Brady made 36 stops and played a crucial 15 minutes of hockey in the opening frame - stopping all 14 shots he faced - while the rest of the team was trying to adjust to the early start or the anxiousness of playing against one of the top teams in the Catholic Conference.

Matt Cataldo could sense that his team came out a little tentative in the opening period, but saw his crew get a renewed confidence when they took the Knights’ best shot and didn’t falter.

“I think that’s the biggest thing when you come in and start playing the Catholic schools,” explained Cataldo. “The public kids maybe have that perception that they can’t compete or that they are not as good as a team. These guys are getting more and more confident.”

The Wildcats were lucky that Brady came out oozing with confidence, because for most of the third period the Knights were able to control play and control the speedy forwards of the Wildcats.

“(Brady) generally gets better the more shots that he sees,” said Cataldo, whose team is now 17-2-2 on the season. “For him to come out and be rock solid from the get-go definitely saved us in that first period.”

The Knights were able to camp in front of Brady for most of the period, but his best work came with under a minute left to go as he stoned Liam Coughlin -- arguably one of the most gifted scores for CM -- on a breakaway.

“Every shot I gained confidence and felt good going into it,” Brady said.

Tyler Piacentini and Riley Flanagan were held in check for most of the first period, but looked as if they finally figured out the Knights’ back-line when the latter broke loose on a pass from Piacentini, but an offside call wiped out the play.

From that moment forward, the two would mount several 2-on-1 rushes. Flanagan had a goal called off after batting a Piacentini pass out of the air, but would finally get one to go on a give-and-go with his linemate at 9:24 of the second period.

Piacentini would notch his own goal with three minutes to go as he got behind the defense at center ice and decided to keep it himself to beat Shane Starrett (20 saves) short-side for the 2-0 lead.

“I saw that I was wide open out wide,” Piacenitni said. “That’s what I was trying to do all game, just get wide and kick their [defense] out of the way. It was a nice pass by Steve [Bristol]. I think it just squeezed in top right.”

The Knights couldn’t mount the sustained rushes that they built in the first period even though they outshot the Wildcats 36-22.. CM struggled to an 0-for-6 day on the power play, and with 41 goals in 18 games played, the Knights have to feel a little snake bit when it comes to putting the puck in the net.

“We’ve got to grind it and get to the crease to get that lucky goal, that ‘puck luck’ goal,” Knights head coach Bill Hanson said. “We don’t get them. I’ve never seen anything like it.”

This should be the signature late season win that calms the nerves of Cataldo when it comes to thinking about the Super Eight. But the Knights still have a little bit of work to do. Hanson’s team, who seem to be a fixture in the elite tournament every year, need to capture two points in the final two games to clinch a spot.

HONORING A FORMER KNIGHT
The game was played in honor of Mark Bavis, a former Knight player from 1984-88 who was tragically killed during the Sept. 11 tragedy at the World Trade Center. Bavis was a two-time Catholic Conference All-Star and was a member of three championship teams.

Bavis went on to play for Boston University from 1988-1992, but always remained loyal to the Knights’ hockey program, according to his former head coach.

“He was like a son,” Hanson said.

WOONSOCKET, R.I. -- A late goal in the third period from junior forward Chris Stathopoulous helped No. 8 Catholic Memorial come away from Adelard Arena with a 3-3 tie with Rhode Island powerhouse Mount Saint Charles Wednesday afternoon.

With the tie, CM (7-7-2) now needs four points from its final four games to qualify for the Massachusetts Super Eight state tournament.

“I said to my kids that we had to come out and try to steal a point down here,” CM head coach Bill Hanson said. “We played awfully well that second period. That was huge for us tonight.”

On the tying goal, it was a poke check that started the play in motion. Before the puck could clear the zone, junior defenseman Jared Beckwith stretched with his stick at the blue line in front of the Mount bench to keep it in the offensive end. He dumped the puck into the zone to Kevin McCarthy, who found Liam Coughlin behind the net. Coughlin fed a perfect pass to Stathopoulous, who beat Mount goalie Dan Foster to the blocker side with 4:26 left on the clock.

“In this rink here, we didn’t play well along the wall,” Hanson said. “It was [get the] puck along the wall, chip, set up battles and get bounces. We got a bounce there.”

“Their good forecheck created a turnover and we left a man open,” said Mount co-coach Dave Belisle. “It was a bang-bang play and our goalie had no chance. When you turn the puck over in your own end on the break out, with guys skating one way away from the net, it was a quick turnover, they made a nice pass out front and [Stathopoulous] didn’t even hesitate, he just buried it.”

Mount (19-1-1) got on the board just 51 seconds into the game when senior Alexander Erban took a pass from Shamus Maloney and easily beat CM keeper Shane Starrett to the far side for a 1-0 lead.

CM tied the game at the 2:02 mark when Coughlin beat Foster off a nice feed from McCarthy. But the Mounties were able to take the lead right back just 34 seconds later when Michael Magerman fired a shot on net that Starrett stopped with his pad, but the rebound went right to the stick of Zachary Samborsky, who buried the shot into the back of the net for a 2-1 advantage.

In the second period, play was slow for both teams, although Catholic Memorial did carry the offensive play for the early portion. But the Mount was able to extend its lead at the 11:11 mark when Magerman won the faceoff draw to Trevor Plante, who slipped a pass to Samborsky in the slot. Samborsky buried his shot between Starrett’s legs for a 3-1 advantage.

The Knights didn’t waste any time getting that goal back, as Stathopoulous took a feed from Coughlin and beat Foster to the near side at the 11:18 mark, making it a one-goal game heading into the final period.

Mount carried the play for the better part of the third period, coming up with a number of quality scoring chances, even hitting the post on a shot from Callan Morisseau midway through the period. But Starrett turned away each opportunity, and CM rewarded that with the tying goal at the 10:34 mark.

This was the final nonleague contest for Mount Saint Charles, who finished 5-0-1 against some of the top teams from around New England and the East Coast. Belisle and his staff, which includes his father, legendary head coach Bill Belisle, hopes his team is able to use the experience of the game with CM to prepare it for another run at a state title.

“It’s a great non-league schedule and to accomplish what we did, I am very, very pleased with the effort of the boys,” Dave Belisle said. “It was a great year for the non-league, now we’ve got to finish the regular season and think about the playoffs. But this game is something that will get us working toward the playoffs.”

With the tie, CM now must get four points in its final four games to secure a coveted spot in the Super Eight. The Knights are back in action at Walter Brown Arena against another R.I. Catholic power, Bishop Hendricken, on Saturday night before travelling to Connecticut to face that state’s top team, Fairfield Prep, on Wednesday.

“We’re in desperation mode,” Hanson said. “We need to win these games and get points. We’ll be at our best, hopefully. To get a point from [Mount], they are just as good as any of those teams [left on CM’s schedule], if not better.”

CHANGE IN NET
Coming in, many people had been looking forward to the matchup of the two goalies from the respective teams. But CM started sophomore Shane Starrett over senior Tommy Knox, based on recent play. Starrett was in net for the team’s only point in the last two weeks, a 1-1 tie with No. 1 Malden Catholic. So Hanson started the sophomore, who is from Bellingham, just down the street from Mount’s home rink.

“[Starrett] has played very, very well for us,” Hanson said. “[Starrett] is a heck of a goaltender, and he’s only a sophomore. He stole a point for us against Malden Catholic and had a great game against St. John’s Prep earlier last week. He can play.”

After the game, Hanson said Starrett would be in net Saturday night against Bishop Hendricken.

The Starrett name should be familiar to fans of the Knights and of hockey in the region. His older brother, Peter, is playing at Harvard and had a couple of assists in a win over Boston University in the Beanpot consolation game Monday night; Troy is a freshman at Babson; and younger brother Beau is a freshman forward for CM.

MOUNT LIKELY TOP SEED IN R.I.
While it isn’t official, the Mounties should be the top seed in the Division I playoffs when they start March 4. Mount is the defending champions and is seeking the 42nd state title banner in school history. This year, with eight teams making the playoffs in the top division, MSC will have to play in the quarterfinals against the No. 8 seed. In the past, the top seed was given a bye into the semifinals.

The state championship, a best-of-three series, is scheduled for Schneider Arena at Providence College on March 16, 18 and 19.

Mount Saint Charles 3, Catholic Memorial 3
First period: MSC Erban [19] (Maloney) :51, CM Coughlin [9] (McCarthy, Beckwith) 2:02, MSC Samborsky [19] (Magerman) 2:36. Penalties: MSC (Magerman, unsportsmanlike conduct, 2:00).

Second period: MSC Samborsky [20] (Plante, Magerman) 11:11, CM Stathopoulous [9] (Coughlin), 11:18. No penalties.

Third period: CM Stathopoulous [10] (Coughlin, McCarthy) 10:34. No penalties.

Power play: CM 0-1, MSC 0-0.

Goaltenders (saves/shots): MSC Foster 27/30, CM Starret (26/29).

Over the weekend, the Super Eight “Watch List” was compiled by the Massachusetts State Hockey Coaches Association. In what has proved to be a particularly wild year, 21 teams made the initial list for observation during the final two weeks of the season. The mere number of teams on the list is a testament to how truly even competition has been through the year.

Aside from our weekly Top 25 state hockey poll, we’re going to take a little time to break down the Watch List, making a case for each team and their chances at the big dance while ranking the likelihood they will be among the field in addition to couple of X-factors to their postseason success.

It goes without saying that there’s a lot of hockey left to be played, but here’s how we see them stacking up as of right now.

As always, feel free to sound off and leave a copy of your rankings in the comments section.

TOP OF THE HEAP
1. Malden Catholic (13-2-2)
Why they’re in: Wire-to-wire, the Lancers have been the state’s most consistent team, minus one hiccup against Hingham. The top line of Brendan Collier, Ryan Fitzgerald and Mike Vecchione is without parallel. Not only that, the Blue Blades have depth throughout. Simply stated, they’re the team to beat.

X-factor: So much has been written (we’re included) about the Lancers offense, but they have a defensive corps to boot led by Connor Evangelista and Colin MacGillivray, not to mention the very steady Pat Young in net.

TOP GUNS
2. Hingham (10-4-4)
Why they’re in: There’s been some turnover from last year’s Super Eight championship team, but the Harbormen still have some important cogs in the fold from that squad starting with their captains: winger Tim Driscoll and defenseman Alex Pompeo. They form the nucleus of a group that’s been there and done that, evidenced by some clutch late season wins, like last week’s comeback win against St. Mary’s of Lynn.

X-factor: Rangy junior winger Matt Hughes (6-foot-2) has exhibited a quick release and knack for finding the back of the net. The Harbormen have gone through stretches where they’ve struggled to score. If Hughes is on his game, Hingham will be all that much tougher to beat.

3. St. John’s Prep (10-5-1)
Why they’re in: The Eagles have assured themselves a second-place finish in the Catholic Conference with a 4-3-0 record thus far. Quite frankly, that should be a good enough resume to gain Super Eight entry in any season. In addition, Prep has Top 25 wins out of conference against Austin Prep, St. John’s (Shrewsbury), Springfield Cathedral and Woburn.

X-factor: The question entering the season was how far Harvard commit Colin Blackwell could lead the Eagles. But he hasn’t just had to do it alone. Freshman Shane Eiserman could soon follow Blackwell’s footsteps as a D-1 recruit. In net, Prep has it covered with junior David Letarte who’s underrated.

4. St. Mary’s of Lynn (12-3-3)
Why they’re in: The Spartans aced their Catholic Central schedule with a 7-0-3 record, out-scoring their opponents 37-12. It all starts from the goal out with netminder Donald Hesse sporting a sub-2.00 goals against average. Sophomore Bobby Mullins has stepped up to shoulder the offensive load and leads the squad with 12 goals.

X-factor: The Spartans don’t have too many marquee out-of-conference wins, but we’re looking past that in this panel’s consideration of their merits on the strength of their conference schedule which includes three Top 25 squads in Archbishop Williams, Arlington Catholic and Austin Prep. St. Mary’s pushed Malden Catholic on Monday before losing, 3-2, but the Spartans have a couple more high profile non-leaguers on the docket with Springfield Cathedral and Weymouth.

TOP EIGHT BUBBLE
5. BC High (9-4-3)
Why they’re in: First-year head coach and longtime Eagles assistant John Flaherty set a goal to get his team back into the postseason this season. Not only has BC High qualified for the state tournament, it very well looks like they’re Super Eight bound. The Eagles started Catholic Conference play 0-3-1, but were able to salvage two wins down the stretch. Their 3-3 tie against Malden Catholic seemed to be a springboard for the team to believe in itself.

X-factor: A big tip of the cap goes to the Eagles’ senior leadership in keeping the young squad together, led by captain Mike Cashman, and assistant captains Jack Buckley, Brendan O’Malley and Andrew White.

6. Weymouth (15-2-1)
Why they’re in: We expect that the Wildcats will put their finishing touches on Bay State Carey league title on Wednesday against Braintree despite a recent bump in the road with a loss to Needham. It’s hard to imagine Weymouth not being a shoo-in for the field of eight having been so dominant wire-to-wire. We could get a glimpse at how the Wildcats could play in the field with a string of late season tests against Catholic Memorial, Central Catholic and St. Mary’s in the next two weeks.

X-factor: It all comes down to defense in the postseason and with defensemen Andy Sheridan and goaltender Brian Brady, the Wildcats have senior leadership covered.

7. Woburn (12-3-1)
Why they’re in: The Tanners hold a slight 1-point lead over Winchester in the tight race to the Middlesex League crown. Their demonstrative 4-1 win over Reading on Saturday could go a long way toward punching their ticket. The Tanners control their own destiny with two more scheduled league games (Stoneham and Winchester) and, if they take care of business, they should be in.

X-factor: Woburn seems to be peaking at the right time and hasn’t lost since their first meeting against Reading on Jan. 8. Juniors Eddie Aprile and Bobby Smith played up for their latest big game against the Rockets last week.

HARD TO FIGURE
8. Catholic Memorial (7-7-1)
Why they’re in: Bar none, nobody plays a harder schedule in the MIAA than the Knights every year. They’re accustomed to playing Super Eight-caliber hockey every time out and they get everybody’s best. For a CM team, they’re young, but they’re also plenty talented with defenseman Marc Hetnik leading the way. Sophomore Liam Coughlin (8-8-16) has been a revelation.

X-factor: Quite frankly, whether or not they have enough points to get to the tournament. It’s not often you’re taking a serious look at a .500 club come this time of year, but it again speaks to the quality of schedule in the Catholic Conference as well as out-of-conference. So here’s the gauntlet, five points in five games and they’re in.

9a. Central Catholic (12-4-1)
Why they’re in: Less than a week ago, we had the Raiders ticketed for the top four of the eight-team field. After a lack-luster 1-1 tie against Billerica last Wednesday, Pandora’s Box opened. Now, as it stands as of publication time, the Raiders hold a 1-point lead over Billerica in the DCL/MVC with four games to play. The Indians also have four games to play. We’ll hedge that the winner of this pre-postseason mini tournament will have a chance at the Super Eight.

X-factor: Kyle Williams is that type of goaltender that can carry a team on a postseason run, but the Raiders can be dangerous if Tommy Evangelista and playmaker Nick Leonard are on point.

9b. Billerica (7-1-7)
Why they’re in: If the aforementioned Raiders tail off and the Indians can pull of the DCL/MVC title, that’s it. On the plus side, the Indians have lost only one game, a 3-2 loss to Burlington. On the negative side, they’ve also only won less than half of their games as well.

X-factor: Health. The Indians were down five players in their 1-1 tie against Central Catholic, but the job head coach Mike Mastrullo pulled mixing and matching lines was masterful, plus his team came to play. It’s that side of Billerica that makes you believe.

ON THE FRINGE (WORD ASSOCIATION ROUND)
11. Needham (10-5-3)
Why they’re in: Building steam.

X-factor: Experience, Super Eight that is.

12. Springfield Cathedral (11-7-0)
Why they’re in: Aren’t the Panthers always in?

X-factor: Zac Rondeau = game-changer.

13. Winchester (10-5-1)
Why they’re in: Surviving the Middlesex League.

X-factor: Ryan McGoff.

14. Xaverian (8-5-2)
Why they’re in: A Catholic Conference team on the outs?

X-factor: Dave Michaels.

BEST OF THE REST
15. Braintree (10-4-3)
16. Reading (12-4-1)
17. Arlington Catholic (8-3-6)
18. St. John’s Shrewsbury (10-6-1)
19. Barnstable (11-1-3)
20. Austin Prep (9-5-3)
21. Marshfield (10-2-4)

BOSTON –- Tuesday was something of coming out party for Shane Eiserman. After the St. John’s Prep freshman forward netted a hat trick and factored in each of the Eagles’ goals in a 4-2 victory over Catholic Memorial at Walter Brown Arena, he was razzed by his teammates outside the locker room.

But Eiserman couldn’t help thanking his teammates for what they’d contributed to a crucial Catholic Conference victory.

“The defensemen really stepped up huge today, like Scott Derrickson played unbelievable,” Eiserman said. “It was just a huge win, offensively, defensively, it was just an all-around great win.”

Eiserman immediately put his stamp on the game, tallying Prep’s first goal a little more than 2:30 into the first period with assists from Christian Gutowski and Joe Currie. He went on to net the game-winning goal with nine minutes remaining and capped off the win with an empty-net goal in the final minute.

He also picked up an assist on Derrickson’s second-period goal.

“Shane’s fortunate to be able to handle that part of the game as a freshman, obviously, he’s a pretty big kid,” Eagles head coach Kristian Hanson said. “He’s just dedicated to the game.”

Aside from the first-year player’s exploits, the sixth-ranked Eagles (9-4-1, 4-3-0) dictated play for long stretches and outshot the No. 3 Knights, 30-13. Although sophomore goaltender Shane Starrett did his best to keep CM (7-6-1, 2-3-1) close in a 26-save performance, the Knights simply were their own worst enemy.

“We just didn’t have the compete level against them as we have against other teams,” Knights head coach Bill Hanson said. “We’re not as skilled as they are and unless we compete and win those little battles, we’re going to be in trouble.”

Despite falling behind, CM rallied to tie the game on Liam Coughlin’s power play goal with 3:08 remaining in the first.

However, Prep went to the room with a one-goal lead after Derrickson’s blast from the point on Eiserman’s face off win. It was just a small sampling of the Eagles’ dominance inside the circle as Prep’s centers took 27 draws against CM’s 12 face-off wins.

The Knights worked to tie the game once again in the second when sophomore defenseman Justin Ryder followed his shot into the goal (literally) off a 3-on-2 chance.

Prep took the lead for good in the third when Eiserman got some help from a talented senior linemate.

“He’s such a good player,” he said of winger Colin Blackwell. “It’s awesome to play with him. He makes me a better player on the ice.”

Blackwell put Eiserman’s game-winner into motion with a tremendous individual effort down the right wing boards. The Harvard commit sidestepped two Knights’ checks coming through the neutral zone before working the puck into the slot with a tape-to-tape pass onto Eiserman’s stick.

From there, the Eagles continued to clamp down on defense in front of netminder David Letarte, including a crucial penalty kill midway through the third period. Along with an impressive display of shot blocking, there was much to be impressed with in the Eagles’ effort.

“I think it’s a credit to the effort we put in defensively,” Kristian Hanson said. “We really made a conscious effort the last several games to the defensive side of the game and the kids have responded well to that. We’re playing our best hockey right and we have to continue doing that because we haven’t qualified for everything yet.”

BOSTON -- In their first meeting of the season, No. 2 Malden Catholic put up a lop-sided 7-3 win over Catholic Conference rival Catholic Memorial.

In Saturday’s rematch at Walter Brown Arena on the campus of Boston University, the goaltenders ruled the day as the teams skated to a 1-1 tie. The Lancers’ Pat Young stopped 25 shots, including some clutch saves in the third period. Meanwhile, sophomore Shane Starrett turned in a tremendous 36-save performance between the pipes for the fifth-ranked Knights.

“If that was a tie, it should have been 7-7, not 1-1,” MC head coach Chris Serino said. “There wasn’t a lot of defense being played. That’s something we’re going to need to work on.”

CM was out-shot in the first period, 15-8, but sophomore goaltender Shane Starrett weathered the storm, making a number of saves on point-blank opportunities. No stop was finer than Starrett’s kick-out of Garrett White’s one-timer from the faceoff dot with 6:20 remaining.

However, White would pay Starrett back for his theft, finding the back of the net with 2:01 remaining in the first for a 1-0 MC lead.

After a penalty-free first period, both teams had a couple chances with the man-advantage in the second.

The Lancers (8-2-2, 3-0-2) were given a 5-on-3 power play after a CM cross checking penalty with 5:18 remaining. MC put four shots on goal during the two-man advantage (all of which were kicked aside by Starrett), but most of the chances were limited to the periphery, thanks to some dogged work by Knights forward Kevin McCarthy at the top of the triangle.

“He gives himself up out there all the time,” Knights head coach Bill Hanson said of McCarthy’s efforts on the PK. “It’s because of his athleticism, too.”

CM (7-5-1, 2-2-1) also saw two power-play opportunities go by the boards in the second with only one shot to show for them.

However, the Knights best chance to score in the second came at even strength. Lancers goaltender made a toe save on a Liam Coughlin shot with 30 seconds remaining, but the rebound stalled at the top of the goalmouth with winger Jack O’Hear perched on the doorstep. The quick put back by O’Hear was nabbed by the glove of Young, who made a jaw-dropping sprawling recovery.

CM finally cracked through for the equalizer with 6:41 remaining in the game. Knights defenseman Marc Hetnik pushed the play up ice as MC was slow coming off a defensive pairing change. The smooth-skating 6-foot-3 blue-liner made his charge up the left wing boards and fired a wrister on Young from inside the dot. The shot squeaked through Young’s right arm and near side post.

“What defensemen are supposed to do when they’re on a change is just to get the puck to their goaltender,” Hanson said. “It just happened to get by him.”

GRADITUDE IN SERVICE
After a hard-fought battle, the teams gathered on their respective blue lines after the game and Hanson took a moment to send best wishes to assistant coach Bob Dwan, who will be deployed to Afghanistan on Monday. A Lt. Col. in the National Guard, Dwan is a Gulf War veteran who has spent the last four years as an assistant to Hanson. Also CM graduate, Dwan (’83) also played under the Knights’ bench boss as a four-year varsity player before going on to play at Providence College.

MALDEN, Mass. – They sure do finish with flair.

For the second straight game against a Catholic Conference foe, No. 1 Malden Catholic trailed in the third period. The Lancers clawed out of a 2-0 hole to come back and beat No. 3 St. John’s Prep last week, but, once again, MC found itself trailing late Tuesday night against No. 2 Catholic Memorial.

The Knights took a 2-1 lead 2:36 into the third on Liam Coughlin’s goal. That’s when the Lancers clicked into another gear, scoring three goals in a span of 1:12. MC netting six goals on 12 shots overall in the third period to finish in a flurry and a 7-3 victory over CM.

“In that five-minute stretch, we did everything right,” MC head coach Chris Serino said. “We handled the puck and we were moving it like that the whole game, we just weren’t finishing.’

The Lancers (7-1-0, 2-0-0) dominated play for long stretches of the first period and out-shot the Knights, 12-5. However, MC only mustered to sneak one goal past CM goaltender Tommy Knox in the first with Ryan Fitzgerald tallying his 11th of the season on a give-and-go.

The Knights (5-4-0, 1-1-0) evened the score 15 seconds into the second period when Dan O’Hear knocked in a rebound off Marc Hetnik’s shot.

“We played hard, we created turnovers, we generated some offense off of our forecheck,” CM head coach Bill Hanson said of his team’s effort in the second stanza.

The Knights hard work paid off again early in the third period on Coughlin’s marker assisted by Jack O’Hear – his second.

Yet, MC drew even with an unexpected lift from freshman Tyler Sifferlen. Defenseman Connor Evangelista sprung Sifferlen on a breakaway. He beat Knox top-shelf for the first of his two goals in the period.

“That really turned things around,” Lancers assistant captain Brendan Collier said of Sifferlen’s goal. “From there, we were able to keep getting the puck deep, forecheck their D and just wear them down.”

Collier kept the pressure on netting his 10th of the season 42 seconds later with assists from Fitzgerald and Paul Wrenn. Mike Iovanna added his seventh goal of the year on a two-on-one break for a 4-2 MC lead. Garrett White tallied his second point of night (1 G, 1A) with a power play goal set up by Mike Vecchione to give the Lancers a three-goal cushion.

Fitzgerald later added his second goal of the night, thanks to some gritty work in the corner by Vecchione who fed the puck into the slot from his knees.

Sifferlen rounded out scoring with his second of the night with 8.3 seconds remaining. Chris Stathopoulous also scored late for CM.

Serino credited the work of his third line, comprised of Sifferlen, Bob Keough and Jake Porazzo, in helping to keep the Lancers’ legs fresh throughout.

“We run three lines out there and we’re able to wear them down,” Serino added. “It helps us tremendously because we’re able to wear them down and we were able to bury the puck in the third period.”

Editor's note: Catholic Memorial senior goaltender Tommy Knox checks in with his first Player Diary installment of the hockey season with a recap of the Knights' early-season exploits and a look ahead.

This season for Catholic Memorial is filled with a lot of new faces who are led by a solid group of returning players. We are a relatively young team and are depending on some of the younger players to step up and contribute. Our team does not need much more motivation then the wise words of Coach Hanson.

The team this year is looking to accomplish the ultimate goal of every team in Massachusetts, win the state title and bragging rights for the year. To do that we need to accomplish some minor goals along the way. We need to take the season day by day and get better each time we take the ice. Whether it is a practice or game day, we need to come out competing harder and playing smarter than we did the day before. Another goal of ours would be to win the Catholic Conference, as we have done in the past. To accomplish these goals we need to have strong performances all year by our seniors like Marc Hetnik, Danny O’Hear, and Chris Stathopoulous mixed in with underclassman Liam Coughlin and Jack O’Hear.

For me, personally, I would like to accomplish one single goal: to be able to play well enough to allow my team to compete night in and night out. This will only give my teammates more confidence in my playing style and allow them to get better. Hopefully, that will lead me to play at the next level in hockey, while also opening a few eyes in the hockey world.

So far this season, we have gotten out to a good start playing a difficult schedule. We battled against an always strong Delbarton (New Jersey) team, but unfortunately came up short. We came back strong though later in the schedule to put together three very convincing wins against Central Catholic, Thayer Academy, and BC High. Once this CM team begins to push the rock uphill, it will be very hard to step in our path and at this rate we will be a very hard team to play against come late February and early March.