ESPN

First Team:
F – Brendan Collier, Sr., Malden Catholic
The two-time ESPN Boston All-Stater closed out his senior season with a second straight Super 8 title and claimed our Mr. Hockey Award. The Charlestown native and Boston University commit scored 26 goals with assists for 65 points, a figure which led all Division 1 scorers. Collier, who also plays golf and lacrosse at MC, plans on playing a year of juniors next year before joining the Terriers.

F – Ryan Fitzgerald, Jr., Malden Catholic
The Lancers’ top-line pivot makes his second All-State team appearance, his first on the First Team. The North Reading native and Boston College commit again eclipsed the 50-point plateau (31-21-52), despite missing the first couple weeks of the season with a shoulder injury, and helped the Lancers to their second straight Super 8 title.

F – Sam Kurker, Sr., St. John’s Prep
When looking up the term power forward, the Eagles senior winger and captain fit the mold. The 6-foot-2, 210-pound forward finished with 32 goals and 28 assists for 60 points. The Boston University commit has also seen time with U.S. National Team Development Program and skated with the U-18 select team at the Ivan Hlinka Tournament during the summer.

D – Colin MacGillivray, Jr., Malden Catholic
The Lancers blue-liner is made in the mold of an old school rugged defenseman. The 6-foot-1, 185-pound Peabody native played on MC’s top pairing through the season while posting three goals and 10 assists for 10 points for the repeat Super 8 champions.

D – Nikko Markham, Sr., St. Mary’s (Lynn)
The Catholic Central Conference Most Valuable Player and Spartans captain finished a sound career by leading St. Mary’s to a No. 2 seed in the Super 8. The Salem native was among the top point-scoring blue-liners in the state with six goals and 12 assists for 18 points.

G – Peter Cronin, Jr., BC High
For the second straight season, the Eagles went as their netminder went, and Cronin led BC High to its first Super 8 finals appearance since 2007. Playing in each of the Eagles’ 25 games, the Norwell resident posted a 2.00 goals against average and a 91.7 save percentage.

2nd Team:
F – Kevin Emmerling, Sr., St. John’s (Shrewsbury)
Perhaps the most skilled skater in the state, the Pioneers’ center provided a dynamic offensive punch to their Super 8 run. The Whitinsville native finished third in Division 1 scoring with 26 goals and 30 assists for 56 points. Emmerling is exploring his options for next year and hopes to play college hockey.

F – Conal Lynch, Sr., Boston Latin
Lynch also showed that Charlestown is again a hotbed of hockey, carrying the Wolfpack to a DCL/MVC Div. 2 championship. Lynch finished second in Division 2 in scoring with 35 goals and 18 assists for 53 points. The Wolfpack captain is weighing his options in pursuing prep or junior hockey next year.

F – Matt Sullivan, Sr., BC High
The senior captain was a true two-way center with a high hockey IQ. The Duxbury resident anchored the Eagles’ top line, scoring 12 goals and 16 assists for 28 points and lifting BC High to its first Super 8 final appearance since 2007. He is pursuing prep and junior hockey opportunities for next season.

D – Casey Fitzgerald, Fr., Malden Catholic
The younger brother of Ryan, Casey catapulted himself onto the scene in his first year, filling the role of a puck-moving defenseman previously held by former All-Stater Conor Evangelista. The North Reading resident and Boston College commit tallied two goals and 15 assists for 17 points in his first year.

D – Peter Sikalis, Sr., Acton-Boxborough
The Colonials’ captain was the impetus behind their run to the D1 North semifinals. Sikalis had eight goals and 11 assists for 19 points while eating up boatloads of ice time for head coach Bob Lavin. The imposing 6-foot-3 defenseman is exploring his hockey options for next year.

G – David Letarte, Sr., St. John’s Prep
The captain has been the Eagles’ backbone during the last three seasons, leading Prep back to the Super 8 once again. Letarte had a 2.08 goals against average and a 91.3 save percentage in 18 games played. He is currently mulling over college and junior hockey offers for next year.

“Best of the Rest”
Nick Bertoni, F, Franklin
Tom Besinger, F, BC High
Tommy Bishop, F, Chelmsford
Matt Brazel, F, Hingham
Trevor Cimino, F, Burlington
Frank Crinella, F, Springfield Cathedral
Paul Curran, F, Milton
Vin D’Amato, F, St. John’s (Shrewsbury)
Jarrod Fitzpatrick, F, St. Mary’s (Lynn)
James Gordon, F, Hingham
Danny Holland, F, Woburn
Mike Iovanna, F, Malden Catholic
Connor Irving, F, Beverly
Mike Kelleher, F, Central Catholic
Chris Leblanc, F, Winthrop
Bobby Mullins, St. Mary’s (Lynn)
Ara Nazarian, F, Malden Catholic
Andrew Newis, F, Natick
Jack O’Hear, F, Catholic Memorial
Cam O’Neill, F, St. Mary’s (Lynn)
Jake O'Rourke, F, Medway
Cam Owens, F, Wilmington
Brian Pinho, F, St. John’s Prep
Dalton Rolli, F, Wilmington
Joe Strangie, F, Danvers
D.J. Walsh, F, Needham
Bryan Carter, D, Hudson
Connor Fenton, D, Braintree
Brian Furey, D, BC High
Pat Houghton, D, Westford Academy
Steve Mattos, D, Burlington
Nick Pandalena, D, St. John’s Prep
Jake Secatore, D, Woburn
Brendan White, D, Malden Catholic
Joe Cerulo, G, Wakefield
Jordan Davis, G, Norwood
Mike Donadio, G, Franklin
Bailey MacBurnie, G, St. Mary’s (Lynn)
Connor Murray, G, Needham
Connor Roddy, G, Medfield
Shane Starrett, G, Catholic Memorial
Steven Waites, G, Winthrop
Kyle Williams, G, Central Catholic

Coach of the Year
Chris Spillane, Franklin
Losing 15 seniors off of 2011's Division 2 state finalist team posed no problem to Spillane in guiding his team back to the Garden again. The 13-year Panthers bench boss is regarded as one of the finest in the state, but no season might have been more impressive for Spillane than getting this team back to the finals.

Finalists:
Karl Infanger, Natick
Mark Lee, St. Mary’s (Lynn)
John McLean, Malden Catholic

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.”

BOYS MIDSEASON ALL-STATE
F - Brendan Collier, Malden Catholic
F - Ryan Fitzgerald, Malden Catholic
F - Sam Kurker, St. John's Prep
D - Jared Beckwith, Catholic Memorial
D - Jake Secatore, Woburn
G - David Letarte, St. John's Prep

Others garnering consideration:
Tom Besinger, Soph. F, BC High
Tom Cahill, Sr. F, Pembroke
Liam Centrella, Sr. F, Andover
Frank Crinella, Sr. F, Springfield Cathedral
Peter Cronin, Jr. G, BC High
Kevin Emmerling, Sr. F, St. John's (Shrewsbury)
Connor Fenton, Sr. D, Braintree
Jarrod Fitzpatrick, Soph. F, St. Mary's of Lynn
Brian Furey, Sr. D, BC High
Danny Holland, Sr. F, Woburn
Pat Houghton, Sr. D, Westford Academy
Mike Iovanna, Jr. F, Malden Catholic
Mike Kelleher, Jr. F, Central Catholic
Chris LeBlanc, Sr. F, Winthrop
Conal Lynch, Sr. F, Boston Latin
Colin MacGillivray, Jr. D, Malden Catholic
Nikko Markham, Sr. D, St. Mary's of Lynn
Bobby Mullins, Sr. F, St. Mary's of Lynn
Brian Pinho, Jr. F, St. John's Prep
Casey Shea, Sr. F, Woburn
Shane Starrett, Jr. G, Catholic Memorial
Joe Strangie, Jr. F, Danvers
Kyle Williams, Sr. G, Central Catholic

GIRLS' MIDSEASON ALL-STATE
F - Natalie Flynn, Arlington Catholic
F - Kayla Smith, Woburn
F - Kati Goguen, Acton-Boxborough
D - Martha Findley, Duxbury
D - Emily Loebs, Acton-Boxborough
G - Courtney Davis, Woburn

Others garnering consideration:
Cassandra Connolly, Jr. D, Woburn
Lily Connolly, Jr. F, Duxbury
Jackie Denning, Jr. F/D, Lexington
Rachel Donahoe, Sr. D, St. Mary's of Lynn
Jane Freda, Jr. F/D, Hingham
Haley Gaughan, Sr. F, Canton
Samantha Girard, Fr. F, Dedham
Erika Kelly, Sr. F, Watertown/Melrose
Cali Loblundo, 8th G, Acton-Boxborough
Brooke Matherson, D, Walpole
Caroline McCarthy, Sr. F, Belmont
Tori Messina, So. D, Hingham
Annie Messuri, D, Acton-Boxborough
Megan Messuri, Soph. G, Arlington Catholic
Hannah Murphy, Jr. F, Duxbury
Rachel Myette, So. G, Duxbury
Shannon O'Neil, G, Austin Prep
Danielle Phalon, Sr. F, Stoneham
Casey Schaejbe, Sr. G, Arlington
Sarah Schwenzfeier, Jr. F, Hingham
Caroline Shaughnessy, So. D, Duxbury
Kaitlyn Spillane, Jr. F/D, Franklin
Bethany Welch, Jr. G, Walpole
Rebecca Zappalla, Sr. D, Arlington Catholic

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.

ALLSTON, Mass. – Showing great discipline in their defensive system, No. 4 Catholic Memorial beat ISL rival and fellow hockey powerhouse St. Sebastian’s, 2-1, Wednesday night at Harvard University’s Bright Hockey Center.

The Knights got 29 saves from junior goaltender Shane Starrett, but it was the efforts of the defensemen in front of the lanky goalie and the back check of CM’s forwards that helped ground the high-flying Arrows’ attack in the teams’ annual Kevin Mutch Cup game.

“Those five guys, they played terrific,” CM head coach Bill Hanson said of his blue-liners. “They played well because they knew they had support coming back from the forwards. They moved the puck well, they were opportunistic and our goaltender is our goaltender.”

Starrett was particularly strong in the second period, when St. Seb’s out-shot the Knights, 14-5.

Despite not putting a shot on goal through the first half of the period, the Knights took the advantage on the scoreboard, scoring two second-period goals.

John Malewicz found the back of the net on CM’s second shot of the period with 6:13 remaining. A little more than a minute later, senior captain and defenseman Jared Beckwith followed with the Knights’ second tally. Winger Beau Starrett took an assist on the play in addition to setting a screen in front of Arrows netminder Gordon Donnelly.

ADJUSTING ON THE FLY
Both teams exhibited supreme speed throughout. So it was the Arrows’ transition game that had Hanson worried during the first intermission.

“We had to make an adjustment,” Hanson said. “We concentrated on not letting them get chances in transition.”

In addition to limiting St. Seb’s chance coming through the neutral zone, the Knights sagged their forwards down low on defense, limiting the Arrows’ chances in close and keeping shots to the periphery.

“When you collapse all five guys down low, it makes it harder to those second and third chances,” St. Seb’s coach Sean McCann said. “We were focused more of creating offense off the rush by taking speed wide and then driving to the net hard.

“I think we’ve got to be able to create two ways, on the rush and in the offensive zone, whether it’s looking for a guy on the short side or getting shots on net. We have to get a little more traffic in front of the goaltender.”

ARROWS HAVE POINT
St. Seb’s has plenty of offensive firepower, and they’re young to boot. With eighth-grader Cameron Askew and ninth-grade defenseman Noah Hanifin garnering many headlines (both have already given commitments to Northeastern and BC, respectively), the Arrows will be a tough opponent in the Keller Division for years to come.

“We’re not the type of school that’s going to bring in juniors and senior to load up the team,” McCann said. “We’re a school that tries to bring in younger kids in, through the seventh, eighth and ninth grades and really develop them. That’s not going to change.

“But, when you have a good number of players returning from last season, and coming off a pretty successful season like last year, you expect those kids to mature and do better.”

The Arrows had several last-minute chances to tie the game. After a CM penalty with a little more than a minute to play in the third, the teams skated 4-on-4; St. Seb’s had an one-man advantage with Donnelly pulled from the net.

Although the Arrows were unable to finish and scrounge up the equalizer, there were a few things to take away:

1. Askew is the real deal: An exceptional rush, while splitting two CM defensemen during the second period was a rare lapse in the Knights’ otherwise solid night. The 6-foot-2, 180-pounder came flying through the neutral zone, puck on a string, dangled and let off a back-hander that Starrett turned away. Along with his goal later in the period, Askew showed why he’s such a hot commodity at such a young age.
2. So is Danny O’Regan: While the youngsters grab more of the attention, let’s not forget about the senior captain, who’s scheduled to join a deep local class headed to Comm Ave. and join BU hockey in 2013. There was no better example of the hockey IQ he possesses than during a crucial point of the third period. With time winding down, O’Regan skated to a loose puck along the half wing boards. Then using his body, he shielded the puck from two on-coming CM defenders, creating a mismatch, before shoveling a nice saucer pass along the blue line for a shot from the point. It’s all those little things that help make good hockey teams and hockey players.

GOOD CAUSE
The Kevin Mutch Cup was awarded during a postgame ceremony. The annual matchup, which is dedicated in the memory of the former St. Seb’s and BU standout who was killed in 1992, is hosted by Mutch’s alma mater. The proceeds from the game are donated to Dana Farber.

“We always look forward to playing a team like CM, especially with their long and rich tradition there, like St. Sebastian’s does as well, it creates a great event that both teams look forward to,” McCann said. “It always means a lot going into this game and you could see it by the intensity of the game tonight.”

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.

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).

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.

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- Make no mistake about it, No. 5 Catholic Memorial’s 5-2 win over Catholic Conference rival Xaverian Tuesday night wasn’t a one-man show. Even though, at times, it may have appeared as such.

Chris Stathopoulos’ four-goal outburst helped the Knights out of an early 2-0 hole. Three of his goals were of the unassisted variety. But it wasn’t just Stathopoulos who led CM to victory. A persistent forecheck, some clutch penalty kills and the consistent play of Stathopoulos and linemates Tom Barrett and Kevin McCarthy were the driving force behind a crucial midseason victory.

“We just came out and played hard,” Stathopoulos said. “It’s not an individual effort, it’s a team effort. So I went out there with the boys and we got shots on net and we put it in the net.”

The fourth-ranked Hawks responded to head coach David Spinale’s call to carry play early in game with two goals within the first two minutes of play.

Xaverian (7-2-1, 2-1-0) scored on two of its first three shots on goal. Greg McWade was on the finishing end of some pretty transition, taking Billy Hildebrand’s feed and beating Knights netminder Shane Starrett (17 saves) stick side. Ryan Hall followed less than a minute later, banging home a rebound from the top of the crease off of Jason Salvaggio’s shot.

CM (7-5-0, 2-2-0) also scored on its first shot of the game, answering with Stathopoulos’ first marker of the evening 2:43 in.

After a fast start, neither team could find the net – despite some golden opportunities for the Knights to tie the game – until the nine-minute mark of the second period, when Barrett scored with assists from McCarthy and Stathopoulos.

“That line has really played terrific and they’ve carried for two games,” CM head coach Bill Hanson said of his second line.

As in the teams’ first meeting of the season, a 3-2 Xaverian win, Hawks goaltender Dave Michaels (32 saves) was again strong in net. But that didn’t stop Stathopoulos from taking over the third period, when he netted even-strength, short-handed and empty-net goals.

However, Hanson was most pleased with his team’s effort with a man-down in the third. He’s self-admittedly changed philosophy, allowing his team to play more aggressive on the penalty kill to take advantage of his team’s athleticism. The changes paid off with three successful kills within a five-minute span midway through the third.

“I thought we beat ourselves,” Hawks head coach Dave Spinale said. “On that fourth goal, we were on the power play. We turned it over and then we came back in our end and gave up a softy. We didn’t have poise, we didn’t have composure.”

Hanson labeled the game a “must-win” for the Knights, noting his team can match No. 2 Malden Catholic in the win column in the Catholic Conference standings with a victory over the Lancers on Saturday (2 p.m. at Walter Brown).

And while one player might have shouldered the load during last night’s test, the most encouraging sign was effort starting with his second line and permeating the roster — something Hanson knows is paramount if the Knights are to make a deep postseason run.

“I told the kids, just because one guy scored four goals, that doesn’t mean that he won the game,” Hanson said. “The whole team played terrific.”