Not a whole lot has changed in the IHDB Top Ten this week. Not many challenging games for the teams which will all change this week.
1. (1) Pope Francis –Continue to roll with recent wins over SJP & Central Catholic.
2. (2) BC High – Tie with SJP & a Central Catholic victory they hold onto #2. Big game this weekend against MC.
3. (3) Malden Catholic – Slow week for MC; a win over X and a game tonight against SJP should be a good measuring stick for both.
4. (4) Austin Prep – win over Arlington Catholic and Billerica keeps gives them enough to hold onto #4.
5. (5) St. Mary's – Lowell Catholic and Winchester wins keep them at #5.
6. (6) Hingham – Wins over Marshfield & Winchester keep them at #6.
7. (7) St. John's Prep – no shame in BC High tie and a Pope Francis 2-1 loss.
8. (9) Arlington Catholic – A SJP loss and a Billerica win has them holding on to dear life to stay in the top 10.
9. (10) Central Catholic – hanging tough against Pope Francis in a 1-0 loss means something although BC High showed their fire power with a 6-0 drubbing.
10. (NR) Arlington’s win over previous #8 Andover and win over Woburn gets them into the top 10
is this the same guy that does/did the Top 10 05 on the youth board? I am new to this side of the fence....
No. That guy followed on year - 'List Guy' this is for high school and so far this list has been better than My Hockey Live, HNIB and by far better than the Boston Globe. Not sure if the Gobe even follows high school sports anymore.
1. POPE FRANCIS (6-0-0; preseason 4) – Even without a Division 1 commit on the roster, the Cardinals remain one of the elite programs in the state.
2. BC HIGH (5-0-1; preseason 5) – The Eagles get a big test this weekend at Malden Catholic before heading off to Fenway.
3. MALDEN CATHOLIC (1-1-2; preseason 1) – Weird that the Lancers won the Christie Serino Christmas Classic without actually winning a game.
4. AUSTIN PREP (4-0-1; preseason 7) – The Cougars were less than a minute from a win at MC and a perfect start.
5. ST. JOHN’S PREP (1-2-2; preseason 2) – We’ll waive our “no ranked teams under .500” rule because the Eagles’ loss to Delbarton was considered an MIAA Endowment Game.
6. ARLINGTON (4-1-0; preseason 6) – The Spy Ponders have been rolling since a season-opening road loss to Pope Francis.
The wild cards: 7. Catholic Memorial (5-1-0; preseason NR); 8. Arlington Catholic (4-1-0; preseason NR); 9. St. Mary’s (4-2-0; preseason 3); 10. Hingham (4-1-2; preseason 10).
Arlington hasn't faced any completion since Pope Francis
Watched my nephew's game against Arlington (we lost) and was shocked at how many Arlington parents are disgusted by politics of the program this year. Appears that the coach took his entire private team that pays him each year and put them all on varsity.
Seniors parents are not happy that the coach is looking to build 4 years down the road at the expense of the current seniors
Something to watch
Taking a page out of the old Catholic School playbook is he? Most public schools aren't onto this concept of having your kids play together year around on a select team and then pull into the high school season looking like a real team.
Of course the Catholics also coach (often the assistant coaches) younger select teams to keep the recruiting pipeline open which the publics have no chance of playing this game as they are stuck with the kids that live in their district.
But hey, who needs apples to apples when it comes to high school hockey?
I'm surprised more coaches don't do what the Arlington coach does. Kids skate together year round on his "private" team. Coach M make lots of money charging them $3000 each to play. Parents are happy spending the money to get their kids playing time on the high school varsity team. Everyone is happy