Championship hopefuls in all four divisions: South Shore boys hockey top 10 rankings

The high school boys hockey regular season draws to a close this week. That means the playoffs are just around the corner. And that means the South Shore is ready to dominate again.

Last winter, Hanover captured the Division 3 state crown, Canton lost in the Division 2 final, and BC High (Division 1), Duxbury (Division 2), Scituate (Division 3) and Norwell (Division 4) all made it to the semifinals.

There were no state playoffs in 2020-21 (COVID). In 2019-20, Canton (Division 2) and Hanover (Division 3) shared their respective crowns when the state finals were canceled. And in 2018-19, BC High (Super 8), Duxbury (Division 1) and Canton (Division 2) all skated off with titles.

You get the idea – the hockey kids around here are pretty good.

The latest MIAA power rankings, which were released Tuesday morning, suggest that more deep playoff runs are in store this winter. Across the four divisions, 13 South Shore teams are ranked inside the top 10, including three No. 1 seeds – Duxbury (Division 2), Scituate (Division 3) and Norwell (Division 4). Meanwhile, Hingham is No. 3 in Division 1, and Canton is No. 3 in Division 2.

With that in mind, let's squeeze in one final Patriot Ledger/Enterprise boys high school hockey Top 10 ranking before the postseason fun begins. You can find our first one (Jan. 5) here and our second one (Feb. 2) here.

(Current record, through Feb. 22, and previous ranking in parentheses.)

1. Hingham (14-2-5, 1)

The Harbormen retain their No. 1 ranking with a sizzling 10-1 finishing kick heading into Thursday's regular-season finale – a high-profile showdown with BC High in the Buddy Ferreira Classic final in Falmouth. During that stretch the Harbormen have beaten three teams in the top 10 of the latest MIAA Division 1 rankings – Pope Francis (No. 4), Catholic Memorial (No. 1) and St. John's-Shrewsbury (No. 10). Their only loss was in overtime to Arlington (No. 6). "We are getting contributions from everywhere," coach Tony Messina said. "All four lines have scored key goals. Our depth is our strength." Andrew Concannon (8 goals, 17 assists, 25 points) and Aidan Brazel (13-5–18) have been sharp, and Messina calls senior Chase McKenna (3-18–21) "one of the top defenseman in the state."

More:After developing on JV, Hingham High boys hockey goaltender Luke McLellan is shining

2. Marshfield (17-1-2, 2)

The Rams went 14-0 in Patriot League play, outscoring opponents 64-8, and took a seven-game winning streak into Thursday's regular-season finale against Xaverian. Marshfield has a slew of big-time wins, including two-game sweeps against Duxbury and Silver Lake and single victories over Scituate, Braintree and Canton. A 1-1 tie with Hingham on New Year's Eve also stands out. For MIAA seeding purposes, the Rams' lone loss was to Belmont (13-6-3) in the Ed Burns Coffee Pot Tournament on Jan. 29. Jake Hemingway (11-16–27), Tommy Carroll (8-17–25), Ryland McGlame (9-16–25) and Cam McGettrick (9-14–23) lead a deep group of forwards, and goalies Brady Quackenbush (0.74 GAA, .954 save percentage, 7 shutouts) and Kevin Murphy (1.08, .934, 2 shutouts) are stingy.

3. Duxbury (15-5-2, 3)

The Dragons started slowly – they were 1-2-2 following a Dec. 27 shootout win over Scituate that officially counted as a tie – but they have warmed up since then, going 14-3. Their only losses during this run were to Marshfield (twice) and suddenly red-hot BC High; the latter, in the Buddy Ferreira Classic, snapped a seven-game win streak during which Duxbury surrendered only 7 total goals. Seniors Aiden Harrington (11-14–25) and Connor O'Connell (10-15–25) lead a balanced offense that also features senior Brendan Bonner (6-12–18) and junior Michael Hussey (5-12–17). Goalie Sam Mazanec has been sharp (2.11 GAA, .951 save percentage, 4 shutouts). Duxbury lost in double-overtime in the state semifinals last season and seems primed to go at least that far again.

More:Freshman Anderson Kilbourne might be the final piece Duxbury High boys hockey needs

4. Canton (17-4, 5)

The playoffs are here, so it must be time for another spirited Bulldogs run. Canton has made a habit out of sticking around in the postseason. Last year's 3-1 loss to Tewksbury in the Div. 2 state final at TD Garden halted a 13-game playoff winning streak that included the legendary 2019 state title (the Bulldogs were 25-0-1 that season), the run to the 2020 final that was abandoned due to COVID and the first four playoff games of 2021-22. (Remember, there was no state tournament in 2020-21, again due to COVID.) Since Jan. 21, the Bulldogs are 8-2 with the only losses coming against Hingham and Marshfield. As usual, Canton has been sound defensively, allowing only 28 goals in 21 games.

5. Norwell (20-1, 7)

The Clippers lead the state in wins. No team got to 20 victories during the 2021-22 regular season, so Norwell already has made a little recent history. The Clippers, whose only loss was to Duxbury (4-2 on Dec. 29), will take a 14-game winning streak into the Division 4 playoffs. Norwell will be seeded No. 1 for the second straight year; last season's run ended with a double-overtime loss to eventual state champ Sandwich in the semifinals, so "unfinished business" might be the theme of this year's title quest. Said coach Jim Casagrande: "After last year, we understand that every game is a battle." Timmy Ward (23-35–58) is one of the most prolific scorers anywhere, and forward-turned-defenseman Kevin Leary "has been one of the best players in the state on the back line," Casagrande noted.

6. Scituate (16-4-2, 9)

How close are the Sailors to being undefeated? Consider that all four of their losses have been by a single goal with two of the games (against Pembroke and Plymouth South) going to overtime. They'll take a six-game winning streak into the playoffs after beating Hanover, 5-4, in OT in the final of the Gould Tournament on Wednesday night. Scituate has had consistent scoring from the top line of Teagen Pratt, James Sullivan and Johnny Donahue. Matt Seghezzi and Dylan Richman have led the blue line, and goalie Thomas McMellen has been solid, having just pitched a 3-0 shutout against Pembroke in the Gould opener. Scituate lost, 1-0, to eventual state champ Hanover in last year's Division 3 semis, and the Sailors have to be the favorites to win it all this time.

More:'It's our revenge tour': Top-ranked Scituate High boys hockey team is taking down names

7. Braintree (12-6-2, 6)

The Wamps finish the regular season on a 5-0-1 hot streak after beating Arlington, 3-2, in Wednesday's regular-season finale. They won the Bay State Conference Herget Division crown for the third straight year. They also played a challenging schedule with a non-league win over Reading (10-7-4), a 2-2 tie against Hingham (after trailing 2-0) and losses to Andover (11-5-4), Pope Francis (16-2-4), Arlington (14-5-2) and Marshfield. This month senior forward Kyle Hutchinson had one hat trick in a 4-1 win over Framingham and another one (along with 2 assists) in the division-clinching victory over Walpole. Anthony Cappello, Charlie DiMartino and Nick Fasano provide additional offense, and coach David Fasano said senior defenseman/co-captain Drew Coady "continues to shine."

More:Ryan Cochrane steps as Braintree High boys hockey plays Hingham to a tie

8. BC High (9-9-1, NR)

The second half of the MIAA power ranking equation (opponent rating) essentially measures the strength of your schedule. The Eagles' score of 3.38 is the highest of any of the state's 187 MIAA teams, so let's go ahead and assume they are the best .500 team you've ever seen. It's been an interesting season for BC High – an appearance at Fenway Park on Jan. 13, followed, less than a week later, by the news that longtime coach John Flaherty had been placed on administrative leave after being charged with drunk driving. Right around that time the Eagles lost seven of eight and appeared to be circling the proverbial drain. They've righted the ship now and took a four-game winning streak into Thursday's Buddy Ferreira Classic final against Hingham.

9. Silver Lake (14-7-1, 10)

Shout-out to senior defenseman Aiden Dunphy, who has 10 points in his last three games and recently hit the 100-point mark for his career (27-73–100). He's the first Laker to reach that milestone since David Marani (Class of 1985). Dunphy's scoring line this season is 12-30–42. Coach Dan Scott said the Lakers' top line of Pat Murphy (12-8–20), Brandon Cavicchi (16-16–30) and Ben Cronin (10-7–17) "have been playing lights out lately, doing everything that needs to be done to win hockey games at both ends of the ice." Senior forward Connor Finn (10 goals) has anchored the second line, Connor Donohue (4-8–12) has been key on the blue line, and goalie Strummer Beals has been sharp.

10. Weymouth (12-8-2, NR)

The Wildcats got off to a lousy start, sitting at 1-6-1 after an overtime loss to Braintree on Jan. 11. Somehow, they flipped the switch. Three days later they beat Barnstable in OT and haven't stopped winning, going 11-2-1 – a run capped by Wednesday's 6-4 conquest of Bishop Fenwick in the regular-season finale. "Just doing the little things – staying disciplined and focused," coach Pat Kennedy said in explaining the dramatic turnaround. "We're recognizing how little plays on a consistent basis lead to bigger plays." Jack Brady had OT goals two days apart to beat Needham and Wellesley, and A.J. Prioli exploded for 4 goals in wild 7-5 conquest of Milton on Feb. 15. Goalie Grady Saltify (24 saves against Fenwick) has a 2.87 GAA.

On the bench: Archbishop Williams (11-8-1), Plymouth South (12-7-1), Cohasset/Hull (12-5-3), Whitman-Hanson (10-9-1), Oliver Ames (10-9-1), Rockland (10-9-1), Southeastern/Bristol-Plymouth (11-7-1), Hanover (7-10-3), Milton (8-10-1)

This article originally appeared on The Patriot Ledger: South Shore high school boys hockey top 10 rankings