There has been no shortage of drama and thrilling stories through the first eight games of the 2020 MIAA Division 1A Super 8.
Four of the eight have been decided by one goal, including an overtime contest. In the double elimination format, No. 5 Xaverian and No. 7 Burlington have been bounced from the tournament.
No. 1 Arlington and No. 3 Pope Francis will play this Saturday for the right to come out of the winner’s bracket and earn a spot in the championship game March 15 at TD Garden. The remaining four teams, including two-defending champion BC High will have to fight it out in the loser’s bracket.
Results
Round 1
No. 1 Arlington 2, No. 8 Framingham 1
No. 4 St. John’s Prep 2, No. 5 Xaverian 1
No. 2 BC High 3, No. 7 Burlington 0
No. 3 Pope Francis 6, No. 6 Catholic Memorial 1
Winner’s bracket semifinals
No. 1 Arlington 3, No. 4 St. John’s Prep 1
No. 3 Pope Francis 4, No. 2 BC High 0
Loser’s bracket
No. 8 Framingham 4, No. 5 Xaverian 3 (OT)
No. 6 Catholic Memorial 2, No. 7 Burlington 1
Upcoming Schedule
Loser’s bracket - March 4th
No. 2 BC High vs. No. 8 Framingham (6 p.m., Gallo Arena)
No. 4 St. John’s Prep vs. No. 6 Catholic Memorial (6 p.m., Stoneham Arena)
Winner’s bracket - March 7th
No. 1 Arlington vs. No. 3 Pope Francis (Loring Arena)
Loser’s bracket - March 7th
BCH/FHS winner vs. SJP/CM winner (Loring Arena)
Loser’s bracket - March 11th
AHS/PF loser vs. BCH/FHS/SJP/CM winner
MIAA Division 1A Super 8 Final
 March 15th, TD Garden
Six Takes
1. An ’05 freshman is the best player in the MIAA
I’ve watched all of the Super 8 teams and about 30 other teams from around high school hockey in Massachusetts and no player comes close to matching Ryan Leonard in terms of talent and upside. The Pope Francis superstar had three goals and two assists in Thursday’s 6-1 win over Catholic Memorial. He added an insurance tally in yesterday’s 4-0 triumph over BC High.
Leonard’s older brother, John, is a San Jose Sharks prospect and has 27 goals in 32 games as a junior for UMass. The younger Leonard might be just as good, if not better. He’s got a hard shot, is heavy on pucks, and sees the ice in the attacking zone extremely well.
I’d expect Leonard will dominate for another season with Pope Francis before getting an invite to NTDP Evaluation Camp in 2021. From there, he’ll end up on the NTDP U-17 or likely with a USHL team.
2. Spy Ponders battle adversity
It’s not everyday that you can say the top seed had to fight through adversity in its first two games of a tournament. However, Arlington has had to overcome some things in the first two games.
First, John Messuri’s team had to play a de facto road game against Framingham at Loring Arena. The Spy Ponders gave up the first goal and the roof just about blew off. Still, Arlington persevered for a 2-1 win.
The second game wasn’t as much adversity, but Arlington held on for a victory, despite being outplayed and having to kill penalties for large stretches of the game’s final two periods. Arlington had jumped out to a 3-0 lead after one period, but were outscored 1-0 the rest of the way.
While I’m extremely impressed with how Pope Francis is playing right now, especially its top line, I still believe Arlington is the team to beat in the 2020 MIAA Division 1A Super 8. Messuri’s team has two solid lines and a goaltender who is playing well right now.
3. Does Will Trischitta ever come off the ice?
The answer, obviously, is yes, but the long answer is not for long. Framingham roles just two lines the entire game and it seems as if the team’s superstar is on the ice all the time. Trischitta scored the overtime game-winning goal against Reading in the play-in game and he repeated the feat on Sunday to stave off elimination against Xaverian. He also scored his team’s only goal against Arlington.
Trischitta is on the smaller side, but he’s a great skater and he can really snap off a shot. Every USPHL NCDC team and top prep schools with post-graduates should be clamoring for his services for the 2020-21 season.
4. Play your best players
It’s a continued point of frustration for me, but I will never quite understand why some high school coaches refuse to play their best players. One of the best young players in the state is on a team’s fourth line when he should be a top six player getting tons of ice time. That’s especially true given he’s a skilled player who could help a team that struggles to score.
I give tons of credit to coaches like Brian Foley at Pope Francis who play their best players, regardless of age. I always think it’s funny when high school coaches complain about players leaving for prep, after they spent the whole season burying them on the depth chart.
5. The atmosphere of these games has been electric
The MIAA Super 8 games at Stoneham Arena and Loring Arena have been unbelievable from a fan’s perspective. The games have been intense and the crowds have been great. It makes watching that much more enjoyable. While this story is about the Super 8, even the Division 1 North and Division 2 North games I've attended at Stoneham, Chelmsford Forum and O'Brien Rink in Woburn have been great takes.
6. The MIAA still needs to do better
Messuri told me Sunday night that Northeastern offered to let the MIAA use Matthews Arena for some of these games, but the MIAA blew it off. According to Messuri, families of players were among the 300 or so people turned away at the door Sunday in Stoneham.
That should not happen. While I love the electric atmosphere the smaller rinks provide, it’s a shame the MIAA once again dropped the ball. As Messuri pointed out, “Kids don’t grow up dreaming of playing a Super 8 game at Stoneham or Loring.”
These Super 8 games should be at Matthews Arena, Walter Brown Arena, or Bright-Landry Hockey Center.Â
The MIAA always professes that the organization puts kids first, but it’s becoming increasingly clear that the almighty bottom dollar is always of utmost priority to the MIAA.
Want proof? The MIAA opted to play the Sunday’s winner’s bracket games in two different locations, knowing that the gate would be far better if they kept Burlington in Stoneham.
