Predicting the 2025 MIAA girls hockey championships

It's always one of the best days on the sports calendar in Massachusetts.

That's right, the MIAA hockey championships are upon us. Come Sunday, TD Garden will be packed with rowdy student sections, lots of family and friends and, of course, teams and players hopeful that the bounces will go their way with a title on the line.

We're down to the final two teams remaining in Divisions 1 and 2. At one end, you've got a juggernaut in top-seeded Hingham taking on No. 15 Bishop Stang, who's in the midst of a Cinderella run, for the Division 1 crown. Meanwhile, in D2, there were several upsets along the way, giving us No. 6 Milton against No. 13 Medfield.

There's never any shortage of drama. Just look at last year's Division 1 title game where St. Mary's took down Notre Dame (Hingham) in triple overtime. With the Spartans out of it in D1 and Duxbury out in D2, new champions will be crowned.

Here’s the full schedule for Sunday’s games, including the boys championships:

• D4 boys: No. 5 Winthrop vs. No. 6 Dedham | 9 am
• D1 girls: No. 1 Hingham vs. No. 15 Bishop Stang | 11 am
• D1 boys: No. 4 Catholic Memorial vs. No. 14 St. John’s Shrewsbury | 1 pm
• D2 boys: No. 1 Billerica vs. No. 3 Canton | 3 pm
• D3 boys: No. 1 Nauset vs. No. 2 Medfield | 5:30 pm
• D2 girls: No. 6 Milton vs. No. 13 Medfield | 7:30 pm

BOYS PICKS: Predicting each MIAA boys championship matchup

My predictions for the tournaments back on Feb. 25 did not age well, at all. The only team I picked correctly to reach either championship was Hingham. The Harborwomen were also the only team I got right of the final four teams in D1. Meanwhile, Milton was the only team I got right in the final four of D2, otherwise, it wasn't good for me there either.

Now it's time for some redemption. Let’s dive into my guaranteed-to-be-correct picks for championship day.

Division 1: No. 1 Hingham vs. No. 15 Bishop Stang

I'll revert to a classic: what happens when an unstoppable force meets an immovable object?

In one corner, you've got Hingham (23-1-1). Courtney Turner's Harborwomen were ranked No. 1 for essentially the entire season, going undefeated until the regular season finale. Since then, despite some close games, they've taken care of business in the tournament, beating No. 32 Wellesley, No. 16 Shrewsbury, No. 8 Belmont and No. 4 HPNA to reach the championship.

At the other end, you've got Bishop Stang (18-5-1). The Spartans, a co-op of 10 schools, had some ups and downs at the end of January and start of February, but they enter the championship on a seven-game heater. Bill Theodore's squad has faced an immense uphill climb to get to this point, beating No. 18 Winthrop before pulling off three major upsets as they took down No. 2 NDA, No. 7 Bishop Feehan and No. 6 Methuen/Tewksbury. Not only that, but it was a commanding 4-0 win over NDA before tight wins over Feehan, 1-0, and M/T, 3-2.  The win over Winthrop was their first playoff win in program history.

GIRLS BRACKETS: Division 1 | Division 2

Hingham is incredibly deep. They boast the state's best player in senior Holy Cross commit Caroline Doherty as well as a tremendous supporting cast up front with senior Addy Garrity, sophomore Callie Crean and sophomore Hannah Lasch. Each has shown up with key production in the tournament. On defense, they've got a dynamic three-zone threat in junior Shea Richardson and a good shutdown presence in junior CC Flynn. Izzi Puleo has taken hold of the crease with a good tournament, too.

For Stang, freshman goalie Vivienne Melo has been a force. She made 31 saves in the semifinals. Senior Kacey Curran and sophomore Isa Rioux have been at the forefront of the Spartans' production in the tournament. Madisyn Blanchard and Avery Frias were clutch in the semifinals, too. Frias tied it with under a minute to go and Blanchard won it in overtime.

Bishop Stang is rolling, but I can't ignore Hingham's depth.

If you recall, I picked the Harborwomen in my tournament predictions. I'm sticking to my guns.

Prediction: Hingham wins, 4-2

Division 2: No. 6 Milton vs. No. 13 Medfield

These two teams could not have had different arcs down the stretch.

Milton started the season with four straight wins before going winless in three games at the Tenney Cup. Since then, the Wildcats are unbeaten in 18 straight (16-0-2). They've given up more than two goals just three times in that span. In the postseason, Matt Lodi's group has taken down No. 27 Dedham, No. 22 Dennis-Yarmouth, No. 3 Woburn and No. 7 Marshfield to reach the championship. All but the Woburn upset was a one-goal game.

Medfield (15-7-2), meanwhile, was among the top teams in D2 after a 6-0-2 start, but they had some ups and downs after, including going 2-5-0 between Feb. 1 and the end of the regular season. Since then, John Summers' squad has caught fire, winning five in a row. In the tournament, they've upset No. 20 Hopkinton, No. 4 Algonquin, No. 5 Burlington and No. 1 Westwood. No one has had a harder path to the championship. Talk about battle-tested.

BOYS BRACKETS: Division 1 | Division 2 | Division 3 | Division 4

The Wildcats' top producers have risen to the occasion this postseason. Junior Sabrina Stone, junior Nayeli Thayer and senior Molly Murphy have all been clutch. Stone and Thayer scored twice against Dennis-Yarmouth, and Stone scored both goals in a comeback, 2-1 win in double-overtime over Marshfield in the semis. Murphy scored the lone goal against Dedham and scored versus Woburn. Freshman Caera Hart has been fantastic in the crease, too.

Junior goalie Kamryn Perachi has been at the forefront of the Warriors' run. She made 29 saves in the semifinal upset of Westwood, while freshman Annie Flippo had a goal and an assist. Senior captain Maeve Kelly has been key, too. She had a goal and an assist against Hopkinton and two helpers versus Algonquin. They've benefitted from goals throughout the lineup.

Both teams are playing their best hockey at the right time, and this is a tough call. I highlighted Milton among the under-the-radar teams to watch at the start of the playoffs. I'm sticking to my guns once again.

Prediction: Milton wins, 3-1

RinkWise podcast: Who will win the MIAA championships?