St. John’s finishes in top spot despite loss in MAPHL semis
At the start of the season, the St. John’s boys’ hockey team appeared at the top of The Washington Post rankings. Now, as the season comes to a close, it remains there despite finishing the season with a loss.
The Cadets won their second straight Washington Catholic Athletic Conference title last month on a goal from junior forward Connor Hall. Then they relied on their defensive prowess in the Mid-atlantic Prep Hockey League playoffs before bowing out in the semifinals to eventual champion Dematha. That defeat doesn’t overshadow the fact that the Cadets were the strongest team in the area for much of the season.
Meanwhile, the Northern Virginia School Hockey League featured a title rematch between Langley and Briar Woods that went to overtime, where the Saxons capped an undefeated season with their second straight championship.
After an inconsistent regular season, Dematha brought home the MAPHL trophy for the first time since 2008 with an impressive playoff run that included two shutouts.
The Maryland Student Hockey League and Capital Scholastic Hockey League title games played out similarly: Walter Johnson hoisted the MSHL trophy for the first time since 2005 thanks to a one-goal win over reigning champion Churchill. Meanwhile, 10thseeded Bishop Ireton defeated Lake Braddock in overtime to nab the CSHL championship.
On the girls’ side, Georgetown Visitation captured the program’s first Mid-atlantic Girls Hockey League title and St. John’s repeated as WCAC champion. Archbishop Spalding had a dominant season in which the Cavaliers reached the MAGHL title game.
Boys’ Top 10
1. St. John’s (22-6-1) LR: 1 | The Cadets repeated as WCAC champions and finished the regular season atop the MAPHL with just one conference loss.
2. Landon (7-2-3) LR: 3 | After finishing the regular season atop the Interstate Athletic Conference, the Bears defeated a tough Bullis team in a shootout to clinch the IAC championship.
3. Langley (14-0-0) LR: 4 |
Behind captain Kameron Khazai’s bookend goals, the Saxons topped Briar Woods for the second year in a row to cap an undefeated season with the NVSHL trophy.
4. Georgetown Prep (8-1-3) LR: 5 | The Little Hoyas finished a solid season with a trip to the MAPHL title game.
5. Gonzaga (16-7-4) LR: 2 |
Despite a quarterfinal exit in the MAPHL AA division tournament, the Eagles reached the WCAC title game. The V2 team topped the MAPHL A Division with its second consecutive title and fifth for the school.
6. Briar Woods (10-2-1) LR: Not ranked | The Falcons finished atop the Smythe Division and reached the NVSHL title game, where goaltender Brady Knode recorded 40 saves.
7. Walter Johnson (17-3-1) LR: Not ranked | The Wildcats hoisted the MSHL trophy for the first time in 18 years by topping defending champion Churchill.
8. Dematha (7-15-3) LR: Not ranked | In an erratic season that’s difficult to evaluate, the Stags went from being a play-in team to bringing home the MAPHL trophy. The victory ended a 14-year title drought for the program, which will graduate 11 seniors.
9. Churchill (12-7-1) LR: Not ranked | The 10-time MSHL champions weren’t able to repeat, but the Bulldogs did finish among the top four teams in Montgomery County.
10. Bishop Ireton (14-14-1) LR: Not ranked | After entering the CSHL tournament seeded 10th, the Cardinals won four straight games to capture the title in overtime.
Girls’ Top 3
1. Georgetown Visitation (10-0-0) | The Cubs capped an undefeated regular season with their first MAGHL trophy.
2. St. John’s (7-4-0) | Despite battling a separated shoulder all season, senior captain Caroline Lokken scored two goals and added an assist in the Cadets’ second consecutive victory in the WCAC title game.
3. Spalding (7-3-0) | The Cardinals capped a strong regular season with an appearance in the MAGHL final after beating St. John’s, 4-1, in the semifinals.