Div. 3-4 hockey previews and players to watch – Boston Herald

When Jonny Abban saw his players on the ice at Hobomock Arena earlier this week, there was a new sense of relief in the air.

Sure, the temperatures were cold as expected, but as the shots began to explode from the poles, the reality began to face the esteemed coach of Hanover: high school hockey was finally back.

Recently, Div. The dominance of the three boys ’hockey has apparently fallen into two programs – Hawks and any opponent school they’ve encountered at TD Garden. Since 2014, the Hawks have been making Div. 3 finals four times and won two state championships (2016, 2020, when they finished co-champions with Longmeadow).

While the road to the championship may be more daunting in running a state-wide tournament, Hanover is still expected to struggle. The Hawks will return 14 seniors, the most notable of which are Robbie Hanna (10 goals, five assists last season) and Max DaSilva (eight goals, eight assists).

However, new competitors are coming to Hanover. 3 hardware, including some heavy sets that changed the Div. 2.

“I’ve always said there are really good teams here,” Abban said. “North, West… to get to the big game at the end of the year, you have to play hell of a good hockey. You also need a lot of luck… Patriot League is a tough league, in the evening, in the evening, and then that (fact) we got pretty good games this year with Canton, Falmouth and Norwell. Every night is a competitive night. ”

This year, the Hawks will have to fight rival Scituate, who won the crown of the Patriot League Fisher Division in the fall II season with a record 13-2. Sailors brings back older strikers Brendan Boyle (12 goals, 13 assists) and Ben Whitman (eight goals, five assists) and goalkeeper Cole Coyne.

A few months ago, after reaching a 9-2-1 record, Triton’s program lost 12 seniors when it graduated. The Vikings expect big things from senior striker Cole Daniels as sophomore Jack Lindholm leads a renewed defense.

Bishop Stang is a watch program in the Catholic Central League (Small Division) and can cause problems for many teams. The Bishops finished 9-4-1 last season and will benefit greatly from the return of goalkeeper Justin Gouveia and defender Seamus Marshall.

Medway should be one of the favorites in the Tri-Valley League alongside Medfield and Dedham.

Jump into the newly formed Div. On the 4th field, a potential favorite is Sandwich, who also dropped out of the Div series. 2 categories.

The Blue Knights may have lost their best scorer when Rob Cardillo finished, but they will bring back senior captains Caleb Richardson (four goals, nine assists) and Drew McKinnon (one goal, 10 assists). Watch out for the appearance of Robin’s younger brother Christopher, who showed promise last season as a freshman.

Sandwich may face stiff competition from several enemies in the Cape and Islands League, including Nantucket. Whalers is led by senior center Hudson Perry (eight goals, 11 assists), who carry most of the goal. Also watch out for Martha’s Vineyard.

After skating Div. 3 In the Southern Semifinals in 2020, Norwell followed the situation by conquering the South Shore League Cup in Fall II and finished 8-2-2. When they begin their progress Div. In 4 wilderness, the Clippers do it confidently when they return older striker Connor Therrien and younger strikers Timmy Ward and Austin Shean. Seniors Jack Coyle and Max Maiellano anchor the defense.

Stoneham are starting a strong season and need to follow the team, while Dale Dunbar’s Winthrop team should be competitive again.

DIVISION FOR 3-4 PLAYERS TO WATCH

Brendan Boyle (Scituate)

Devin Dailey (Dighton-Rehoboth / Seekonk)

Cole Daniels (Triton)

Max DaSilva (Hanover)

Justin Gouveia (Bishop Stang)

Robbie Hanna (Hanover)

Joe Hayes (Winthrop)

Alex Infanger (Medway)

Seamus Marshall (Bishop Stang)

Drew McKinnon (Sandwich)

Evan Monaghan (Medway)

Hudson Perry (Nantucket)

Caleb Richardson (Sandwich)

Danny Storella (Stoneham)

Connor Therrien (Norwell)