1/17/12 rankings

Below is our 2011 top 25 MIAA hockey poll, as selected by our panel of staff writers and correspondents. (Updated 1/17)

Team Name	Last year's record	Last year's ranking	Notes
1. Malden Catholic	(6-1-1)	1	It was close, but the Blue Blades shifted into another gear in the third period of the 7-4 win over Prep. Sophomore winger Pat Wrenn has scored some awfully big goals in the last two weeks.
2. St. Mary's of Lynn	(9-1-1)	2	Junior Bobby Mullins (5-12-17) is very quietly leading the Spartans in scoring again.
3. BC High	(6-1-0)	3	The Eagles looked rather efficient and rather flashy (with those gold jerseys) in a 4-0 win over Catholic Memorial at Frozen Fenway.
4. Hingham	(9-2-0)	5	The Harbormen keep chugging along despite sweating out a 2-1 win over No. 22 Reading. Another Top 25 test against St. John's of Shrewsbury comes on Wednesday.
5. St. John's Prep	(5-4-0)	7	The Eagles find themselves in much the same situation they did around this time last year, and it looks as though they've hit their stride again with a fairly good showing against MC and a 5-1 win over CM.
6. Woburn	(7-2-1)	4	Once again showing how small the difference is between the Top 5 and the rest of field, the Tanners fall 3-0 to No. 11 Burlington, just when we thought they'd found some consistency.
7. Central Catholic	(4-2-2)	9	The Raiders gained a little bit of leverage in the DCL/MVC Div. 1 race with a quality 5-3 win over No. 13 Chelmsford.
8. Needham	(6-2-0)	8	Nothing lost, but certainly nothing gained by the Rockets last week with a tough Bay State League loss to Braintree (3-2) and an uninspired 3-1 win over Coyle-Cassidy.
9. Springfield Cathedral	(6-3-1)	15	Panthers vault into the Top 10 for the first time this season on the heels of a 3-1 win over CM on Thursday.
10. Catholic Memorial	(4-5-0)	6	Are the Knights headed for a repeat of last season? We'll find out in the coming weeks, but the message is clear, it's gut-check time for this group.