According to the MIAA records dating back to 1943, there have been 16 area high school boys hockey teams which have won state titles.
Before last season, three teams led the way with three titles each: Billerica, North Middlesex and Tewksbury.
After last year’s dramatic 3-2 win over Canton to capture the Division 2 title, Billerica is now No. 1 in terms of celebrating four state titles (the others came in 1975, ’76 and ’77).
Last year’s hockey season was fantastic, to say the least. The Indians defeated Tewksbury in the state semifinals. Littleton/Bromfield (19 wins), Dracut/Tyngsboro (17) and Shawsheen Tech (17) had incredible seasons as well.
Plenty of talent returns, including Sun All-Stars Timmy Murphy (Billerica) and Tyler Bourgea (Tewksbury). Murphy was part of Billerica’s lacrosse state championship team, while Bourgea is closing in on the Redmen’s all-time scoring record.
Three coaches are within striking distance of milestones: Dracut/Tyngsboro’s Drew DuRoss is five wins from 100, Lowell/Lowell Catholic’s Brian Akashian is eight from 100 and Tewksbury’s Derek Doherty is 15 from 350.
This year also brings a handful of changes. Lowell Catholic is now a co-op team with Lowell. This year marks the first season since 1991-92 that Steve Scanlon isn’t behind the Wilmington High bench. After coaching his 35th season, he lost his battle with cancer.
New coaches are Mark DiGiovanni (Wilmington) and Kathy Griswold (Alvirne).
Leading the Chelmsford High boys hockey team onto the ice this season will be captains Evan Karacek, left, and Aidan Kenney. (Courtesy photo)
Alvirne
League: NHIAA Div. 2
Last season: 14-9-0
Captains: Brandon Ganas, sr., for; Chris Bozza, sr., for; Landon Briand, sr., def.
Other returning letterwinners: Brandon Callahan, sr., for; Mason Tomkins, sr., def; Kian Corcoran, sr., goalie; Aiden Bradish, so., for; Brandon Hiltz, so., for; Ryan Sutton, so., def/for; Dylan MacLeod, jr., for; Evan Pargas, jr., for; Cam Cook, jr., def; Mason Komarek, jr., goalie; Nathan Ricci, jr., def; Ari Scarbro, jr., goalie; Riley McCarthy, so., def/for.
Promising newcomers: Wyatt Pepin, so., for; Luke Green, fr., def/for; Gavin Briand, fr., goalie; Jameson Thurrott, fr., def.
Coach Kathy Griswold (1st season): “I have a great group of players, both young and seasoned, who are looking to compete this year. We’re going to take it one game at a time.”
Billerica
League: MVC/DCL Div. 1
Last season: 23-1-1, Division 2 state champions
Captain: Cam Amenkowicz, sr., def; Timmy Murphy, sr., for. Assistant captains: John Taft, sr., def; Shawn Tierney, sr., for.
Other returning letterwinners: Brady Graham, so.; Cameron Smith, so.
Promising newcomers: Owen Fitzmaurice, so., def; Max Gonsalves, so., def; Logan Sheehan, jr., def; Jason Giordano, jr., def; Ben Shannon, 8th., def; Jake Cataldo, jr., for; Cam Smith, jr., for; Sam Parrella, so., for; Jacob Greene, so., for; Patrick Lizotte, so., for; Liam O’Boyle, so., for; Andrew Haley, fr., for; Nathan Nardini, fr., for.
Coach Jim Egan (12th season): “We are entering a reload season, but we also return several key players with significant leadership experience. Our leaders understand that playing in the competitive MVC/DCL 1 league is a challenge every night. And coming out of a MIAA Division 2 hockey championship season, we are going to prepare for every opponent’s best. Our team’s focus is on competing within our league, getting better each and every day, and believing in the process and in each other. We are excited and looking forward to another great season.”
Chelmsford
League: MVC/DCL I
Last season: 9-10-2
Captains: Evan Karacek, sr., def; Aiden Kenney, jr., for.
Other returning letterwinners: Rowan McDonald, so., for; Robert Monahan, sr., for; Thomas Gonsalves, jr., for; Andrew Monahan, sr., for; Jack Giacchetto, so., def; Logan Kowalik, sr., def; Will McNeal, jr., goalie.
Promising newcomers: Matt McCabe, so., for; Luke Harrington, jr., for; Ben Panzeri, fr., for; John Rossetti, so., for; Tommy Tobiassen, so., for; Cameron Panzeri, so., for; Tyler Wright, fr., for; Ryan Keyo, jr., def; Colin Veo, so., def; Vin Weissbach, sr., def; Max Ludwar, jr., def. Connor Melville, so., def; Keegan Hayes, fr., goalie.
Coach Kevin Leonard (10th year): “We have a young team after losing 14 seniors to graduation, so we’ll need a lot of the new guys to step up and play meaningful minutes for us right away. We’re going to lean on our returners early if we are going to have success right from the start, as our new guys get acclimated to our systems and the competition in a demanding MVC/DCL 1 schedule. Although we’re young, I’m confident that our roster will compete hard night in and night out and be difficult to play against.”
Dracut/Tyngsboro
League: MVC/DCL 3
Last season: 17-3-2
Captains: Charlie Wilkie, sr., for; Brendan Modeski, sr., for; Drew Mullin, sr., for; Ben Haubner, sr., def; Chad Vigeant, jr., def.
Other returning letterwinners: Jake Haubner, sr., for; Owen French, sr., goalie; Jake Meeker, sr., def; Derek Santos, jr., goalie; Sebastian Constago, so., for; Patrick Bernard, so., for; Matty Jackson, so., for; Aiden McGuiness, so., def; Jackson Luongo, jr., def.
Promising newcomers: Grayson Blakley, fr., goalie; Jake Vigeant, fr., for; Josef Salvo, fr., for; Sean McCoy, fr., for; Andrew Baija, fr., for; Nate Purtell, fr., def; Raiden Joyal, fr., for; Jimmy O’Brien, fr., for.
Coach Jeff DuRoss (10th season, 95-69-17): “We’re looking forward to seeing returning players step up in bigger roles this season. Should have a well-balanced team with some depth at all positions.”
Captaining the Alvirne High boys hockey team this season are, from left, Landon Briand, Brandon Ganas and Chris Bozza. (Courtesy photo)
Groton-Dunstable
League: Mid-Wach B
Last season: 3-17
Captains: Brody Acucena, sr., for; Griffin Southwick, sr., for; Drew McKennon, sr., for; Rob Flynn, sr., for.
Other returning letterwinners: Jared Cappella, sr., for; Mac Kahwati, sr., def; Owen Eastman, sr., def; Owen Enos, sr., def; Anthony Polcaro, sr., def; Cam Columbus, jr., goalie; Owen Bernard, jr., for; Jonas Carpenter, jr., for; Ben O’Brien, jr., for; Jack Orpen, jr., def.
Promising newcomers: Jack Saboliauskas, jr., for; Hunter Hillenberg, jr., for; Alex Presti, so., for; Kyle O’Brien, sr., def; Geoffrey Neiley, jr., def; Parker Woolfrey, fr., def; Cam Grasso, so., goalie.
Coach Brendan McCann (11th season): “We have a solid group of returners who are committed to playing hockey as a team. We have a great mix of individuals who understand what it takes to have success. We have tremendous depth up front with a solid core of defense that should make it tough on opponents in our own zone. We have plenty of confidence in net, whether it be Cam Columbus or Cam Grasso. A new league this year (Mid-Wach B) that should be very competitive and one we look forward to competing in.”
Littleton/Bromfield
League: Mid-Wach C
Last season: 19-4-0
Captains: Andrew Archer, sr., for; Conor Glew, sr., for; Liam Glew, sr., def; Jacob Dangel, sr., goalie; Gavin Werling, sr., for.
Other returning letterwinners: Blake Hannon, so., for; Austin Huber, so., for; Ryan Pittorino, so., for; Cael Peikos, jr., def.
Promising newcomer: Kelly Logan, so., for/def.
Coach Kevin Lizotte (7th season, 66-49-3): “We have a strong core of experienced returning players. My biggest concern is team depth; we have very low numbers this season.”
Lowell/Lowell Catholic
League: MVC/DCL 3
Last season: 7-15-0
Captains: Grady Avila, sr., goalie; Jeremy Dion, sr., def; Shane Peters, sr., def.
Other returning letterwinners: Will Buckley, jr., for; Anthony Ford, jr., def; Danny Gleason, jr., for; Caleb Malvesti, jr., for; Kyle Novo, jr., for; Lucas Veiga, jr., for; Brodie Anderson, so., for; Trevor Dodge, so., for; Thomas Peters, so., goalie; Luke Rurak, so., def; Connor Stevens, so., def.; Brennan Abrams, fr., for; Gavin Ferreira, fr., for; Kayden Michaud, fr., goalie; Tiago Vasconcelos, fr., def.
Promising newcomers: Matteo Gentile, sr., for; Jack Hugo, jr., for; Tyler Patenaude, jr., for; Kosarokhemarith Phat, jr., def; B.J. Rzepka, jr., for; Sebastian Gleisberg, fr., def; Jackson Gosnell, fr., def; Padraig Lamey, fr., def; Mason Lombardo, fr., def; Joey Zerchener, fr., def; Jayden Burdick, 8th, for; Jackson Gleason, 8th, for; Logan Kelly, 8th, goalie; Nathan Panagiotopoulos, 8th, for; Niko Rodrigues, 8th, for; Navarro Sanchez, 8th, goalie.
Coach Brian Akashian (12th season, 92-121-15): “We have an excellent group of student-athletes who care about each other, our school, and our program. We value working hard, being physically and mentally tough, not making excuses, and being great teammates. We are very young and do not have a ton of firepower returning, but it will be a great opportunity for some players to step into new roles and contribute. We are looking forward to working with this group and helping each one of our players improve.”
Leading the Lowell High/Lowell Catholic boys hockey team into the season are seniors, from left, Matteo Gentile, Grady Avila, Jeremy Dion and Shane Peters. (Courtesy photo)
North Middlesex
League: Mid-Wach B
Last season: 8-10-3
Returning letterwinners: Aiden Payette, so., for; Becket Amidon, so., for; Brady Lavery, sr., for; Christian Nawn, sr., for; Campbell Devine, sr., for; Joshua Chuikshank, so., for; Matthew Marshall, sr., for; Adam Dumont, so., def; Alex Sarbacker, sr., def; Brady Dunbar, sr., def; Connor Flaherty, jr., def; Jack Murphy, sr., goalie.
Promising newcomers: Charlie Burnett, fr., for; Cody Brandt, fr., def; Colton Pillsbury, fr., for; Landon Fitzgerald, fr., def; Nicholas Clements, so., for; William Graves, fr., for; Paul Kelly, so., goalie; Ryder Lavassaur, fr., goalie.
Coach Steve Trundle: “This year’s team is going to depend on playing strong defensively and having a group effort scoring-wise. We have some talent, and we just need to develop that to be successful.”
Shawsheen Tech
League: CAC
Last season: 17-4-2, state vocation champions
Captain: Charlie Shannon, sr., def. Assistant captains: Jacoby Patterson, sr., for; Eric Banda, sr., def; Justin Thibert, sr., for.
Other returning letterwinners: Jake Banda, sr., def; Brayden Johnson, sr., for; Jake Carr, sr., for; Hunter Gervais, sr., for; Jimmy O’Leary, jr., def; Joe DaSilva, jr., def; Dylan Mainini, jr., goalie; Josh Baker, so., for; Dylan Minasian, so., for; Kyle MacKeen, so., for; Justin Harrington, so., for; Ryan Hudd, so., for; Cam Banda, so., def; Harry Shannon, so., def.
Promising newcomers: Tom Peterson, sr., def; Brendan Nikonchuk, sr., for; Bode Mackenzie, so., def; Nate DiSchino, so., for; Jacob Alicandro, so., for; Nolan Harrison, so., goalie; Andrew Polleys, so., def; Wyatt Batchelor, fr., for; Grady Considine, fr., for.
Coach Chuck Baker (20th season): “We have a lot of experience returning and outstanding leadership. The team has worked hard in the offseason and has an excellent attitude heading into the season.”
Westford Academy’s boys hockey captains for the 2025-26 season are, from left, Aidan Koehr, Nick Kane, Cam Hoagland and Peter Burns. (Courtesy photo)
Tewksbury
League: MVC/DCL 1
Last season: 18-5-1
Captains: Tyler Bourgea, sr., for; Jake Cunha, jr., def. Assistant captain: Jackson Feudo, sr., for.
Other returning letterwinners: Jason Shreenan, jr., for; Kevin Andriolo, jr., for; Cameron Hatch, jr., for; Benjamin Christopher, sr., for; Jack Ryan, so., for; Michael Macauda, sr., def; Ricky Pacheco, sr., def; Timothy Garvey, so., def; Owen Savoie, sr., goalie.
Promising newcomers: Cameron Duval, sr., def; Cole Abruzi, so., goalie; Walter Jop, jr., for; Legend Crane, jr., def; Mason Hollien, fr., def; Jake Batts, sr., for; Conlon Jop, so., for; Andrew Conroy, sr., for; Jonathan Kusmaul, sr., for; Aaron Sosa, jr., for.
Coach Derek Doherty (25th season, 335-143-43): “We have experienced veterans and underclassmen, along with promising new additions and first-year players. We are looking to build off another deep run in the state tournament from last year and years past. Tyler Bourgea is at 128 career points and is not far away from breaking the program’s all-time scoring mark.”
Westford Academy
League: MVC/DCL 1
Last season: 10-8-1
Captains: Aidan Koehr, sr., def; Cam Hoagland, sr., goalie; Peter Burns, sr., for; Nick Kane, jr., for.
Other returning letterwinners: Ethan Murphy, sr., for; Max Banatt, jr., for; Ryan Hoagland, so., def.
Promising newcomers: Connor Boylen, sr.; James Roberts, jr.; Shaan Sidu, jr.; Holden Olson, so.; Jack Maietta, so.; Colten Carmichael, fr.; Ethan Boneck, fr.
Coach Chris Carpenter (3rd season, 24-11-3): “The Grey Ghosts are under the promising leadership and guidance of captains who have been a part of two very successful seasons and quickly stepped into inspiring leadership positions. We have several new players in the locker room who are primed to step into influential roles, including Max Banatt and Ethan Murphy. We hope to quickly ramp up and compete every night against a very challenging schedule.”
Captaining the Groton-Dunstable boys hockey team this season are, from left, Rob Flynn, Drew McKennon, Griffin Southwick and Brody Acucena. (Glen Shapland photo)
Wilmington
League: Middlesex Freedom Division
MIAA: Division 4
Last season: 5-17-0
Captain: Colin Allard, sr., def. Assistant captains: Nate Anderson, jr., def; Ryan Archer, jr., for.
Other returning letterwinners: Isaac Taveras, sr., for; Derek Perault, sr., for; Emrick O’Brien, sr., for; Cam Gray, sr., for; Luke Cushing, sr., def; Brady Cabral, sr., for; Cam Thompson, sr., goalie; Nate Murphy, jr., for; Max Bagtaz, jr., def; Hank Almeda, jr., for; Evan McClean, jr., goalie.
Promising newcomers: Tommy MacGilvray, so., for; Jonathan Cavanaugh, so., for; Kyle Spencer, so., for; Mason Voner, so., def; Jack Cyr, so., def; Nick Poeck, fr., for; Tyler Hally, fr., def; Michael Trimarchi, fr., for; Brendan Cyr, fr., def. Nick Spinosa, sr., for.
Coach Mark DiGiovanni (1st season): “Our team members need to trust each other’s efforts, build each other up, and stick together. They need to buy into the process and execute what the coaching staff communicates.”