CMass Lax Power Rankings: 4/7/14

Shrewsbury is known for senior goalie Chris Gorman and its defense, but the Colonials got downright offensive against Westboro last week.

By Joe Parello (@HerewegoJoe)

There was some major movement in our Power Rankings, but not at the very top, where St. John's showed it will once again be the team to beat in Central Mass.

Just below the Pioneers, always powerful Algonquin looked like its usual self, while Shrewsbury showed more scoring punch than anybody could have imagined on its way to three impressive wins.

Here are our Power Rankings for this week.

1. St. John's: 2-0, 0-0 Catholic Conference. Division 2        Last Week: 1

2. Shrewsbury: 3-0, 2-0 Midland A. Division 2                    Last Week: 4

3. Algonquin: 2-0, 2-0 Midland A. Division 2                      Last Week: 2

4. Grafton: 4-0, 2-0 Mid-Mass. Division 3                            Last Week: 5

5. Westboro: 1-1, 1-1 Midland A. Division 2                        Last Week: 3

In the Hunt: St Bernard's (2-0), Tyngsboro (1-0), Doherty/Burncoat (2-0), Assabet (3-0), Wachusett (2-2), Nipmuc (1-1), Nashoba (0-2)

St. John's beat Medway and upstart Nashoba by a combined score of 26-1. Yeah, the Pioneers are that good.

Shrewsbury, meanwhile, barely edged Nashoba, but looked far better in its next two games. The Colonials won an unexpected shootout with Westboro, 17-13, then blew out a pretty good Nipmuc team 16-1.

Algonquin just keeps on rolling. The T-Hawks crushed Groton-Dunstable 15-5, and then gutted out a 10-8 road win over up-and-coming Wachusett. The other team to beat Wachusett this season is Westboro, but the Rangers will be looking for answers defensively after giving up 17 to supposedly defensive-minded Shrewsbury.

St. Bernard's and Tyngsboro's undefeated starts are not very surprising, but the 2-0 start of the Worcester combined lacrosse team (Doherty/Burncoat) should turn some heads. This combined team had been a regional doormat the last few seasons, so it's nice to see the sport growing in Inter-High.

Nashoba is talented, but as we saw in their 10-goal loss to St. John's, the Chieftains are still a ways away from contending for a district championship. Assabet is looking to replace BVT as one of the best small schools in the region, while Wachusett and Nipmuc could each play the spoiler role for somebody else as the playoffs near.

Game(s) of the Week: Nashoba at St. Bernard's (Monday at 4PM), and vs Westboro (Tuesday at 4 PM).

If any team is on the hot seat this week, it's the Nashoba Chieftains. After playing Shrewsbury close on opening day, Nashoba took a beating at the hands of defending CMass champ St. John's Saturday.

This week brings a pair of games where the Chieftains can gain some respect regionally, against undefeated, but untested, St. Bernard's, and then against the much-hyped (with good reason) Westboro Rangers.

But these games aren't just about Nashoba. St. Bernard's will be looking to prove it is a viable threat in Division 3 Central/West, while Westboro is badly in need of a league win after last week's loss to Shrewsbury.