As with nearly all levels, pure dynasties are practically a relic in high-school hockey. The longer a sanctioning body exists, and the broader and deeper its pool gets, the lower a program’s chances of stringing consecutive championships.
In almost every tradition-laden hockey state, bygone scholastic dynasties are easy to dismiss as products of a less competitive era. But as it is with Canada in the men’s IIHF, there is no cause to diminish the dominant legacy of pioneer high-school hockey teams.
These are the institutions who best influenced prospective and contemporary competitors. They exponentially sweetened the flavor of their eventual takedown for whoever would manage to disrupt their dynasty.
Moreover, regardless of quantity or quality of competition, single-elimination tournaments are exceptionally tough to win. On any given day in any given year, a consensus favorite and/or incumbent champion’s underdog challenger can find a compete level even they did not know they had in them.
The longer a dynastic program can suppress such threats to their reign, the shinier their legacy. It is as simple as that.
With one exception, the following 10 teams have mustered at least one set of five consecutive state championships. None hail from the State of Hockey — aka Minnesota, which has its own exceptional status through longtime parity. But they have all helped their states cement their respective statuses as hockey hotbeds through proud tradition in the boys’ and girls’ scholastic ranks.
10. Acton-Boxboro girls (Massachusetts)
Only one Massachusetts girls’ program has won four, let alone five straight titles in any division. The Colonials established that distinction to close the 20th century and their sport’s pre-MIAA era.
After Westwood won the first state crown in 1995, they claimed the throne and remained through 2000. Since then, though, they have yet to return to the summit.
9. Detroit Catholic Central boys (Michigan)
A transition from Class A to Division I did not disrupt a budding blister of dominance. DCC claimed its championship title in six years in 1999, capping off its Class-A era. It proceeded to successfully defend a state title for the first time in 2000, then repeat three more times.
If not for a 3-2 shortcoming versus Marquette in 2004, the Shamrocks could have run a string of seven straight championships. They rebounded to reclaim the laurel in 2005, equaling eight banners in 12 years.
While DCC’s dominance has lessened, it mustered 13 victories in 17 final appearances over the quarter-century between 1992-93 and 2016-17.
For the better part of the ’80s and ’90s, Cheyenne Mountain was peerlessly tricky for fellow Colorado high-school hockey programs. (Photo By Andy Cross/The Denver Post via Getty Images)
8. Cheyenne Mountain boys (Colorado)
With nine triumphs in 10 years between 1982 and 1991 (1987 was the off-year), the Indians recorded a comprehensive variety of victories. They clinched two of their titles in overtime, but generally put their challengers away with authority. Five of the championship games over the stretch in question ended in 7-1, 8-1, 13-4, 6-2 and 15-0 blowouts.
As a bonus, when the Centennial State’s pool got denser, Cheyenne Mountain managed five more titles between 1994 and 2004. But it has not been back to the title tilt since 2006.
7. Catholic Memorial boys (Massachusetts)
The prestigious Super Eight tournament debuted in 1990-91, and one offseason transfer undoubtedly helped sustain an imbalance of power. Goaltender Jim Carey had attended Boston College High School in 1989-90, then switched to the defending Division I champions.
In his first year as a Knight, the future Vezina Trophy winner went undefeated in 14 decisions. Catholic Memorial, which also won the 1986, 1987 and 1988 Division I trophies, would claim each of the first five Super Eights.
None other than BC High broke up that tear in 1996. Although the Knights later won four straight championships from 1998 to 2001. BC High triumphed again the next year, only to watch Catholic Memorial prevail in each of the following three. That amounted to an aggregate 16 Division I or Super Eight titles within two decades for the Knights.
6. Grand Forks Central boys (North Dakota)
After Grand Forks won the inaugural state title in 1967, the Knights quickly became the team everyone wanted to be. They would win each of the next six championships, then add five more between 1974-75 and 1979-80.
A crosstown rivalry with Red River percolated in that time, and the Roughriders emerged as the Knights’ paramount challenger. They were the ones to cut off GFC’s six-year dynasty in 1974, and the two schools were co-champions in 1977.
Red River has had some impressive stretches of its own, including a four-peat (1987 to 1990) three-peat from (1996 to 1998). But the Knights still lead the all-time banner count, 20-17. And GFC, which has never gone a full decade without a championship, just claimed its first repeat title since 2004 this year.
5. Hamden boys (Connecticut)
This is the one program to meet the extenuating circumstances and waive this list’s five-peat requirement. It helps to know that, during a 12-year stretch that saw it win 10 titles, Hamden lost the other two championship bouts by a single goal.
Darien denied the Green Dragons what would have been their first five-peat, 3-2, in 1969. After rebounding from a 2-1 loss to New Canaan in 1972, Hamden rebounded to collect another quartet of crowns.
With that, the Dragons had another shot at a five-peat in 1977. But they fell to West Haven, 4-2, in the Division I final. Still, they had made 13 consecutive trips to the title game, collecting 10 laurels in the first 12.
4. Hanover girls (New Hampshire)
The Marauders won nine of the first NHIAA girls’ hockey tournaments, their lone shortcoming being the second in 2009.
In the inaugural 2008 dance and throughout this decade, seven other schools have challenged Hanover in the final. As of this writing, they have all lost by a margin of two goals or greater.
But this Saturday, Exeter will get its second crack at the Marauders in a rematch of last year’s final. Though it is the lower seed at No. 2, Hanover has ample pride on the line as it bids for a nine-peat and 10th banner overall.
3. St. Dominic boys (Maine)
One of only three U.S. high-school hockey programs to rule their state for 10 years or more, the Saints won 18 titles in 21 years.
That otherworldly reign began with 11 consecutive triumphs spanning 1947 to 1957. After a single off-year in 1958, the Saints three-peated, then won four more from 1964 to 1967.
2. Notre Dame boys (New Hampshire)
Concomitant with St. Dominic’s rise as the envy of Maine, Notre Dame darkened the green eyes across the western border. Where the Saints were briefly interrupted, Notre Dame carried on, claiming 16 straight crowns from 1947 to 1962.
Four-time reigning runner-up Berlin finally solved its nemesis, 3-2, in the 1963 final. That would precipitate a new dynasty of six titles in seven years. But Notre Dame’s win in a 1965 rematch ensured no other NHIAA boys’ hockey program would so much as five-peat.
1. Mount Saint Charles boys (Rhode Island)
Bryan Berard was born 12 months before MSC won the 1978 state championship. He was a 27-year-old, seven-season NHL veteran by the time someone else finally claimed the crown.
In between, the Woonsocket native had left his hometown alma mater for major junior. He was subsequently drafted first overall in the 1995 NHL Draft, making him the second Mountie to achieve that distinction.
Brian Lawton, who had participated in the earlier phases of the MSC dynasty, went No. 1 to the North Stars in 1983. Subsequent Mounties Paul Guay, Mathieu Schneider, Garth Snow, Keith Carney, Brian Boucher and Jeff Jillson likewise reached The Show.
They all did it after winning state titles in every year they spent in Woonsocket. And they all made their NHL debuts before their school’s run of 26 consecutive championships ended in 2004.
Toll Gate took a best-of-three series to wrest the crown away, and MSC would not get back on top until 2008. With that said, it started a string of four straight banners that year, and has now accrued 44 overall since 1932-33.
Meanwhile, five other Rhode Island schools have managed a championship repeat at least once in their history. Burrillville three-peated twice in the ’50s. But no one besides the Mounties has ever won four or more in a row.
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