We’re now almost a month into high school hockey season in Massachusetts, and the contenders are beginning to separate themselves from the pretenders.

In Division 2 play, four teams are atop the standings with 12 points apiece: the Plymouth South Panthers (5-0-2), Medfield Warriors (6-1-0), Coyle & Cassidy Warriors (6-0-0), and Westwood Wolverines (6-0-0).

A slew of other teams are right behind, including the Winthrop Vikings with 11 points (5-1-1), and a trio of teams with 10 points: the Danvers Falcons (5-0-2), North Attleboro Red Rocketeers (5-1-0) and Lincoln-Sudbury Warriors (5-1-0).

Plymouth South, out of the Patriot League-Fisher, has been taking a workingman’s approach thus far. While still unbeaten, the Panthers haven’t exactly been lighting the world on fire. It’s a team that likes to grind out wins, as evidenced not having any victories by a margin larger than three goals. Overall, Plymouth South is outscoring teams 20-8. Some notable games left on its schedule includes a showdown with the Division 1 Duxbury Dragons (4-1-1), currently ranked No. 9 in the Boston Globe Top 20 Poll, on Jan. 17 at The Bog, and the annual battle with crosstown rival Plymouth North (4-1-0) on Feb. 11.

Medfield and Westwood are battling it out for supremacy in the Tri-Valley League. The Wolverines won the teams’ first matchup on Dec. 17, 2-0, at Pirelli Memorial Veteran’s Rink in Franklin (Medfield’s home rink). The team’s play again on Jan. 21, that time at Canton Metropolis Rink (Westwood’s barn).

Medfield, despite being the only points leader with a loss, is the highest scoring team of the bunch with 34 goals for on the season. Only the Everett Crimson Tide (35) have more in D2. Westwood, with 30 goals, is the fourth highest scoring team, and also has a game at hand with Medfield.

Coyle & Cassidy, out of the Eastern Athletic Conference, has already beaten four Division 1 teams: the Falmouth Clippers, Mansfield Hornets, King Philip Warriors, and Needham Rockets. In the five-team EAC, the Warriors are one of two D2 teams (Martha’s Vineyard being the other, while the remaining teams are from Division 3), so it’s essential they challenge themselves as much as possible in non-league play. Among the Division 1 teams they still have on tap: at St. John’s (Shrewsbury) tonight (Jan. 7), home vs. St. Mary’s (Lynn) on Jan. 24, and at Hingham on Feb. 11.

On the other end of the spectrum, it’s been a rough beginning to the season for a pair of teams out of the Big Three Conference.

Both the Durfee Hilltoppers (0-5-0) and New Bedford Whalers (0-6-0) are winless, struggling to score goals in the process. Durfee does have twice as many goals (12) as their rivals New Bedford (6), however. The Whalers have also given up 14 more goals (53) than the next closest team, the also winless Stoughton Black Nights (0-8-1).

Barring a pair of ties, the Hilltoppers and Whalers won’t be going winless this year, however, as they still must face each other twice in a home-and-home series, first on Jan. 24 at New Bedford, and again on Feb. 11 at Durfee.

Stay tuned for more updates throughout the season, right here on MyHockeyLive.com