1. Pope Francis Cardinals, 3-0-0 (Last week: 3)

The Cardinals have come roaring out of the gate, scoring considerable victories over Arlington (7-3) and Archbishop Williams (4-1), and getting past Catholic West League rival St. John’s of Shrewsbury 4-2. Next on the docket is a road trip to Franklin.

2. Malden Catholic Lancers, 0-1-1 (Last week: 1)

MC dropped their first game of the season, a 2-1 decision to Delbarton (N.J.) at Merrimack College’s Lawler Arena, and earned a 1-1 tie with Hingham in the opening round of the Serino Christmas Tournament. Next up is a huge tilt against Austin Prep in the championship tonight.

3. BC High Eagles, 3-0-0 (Last week: 8)

Despite their off-season losses, BC High has quickly re-established themselves as a serious force in the Catholic Conference. Decisive wins over Andover (4-1), Don Bosco (N.J.) (2-0), and Reading (5-0) have John Flaherty’s team off to the start it was looking for.

4. Hingham Harbormen, 1-0-2 (Last week: 4)

Hingham got off to a good start in their road victory over Framingham, a very tight defensive team, then solidified their current ranking with ties against St. John’s Prep (0-0) and Malden Catholic (1-1). Any lingering questions about goaltending appear to have been answered; Rob Kornack has been dynamite in the early going (1.00 GAA).

5. Austin Prep Cougars, 2-0-0 (Last week: 5)

AP wasted no time getting their offense going, lighting the lamp seven times in a 7-1 victory over a resurgent Matignon squad. The Cougars continued to roll, winning a key 3-0 victory over St. Mary’s Lynn.

6. St. John’s Prep Eagles, 0-0-1 (Last week: 2)

St. John’s Prep opened both its season and their new sheet of ice at the Essex Sports Center with a hard-fought 0-0 tie with Hingham.

7. Reading Rockets, 2-1-0 (Last week: 9)

The Rockets scored a massive 3-2 victory over Burlington on the road, then trounced Wakefield 9-3, but couldn't keep pace with BC High in a 5-0 loss..

8. St. Mary’s Lynn Spartans, 1-2-0 (Last week: 6)

While it wasn’t the start they were looking for, no need to panic for St. Mary’s. The Spartans shut out Newburyport 2-0 at Graf Rink, before falling to Arlington Catholic 3-2 on the Spartans’ home sheet and 3-0 to Austin Prep in the Serino Tournament.

9. Burlington Red Devils, 2-1-0 (Last week: 10)

Burlington reasserted themselves as a Middlesex League powerhouse with an 8-1 trouncing of Woburn after falling 3-2 to rival Reading. The Red Devils bolstered that performance with a key 3-1 victory over Winchester on Wednesday.

10. Arlington Catholic Cougars, 2-0-0 (Last week: 14)

An unprecedented start for the Cougars has them at our 10th spot currently. Behind the scoring prowess of Jack Bertolami and the goaltending of Matt Anderson, AC is off to a 2-0 Catholic Central League start with wins over Bishop Fenwick (2-0) and St. Mary’s (3-2). Up next is Matignon.

11. Marshfield Rams, 3-0-0 (Last week: 12)

Can you ask for more out of Nick Young? The senior goaltender is off to an incredible start with two shutouts through three games, one over Xaverian (3-0) and the other against Barnstable (4-0). Sophomore stud Aidan Connelly leads the team with four points.

12. Arlington Spy Ponders, 2-1-0 (Last week: 7)

The Spy Ponders did not get off to the start they wanted, running into a 7-3 roadblock at the hands of No. 1 Pope Francis. But Arlington was able to right the ship in a 5-0 shutout over Melrose, and bolstered their resurgence with a dominating 7-0 effort over Wakefield.

13. Central Catholic Raiders, 3-0-0 (Last week: 13)

Kim Brandvold is off to a great start as head coach of Central. The Raiders notched three league wins over Westford Academy, Billerica, and Acton-Boxboro, with sophomore stud Sean Brown earning three points and netminder Matthew Pasquale boasting a tidy 0.43 GAA.

14. Framingham Flyers, 2-1-0 (Last week: 11)

The Flyers recovered from their opening day loss to Hingham (4-2) to score victories over Bay State Conference rivals Dedham (5-1) and Needham (5-2).

15. Braintree Wamps, 2-0-0 (Last week: 16)

Braintree got off to a strong start with a 4-0 over the rebuilding Norwood Mustangs. The Wamps continued their shutout streak with a 10-0 thrashing of Brookline.

16. Walpole Rebels, 3-0-0 (Last week: 17)

Walpole has proven thus far that they are the same, strong team that they were last season. The Rebels are unscored upon through three games, including a 3-0 shutout of Herget Division rival Wellesley on Wednesday night.

17. Natick Redhawks, 2-0-1 (Last week: 20)

Natick is off to a good start, going undefeated against Chelmsford (2-0), Needham (2-2), and Milton (4-2). Sophomore netminder James Herring has stepped into the starting role nicely.

18. Franklin Panthers, 2-0-0 (Last week: unranked)

Despite some key graduations, Franklin has reasserted itself as a dominant force in the D1 South. After admirable wins over Bridgewater-Raynham (5-2) and Canton (2-1), the Panthers have a chance to make a big splash tonight against No. 1 Pope Francis.

19. Waltham Hawks, 2-1-0 (Last week: unranked)

Waltham broke onto the scene with big wins over Billerica (5-1) and Chelmsford (6-3) before a 7-2 setback vs. Marshfield.

20. Xaverian Hawks, 1-1-1 (Last week: 15)

Hawks were off to a slow start after going winless against No. 11 Marshfield and St. John’s of Shrewsbury, but rebounded after squeaking by Chelmsford 4-3.

Next Five Out: Needham (2-1-1), Wellesley (2-1-0), Duxbury (3-0-0), Catholic Memorial (1-1-0), Archbishop Williams (0-1-1)

Dropped from rankings: Archbishop Williams (0-1-1), Woburn (0-3-0)