It hardly seems like a year has passed since Hingham’s Jane Freda stole the puck in her own end and skated all the way down the ice and put it past St. Mary’s goalie Sarah Foss to end the Spartans’ three-year reign as state hockey champions.Much has changed. Foss is gone, as are many others in the St. Mary’s camp. New names dot both rosters. As St. Mary’s coach Frank Pagliuca says, “different year ? different teams.”But one thing has remained the same. For the third year in a row, St. Mary’s and Hingham will duke it out on the ice Saturday (5:30) in the state hockey tournament. The winner will play Sunday for the championship at the TD Garden.There was a lot riding on last year’s game, and even though coaches will always tell you they’re only thinking of the current game, it’s hard to imagine a group of high school kids who don’t understand their legacy.And what a legacy it was. The Spartans were riding a 100-game unbeaten streak. They hadn’t lost a hockey game since the semifinals of the 2007 tournament. That’s a lot of pressure. And, again, although coaches don’t generally cop to this, such a streak also changes the way you do things, because you owe it to those kids, and that legacy, to keep it going as long as possible.This past December, Pagliuca opened the season with a clean palate. There was no legacy to uphold. He could afford to build the team back up to championship caliber without the albatross of a 100-game unbeaten streak.There was a time during that streak when it just seemed as if every time the Spartans rolled out onto the ice, they’d win. There were a few ties thrown in there, and those were jaw-dropping occasions. It was as if they were so talented, and so automatic, that victories weren’t to be cherished ? they were to be expected.Losing that game jolted it all into perspective. In losing, they made us all appreciate how significant that accomplishment was.Perhaps the short amount of time St. Mary’s spent under the radar (the Spartans are certainly in everyone’s sights now) served it well. I daresay nobody wants to play St. Mary’s now. The Spartans manhandled Algonquin Wednesday night, 9-1, and look to be as tough, and as sharp, as they’ve ever been. They have a line consisting of Alison Butler, Kaleigh Finigan and Brittani Lanzilli that could rival any of the great combos Paglicua has had the pleasure of watching in years past. They look ready for whatever Hingham throws at them.St. Mary’s began the season splitting its first four games and lost once after that. The Spartans have poured it on in the tournament, defeating Watertown last Saturday, 6-3, and then Algonquin Wednesday. For the first time in a long time, they didn’t come into the season as the hunted. In the end, that’s been a blessing.It’s right and just that St. Mary’s and Hingham play again. The last two tournament games the teams played were classics. Two years ago, St. Mary’s had to come from behind as Sabrina Iannetti scored the hat trick. Last year, Hingham shadowed Iannetti so closely she could barely breathe and it paid off.This year, that might not work so well. The scoring is spread pretty evenly and these kids are clicking at the right time.Once again, this game ought to be a classic.Steve Krause can be reached at [email protected].