ASHBURNHAM, Mass. — Cushing fought and fought in the third period, but it wasn't enough in the end, as No. 5 Salisbury held on to take down the Penguins, 3-2.
The Crimson Knights started the scoring early. Less than two minutes into the game, Salisbury junior forward Nate Burlock's shot was stopped by Cushing goalie Harper Hubbard, but the rebound popped out to senior Riley Slovis, who buried it.
Salisbury added to its lead later in the first period.
It started when junior defenseman Jack Mazzella showcased a great stick, broke up a Cushing rush and passed the puck up ice. Junior forward Greyson Espenshade got the pass and feathered one off the rush to junior forward Elliott Bibeau-Rivard, who finished his chance past Hubbard, making it 2-0.
The Crimson Knights made it 3-0 midway through the second period when senior Luke Walkauskas sniped a shot off the rush past Hubbard.
Cushing, however, battled back.
It started when Penguins junior forward Miles Mireault sniped a shot off the rush with 13:21 to play in the third frame. Then, with 3:21 to go, senior forward and Brown commit Ben Marcolini one-timed a puck in the slot on the power play, bringing Cushing to within one.
Salisbury improved to 10-2-1 with the win, while Cushing fell to 7-7-0.
Let's dive into some standouts and takeaways.
Tyler Roccas
Salisbury, 8/7/2008, D, right shot, 6-2/190
Hometown: Fairfield, Conn.
NCAA: QuinnipiacÂ
Roccas was a two-way monster on Salisbury's blue line. In his own zone, he showcased a great stick to break up odd-man rushes and take away passing lanes. Early in the third period, Cushing had an odd-man rush, and the Quinnipiac commit read the play well and intercepted it. Late in the second period, he broke up a play, grabbed the puck and skated it, which drew a penalty. He was good with the puck on his stick, showcasing good hands and vision. He also showed an ability to quarterback a power play.
Roccas missed most of last season due to injury. This was my best viewing of him to date.
READ MORE: The latest boys prep rankings
Caden Creech
Salisbury, 4/6/2007, F, right shot, 6-1/190
Hometown: Tampa, Fla.
NCAA: Princeton (lacrosse)Â
Creech laid one of the hardest hits I've seen in a long time. As Cushing junior defenseman Gleb Kokorin was wheeling around the net, Creech lined him up and crushed him. That's emblematic of why Creech is on here: He was really hard to play against. Cushing had a power play early in the first period, and Creech was able to break up two sequences with smart positioning and a good stick. Midway through the third period, he hit the post with a shot in tight as well.
Jordan Rittenberg
Salisbury, 2/24/2008, G, catches left, 6-1/180
Hometown: Halifax, Nova ScotiaÂ
Rittenberg wasn't under siege, but he made some big-time clutch saves. In the first period, Cushing senior forward Cam McDonough (Milton, Mass.) took the puck hard to the net and looked to have a wide-open chance on the far side, but Rittenberg sprawled out and got it with his left pad. McDonough had a breakaway midway through the second, but Rittenberg denied him with the glove. And right before Marcolini's goal, Rittenberg denied senior forward Parker Murch (York, Maine) on a turnaround chance in front.
Greyson Espenshade
Salisbury, 2/14/2009, F, right shot, 5-9/145
Hometown: Enola, Penn.Â
Espenshade was buzzing on Wednesday night. His passing off the rush was outstanding. It led to Bibeau-Rivard's goal, as he found the perfect lane to hit him with a pass. But Espenshade created numerous other opportunities, too. On Walkauskas' goal, it was Espenshade who used his speed to zip through the neutral zone and hit Bibeau-Rivard with a pass, who dished it across to Walkauskas (more on them in a bit). Espenshade showed a high level of compete in the neutral zone and on backchecks.
Ben Marcolini
Cushing, 2/18/2008, F, left shot, 5-11/165
Hometown: Washington, N.J.
NCAA: BrownÂ
Marcolini's goal was all about reading the play well, getting lost in coverage on the weak side and getting to the loose puck in the slot. Earlier in the game, he entered the offensive zone himself, cut to the middle and fired a shot off the post.
READ MORE: Top boys prep performers from Jan. 7-13
Takeaways...
- Salisbury's top line of Espenshade, Bibeau-Rivard and Walkauskas was dominant. Their chemistry off the rush was outstanding, as they created numerous chances through drawing defenders to the strong side and then sending the puck to the weak side. They were also responsible in their own end. While killing a penalty late in the third period, Walkauskas pressured Cushing players out high twice and forced two clears. It's a long way away, but Salisbury projects as a high seed in the Elite 8. That line will be vital for them down the stretch.
- I continue to be impressed by Salisbury sophomore defenseman Elliott Watson. On one sequence late in the second period, he dangled a defenseman coming out towards him at the blue line, shifted to his right and hit the crossbar. Midway through the third period, he rounded the net and saw two forecheckers bearing down on him. He calmly pushed the puck through them and broke it out. His edgework and creativity are fantastic.
- I counted 15 penalties. While four of those were matching, it was still an extremely choppy game without much 5v5. Salisbury's penalty kill was nearly perfect until the Marcolini goal because of its ability to keep Cushing to the outside. Up until that goal, the Penguins had a tough time getting to high-danger ice on the man-advantage.
- Cushing is 7-7-0. The Penguins and Nobles got into the Elite 8 last year with seven losses. Westminster and Kimball Union snuck in the Elite 8 in 2022-23 with eight losses each. Asking the Penguins to win all 16 of their remaining games is too tall an ask for anyone. But...
- The Penguins are right there in terms of putting it together. Head coach Dan Fontas has a young and inexperienced-at-prep group of players. They battled back to make it a one-score game on Wednesday. They've lost to Dexter, Stanstead College and Holderness by a goal, and Canterbury by two. Don't count out Cushing getting hot down the stretch and being a difficult team to play against.
