The prep hockey season in New England may only be a few weeks old, but coach Paddy McCarthy sure hopes that emerging victorious in last weekend’s William Barber Memorial Tournament could serve as a springboard to more success for his Canterbury squad.
The Saints surged above the .500 mark at 5-2-1 after grabbing three straight wins over the two-day tournament, including consecutive Saturday triumphs over St. Mark’s and Middlesex.
“I think it’s definitely a momentum builder for us,” McCarthy said. “We’re a program that’s been close, but needed to get over the top. I think winning these games on the road shows that we can do that.”
The Saints won the tournament in resounding fashion, beginning with Max Pitts’ 17-save shutout in last Friday’s 3-0 win over Kents Hill. Adding in the following day’s 3-1 and 4-1 victories, they ultimately outscored the three opponents by a 10-2 margin.
While strength at the goaltending position is unquestionably important and can often be the difference between wins and losses, McCarthy knows exactly who has spurred the team’s overall success thus far.
It all starts with a group of eight senior leaders, especially the captain duo of forward Ryan Stratton and defenseman Nathan Ruzzi, who are in their second and third years with the program, respectively.
“They knew what was coming. That gets tested in these tournaments when you play several games in a short amount of time, with no practice in between,” McCarthy said. “These guys are able to make adjustments just by talking to them, or on their own, quite frankly, with their experience.”
Stratton is the team’s unquestioned offensive leader thus far, having posted eight goals and 15 points across eight games. He had multiple points in each Barber Tournament game, including two goals against St. Mark’s, and one goal and two assists in the championship against Middlesex.
Stratton has made improvements since last year that have helped him pick up where he left off at the end of last season, when his 17 goals ranked third on the team. He has scored in five straight games and seven of the first eight this year.
“He has a speed burst now,” said McCarthy, who's in his 19th season coaching Canterbury. “I actually pointed it out after a couple shifts, where he’s able to separate from guys coming up ice or in a pack. He goes from slow to fast from a couple strides now, and that comes from strength and conditioning and putting in the time in the offseason.”
Stratton’s linemates Sam Ciappa and Ryan Lucarelli (Westport, Conn.) not only contribute to his goals and have each scored two themselves, but they have been key to establishing speed as one of the team’s major strengths.
“Ultimately, our team speed and discipline has carried us so far,” McCarthy said.
“When we’re playing fast, we want to get out of our zone quickly and attack as much as possible. That’s where we’ve found our success game-to-game, period-to-period. It’s clear when it’s not there, because you don’t see it.”
Overall, though, 11 players have lit the lamp over Canterbury’s eight games. Behind Stratton, post-graduates Jackson Powers (Woburn, Mass.) and Duncan Stewart each have three.
McCarthy also pointed to senior defenseman Jake Stevens as a standout from the recent tournament. He notched two goals and four assists over the three games, which included assisting on all three goals against St. Mark’s.
Stevens capped the weekend with a highlight-reel goal in the third period of the title-winning game against Middlesex. It was the last of the resilient team’s three consecutive goals to break a 1-1 tie after the first period.
“We took a four-minute penalty late in the game, and he scored an unassisted goal, end-to-end, with guys draped all over him,” McCarthy said.
As for Pitts, the Canterbury newcomer was the key last line of defense and has made a strong transition to the prep level from the high school ranks in Victor, N.Y., allowing one or fewer goals in five of his seven outings. He has a .940 save percentage.
“We liked him. We thought he’d rise to be our starter, and so far he has been,” McCarthy said. “He competes for every single puck, not just the first shot, and he also plays with a calmness and a maturity that I think is carrying him early on at this level.”
The Saints aren’t finished with tournament play just yet. Another annual trip to the E.G. Watkins Tournament at Cushing Academy is ahead after Christmas.
