With two games left on the regular-season schedule ahead of New England playoffs in the first week of March, Cushing Academy is on the bubble to capture a NEPSAC Elite 8 Tournament bid.
If things go their way, there's a chance that they could end up inside the Stuart/Corkery bracket. If not, they are slotted to be among the top seeds in the Martin/Earl. Either way, Cushing is not a team that opponents will want to face come tournament time.
After a recent two-game split with second-ranked Kimball Union, which vaulted their Elite 8 status back into contention, Paul Pearl’s (Winthrop, Mass.) club has a 15-5-3 record and is 4-1 over its last five games.
The Penguins, however, aren’t worried about where they’ll be playing in the quarterfinals next Wednesday. For now, it’s all eyes on New Hampton on Wednesday and Governor’s on Saturday for a pair of home games that will help to decide their fate in the red-hot playoff race.
“We’ll play wherever they send us,” Pearl told New England Hockey Journal Tuesday. “We don’t know what's going to happen until the last game is played, so we’ll just wait until Sunday and see where they send us.”
In his first season behind the bench of the independent prep school in Ashburnham, Mass., it’s been a great group to work with, said Pearl, who stepped in for longtime coach Steve Jacobs (Hudson, Mass.) last summer after more than 30 years coaching in the Division 1 realm.
“It's a great group of kids. They work really hard and they love hockey, which makes us get along well," Pearl said. "They’ve really progressed as a group and the leaders have done a nice job with the younger guys. We’re playing some really good hockey here lately, too, so I've been very happy with it.”
The Penguins’ success starts with senior Jackson Irving (Newbury, Mass.) in net.
Through 17 appearances, the ’04 goaltender boasts a .937 save percentage and 1.72 goals-against average with five shutouts in nearly 900 minutes played. He allowed only three goals and made 68 saves in last weekend's home-and-home split with high-powered KUA.
With Irving anchoring the unit in the defensive end, seniors Billy Norcross (Lynn, Mass./Boston College) and Mason Kesselring (Center Barnstead, N.H./UConn) lead the team up front, with 28 and 25 points to their credit, respectively.
“Their attention to detail and play away from the puck has greatly improved, which I think if they both want to be center iceman at the next level they need, and they've done that,” Pearl said. “That part I've been most impressed with because, obviously, all of these top kids are dynamite with the puck but learning how to play better without the puck, that’s been really good to see, too.”
'05 sophomores Landan Resendes (Marlborough, Mass.) and Ethan Gardula (Princeton, Mass.) aid the senior duo. Linas Dedinas, an '04 junior from Lithuania, has been another notable offensive contributor as of late.
After making a name for himself with the New England Crows and Neponset Valley River Rats, Resendes leads the Penguins with 13 goals (and 23 points) in 21 games. The first-year prep schooler was tabbed as a player to watch in the final week of the regular season. Gardula, a Junior Eagles product in his second season of prep, has 23 points of his own — 17 of which are assists.
“It's very apparent the offensive skills that both of those guys bring. I’ve just been really impressed with how hard they've worked at being good team players and being a part of the whole fabric of it," Pearl said.
On the blue line, alongside senior defenseman, Owen Paskowski (Plymouth, Mass.), former Shattuck-St. Mary’s rearguard Cam Ferraz has been increasingly impactful since arriving via the Dallas Stars Elite.
“Cam came to us in the summer and he's been excellent," Pearl said of the Arizona native. "What a good player — good power-play defenseman, works really hard defensively — I like him a lot." Both Ferraz and Dedinas appeared on NEHJ’s Top 16 uncommitted players from outside the region watch list, released on Tuesday.
In addition to Paskowski and Ferraz, junior blueliners Zach Rizzo (Georgia native) and Ryan Philbrick (Concord, N.H.) are coming on strong.
“Those two guys have really lengthened us out on the back end," Pearl said. "They’ve really excelled, especially down the stretch here in February."
Regardless of what happens leading up to Sunday and what bracket they end up in, the Penguins are ready for whatever comes their way.
"We have a good group of guys who work hard and aren't afraid to play in a 2-1 or 3-2 game," Pearl said. "You're not going to win all of those games, but when you get in games like that against top teams, you need to play real hockey and that’s where I’ve been proudest of these guys: learning that you don't only play well when you get a goal and two assists. Sometimes you play well and you’re not even on the scoresheet.
"To get to this point in the year, everyone's really jacked up."
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