Of the three New England Prep School Athletic Council champions crowned in boys ice hockey last month, Tilton School was the only one to do so without a single Division 1 commit.
That’s not to say there weren’t good players on the Rams, but it was a true team effort with every player buying in and accepting their role. It all came to a storybook ending when Tilton finished off a 5-2 win over Holderness to capture the Piatelli/Simmons small-school championship.
“It was a great feeling. I won the Super 8 my sophomore year at Arlington, but this was a surreal feeling. It was a hard goal to achieve,” said senior left wing Cam Ryan.
Tilton hadn’t won a prep school hockey championship since 2002, but the program has been on the rise since Brooks McQuade took over as head coach in 2015.
“It was good for us and the entire school, since it’s been so long. It was nice to have the whole school behind us,” said senior goaltender Owen Cuddyer of Braintree, Mass.
“It’s been 17 years since we won a championship with Mike Walsh, who is now at Proctor. A lot of the credit is shared by the guys who played here in the time in between,” McQuade said.
Playing against many teams in the Lakes Region Conference and beyond who had more highly touted players proved to be a challenge, but one that Tilton was up for. A 2-1 win at Kimball Union, the eventual winner of the Stuart/Corkery Elite 8, in early December proved to be a foreshadowing of the success the Rams would enjoy in March.
“It was really early on in the season when we beat KUA,” said Cuddyer when asked when he and his teammates knew they could compete for a championship. “We realized we could play with any team we wanted to. That gave us confidence toward the end.”
There were times in the season where Tilton found its way into the top eight of the playoff rankings, but the team ultimately finished just outside, meaning it would compete in the small-school tournament. The ups and downs of the season helped prepare the team for the wild ride that was the playoffs.
“We faced a lot of adversity through the year. No one really believed we could win or be the number one seed. It was an unbelievable feeling to prove all the naysayers wrong,” said senior left wing Brendan Sjostedt of Tewksbury, Mass.
“It was tough,” McQuade said. “Kids were paying attention to the rankings, but the kids were getting a boost of confidence. They knew I believed in them. We were really hungry. Injuries and illness took advantage of us in February. I just kept preaching wherever we fell, we should be thankful and understand that we can play for a championship in that bracket.”
When most of the current team got to Tilton, the school’s hockey program wasn’t at the same level it is now. It took good players believing in McQuade’s vision to return the Rams to the upper echelons of prep school hockey.
“When he brought me into admissions, he was strict about what he wanted in the program. He wanted to bring it to a top team in New England. I got the feeling he was serious. I was really interested in producing for him,” explained Ryan.
“They were rebuilding and he wanted me to be a part of that rebuilding process,” Sjostedt concurred.
The mission that McQuade set out for required his players to buy in to the system. There was certainly no shortage of belief from his veterans.
“One thing I learned was knowing your role on the team. All the guys on our team knew their role. It’s how we made it so far. Coach really made it clear. We were a really close-knit group,” said Ryan.
“Buying in to what the coach says … he hasn’t changed his philosophy. That’s a big reason we were so successful this year,” added Sjostedt.
As strongly as his players feel about him, the fourth-year coach expresses the same gratitude and appreciation for what his players have meant to him.
“These are all my kids. I can’t say enough good things about all of them. We had really good kids. They were fun to coach. They bought in to what we were asking of them,” said McQuade.
Not having a Division 1 commit on the team served as a rallying cry for much of the season.
“That was kind of the elephant in the room. We have no Division 1 commits, but we had a strong team that was facing teams with Division 1 commits. We wanted to show the league that we are still a good team,” said Ryan.
Junior right-shot defenseman Jagger Benson (Lynnfield, Mass.) and junior right wing Jack Seymour are the only legitimate Division 1 prospects on the team. The rest of the players will likely play Division 2, Division 3 or club hockey.
Ryan is heading to play college hockey for Bill O’Neill at Salem State University in the fall. He plans to major in finance, as it’s been a passion of his for several years.
“Coach O’Neill has a great reputation over at Salem State. His assistant coaches were really nice in the recruiting process. You can tell they want to bring in a solid core for the team. I took the offer once they gave it to me,” Ryan explained.
“I’m interested in the finance industry. I trade crypto currencies on the weekend. My dad taught me that and I’ve been trying to learn more about it.”
The future is more up in the air for Sjostedt, who isn’t sure if he plans on playing junior hockey or going to college in the fall. Cuddyer likely will be going straight to college and just focusing on school.
He plans to follow in his father’s footsteps of being a police officer.
“When I was younger, I really wanted to get into it. I’ve realized that’s what I want to do. I want to help people. My dad likes it and it’s a good job,” remarked Cuddyer.
Like all of his teammates, Cuddyer will remember this championship for the rest of his life. However, it’s not just the hockey that he’ll take with him from Tilton. He’s embraced the entire prep school way of life.
“It’s been great,” Cuddyer said. “You get so close with everyone since it’s such a small school. Everyone tries to help you. Your best friends are literally two feet away from you.”
