ASHBURNHAM, Mass. — Senior goaltender Jackson Irving made a handful of key saves to stymie Mount Saint Charles as Cushing hung on to defeat the visitors by a score of 2-1 on Wednesday afternoon at Theodore Iorio Arena.
Cam O’Neill staked Mount Saint Charles to a 1-0 lead early in the first period, but Irving shut the door the rest of the way. Sophomore right wing Brendan Agnew scored on a delayed penalty to even the score before senior left wing Joey Bennett gave the Penguins the lead in the second period.
It was an intriguing game with about a half dozen NHL scouts in the building. It was a scrimmage between a full-season team and a prep school squad playing its first game. There was some physical play that included a couple of big, open-ice hits and a five-minute major. It was the first game behind the bench for Paul Pearl, the first-year Cushing coach who previously served as a head coach at Holy Cross and an assistant at Harvard and Boston University.
Scoring Recap
MSC 1-0: It was a broken play on a transition play. O’Neill brought the puck down the right wing and the initial shot was saved. He stopped at the net, dug for it, and pushed it past Irving.
CA 1-1: A great individual effort by Agnew certainly put the tying goal in motion. Earlier in the shift, Agnew drew a penalty before scoring with the goalie pulled for the extra attacker. Senior defenseman Cam Ferraz took a shot from the right point that Agnew redirected past Mount goalie Jack Spicer. It isn’t often you see a hockey player from Fort Mill, S.C., which is the hometown listed for Agnew. He didn’t get a lot of ice time on Wednesday afternoon, but kudos to him for making the most of it when he was out there.
CA 2-1: The game-winning goal came in the second period when Mason Kesselring drove down the right wing and sent a centering feed out to Bennett who got his stick on it and redirected it past Spicer. Bennett, who formerly played at Thayer, is one of those players who doesn’t necessarily look pretty out there, but he seems to find his way onto the score sheet an awful lot. The Cohasset, Mass., native is an '03 who NCDC and BCHL organizations should be watching closely during the 2021-22 prep season.
Three Uncommitted Stars
1. Jackson Irving
Cushing, 2/3/04, G, catches left, 5-10/155
I’ve liked Irving for a while, but he’s had his ups and downs over the last 12 months. He had a tough go of it at national camp and I witnessed his team give up 10 goals in a game Saturday night at the Massachusetts Hockey State Championship. The Newbury, Mass., native bounced back in a big way on Wednesday. He made a number of saves throughout the game, but two flurries really stood out to me. He made a couple of game-changing stops midway through the second period, including on a sequence during a five-minute power play for Mount. Late in the game with Mount’s goalie pulled, Irving came up big once again. It wasn’t just the fact that he made some big saves. He did a good job eating pucks and preventing second chances. Irving is technically sound and a good goaltender, who will certainly play Division 1 hockey.
2. Ethan Gardula
Cushing, 2/28/05, LW, left shot, 5-11/175
Gardula didn’t find the score sheet on Wednesday afternoon, but he was the most impressive skater on the ice. The Princeton, Mass., native is big, strong, and has a powerful stride. He’s strong on his skates, drives the net, protects pucks, and makes plays. He had a few golden opportunities that he just missed connecting on. I liked that he brought a physical element to the game, as well. He got a penalty late in the game, but it was a bad call. Gardula didn’t show any signs of a state championship with the Junior Eagles getting to his head.
3. Cam Ferraz
Cushing, 1/1/04, D, right shot, 5-11/170
Ferraz was a late addition to the Cushing recruiting list. He’s bounced around from Phoenix Junior Coyotes to Shattuck-St. Mary’s to Dallas Stars Elite. Now he’s with the Penguins. He skates well and has some skill. His feet are his best asset and he can defend with his mobility. That part of his game is a work in progress, but there were some intriguing aspects on Wednesday. He had the one assist on the shot from the point for the redirect goal in the first period. From Las Vegas, Nev., Ferraz is a senior newcomer to Cushing.
Other notable prospects
Cam O’Neill
Mount Saint Charles, 1/24/04, RW, right shot, 6-1/195
NCAA commit: UMass
I like O’Neill as a player, but this wasn’t his best viewing. He scored a goal early on a broken play but didn’t really have another positive play until late in the game when the whole team showed some urgency. His habits are good as he finishes at the net and is heavy on pucks. I wouldn’t write him off based on one viewing, but this certainly wasn’t a game where he showcased his draft potential to the NHL scouts in the rink.
Linas Dedinas
Cushing, 10/11/04, LW, left shot, 6-0/175
Dedinas didn’t get his name in the box score, but I liked his quick twitch, first two steps, and he got some chances. He has a good stick but needs to find a way to make a consistent impact as he transitions to the North American game. A late '04 from Lithuania, I saw him have some good outings this fall with the Central Mass Penguins 18-U. He’s a player to keep an eye on this winter.
Billy Norcross
Cushing, 3/16/03, C, right shot, 6-2/180
NCAA commit: Boston College
Norcross has the size and skating ability to make opponents take notice. His explosiveness was on display a few times throughout the game. From Lynn, Mass., his hockey sense is the one area of his game that needs to improve if he’s going to have as positive of an impact in college as he can at the prep level.
Will Lawrence
Mount Saint Charles, 9/23/03, RW, right shot, 5-10/170
Lawrence is one of those players that you notice just about every game. He’s not the biggest, most skilled, or fastest guy on the ice. However, the Bethesda, Md., native made an impact on this game by blocking shots and playing with an edge. He threw his weight around and was tough to play against.
Mount Saint Charles Lines
M. Berger - J. Stefanek - C. O’Neill
R. O’Connell - Z. Aben - W. Lawrence
T. Kruczek - M. Lewis - B. Crowell
N. Rooney - D. Boccardi - A. Darlington
J. Peters - D. Shane
A. Throndson - T. DelFarno
R. Khodsi - J. Costa
J. Spicer
Cushing Lines
E. Gardula - B. Norcross - N. Belik
J. Bennett - M. Kesselring - M. Penna
L. Dedinas - C. Wallace - L. Resendes
J.M. Childs - A. Favreau - B. Agnew
O. Paskowski - C. Ferraz
R. Philbrick - Z. Rizzo
J. Bacchus - S. Cummings
J. Irving
