AVON, Conn. — In this particular instance, one highly acclaimed player wasn't quite enough to win the championship trophy. But barely.
Despite the best efforts of highly touted prospect Alex Jefferies (Lunenberg, Mass.), the Kent School Lions put in a gutsy effort to beat two-time defending tournament champs Gunnery Highlanders for the Avon Old Farms Christmas Classic title after a thrilling 5-4 win on Saturday.
The Lions, who lost to Gunnery for the tournament title in 2017, got a modicum of revenge with a solid effort from some key players that helped them bounce back from what could have been a rather ignominious start.
Here's what we saw in Kent's nail-biter of a 5-4 win over Gunnery:
Why Kent won:Â Simply, the Lions refused to quit. Much of the hype heading into this game was surrounding Jefferies, the Merrimack commit who is considered a good bet to go in the NHL Draft in June. And, frankly, the reality matched the hype. (More on that below.) Jefferies scored on a rocket wrister a mere 10 seconds into the game, on the first shot on the first play. The shot was so accurate and fast that, when it hit the back bar and bounced out, there was a temporary delay before the realization hit that the puck had gone in. So, given that awful start and the star they were facing, the Lions would have every reason to cave. But they didn't, and in fact rallied for three straight goals to end the period with a 3-1 lead. And it was a lead they would never relinquish.
Key play: After that quick goal, many teams of lesser character would have packed up. But you don't get to the final of the Avon Christmas Classic by folding at the first sign of adversity. However, responding the way they did -- 43 seconds after Jefferies' goal that came 10 seconds into the game -- showed the true grit of the Lions. Cade McLaughlin stepped up, dancing in on a partial breakaway and firing home the equalizer in response. Tommy Raith and Jonas Passante followed with goals to push the Lions up in the first, and despite a couple of tense challenges put forth by the equally fortitude-heavy Highlanders, Kent never looked back.
Best player on the ice:Â The Lions got stellar overall efforts by both McLaughlin and Jason Kleinhaus, but this night truly belonged to Jefferies. Not only did he score the potential back-breaking opener right off the faceoff, he also added a shorthander in the second off a similarly wicked wrister to the top shelf on the glove side. Then, he had an assist on the third Gunnery goal when another rapid wrister leaked through the pads of Kent goalie Joey Purtell (Beverly, Mass.) and was put away by Michael Casey. Not to be outdone, with the goalie pulled and 1:13 left, Jefferies contributed to the late scramble in front, the loose puck eventually put home by Mark D'Agostino (Branford, Conn.). So, all told, two goals and two assists on four total team goals. Now that's living up the hype and delivering in the clutch. Bottom line, whenever Jefferies had the puck, his heavy shot created chances -- or went in.
Best battle of the night:Â One of the best battles of the night came between the Gunnery power play -- featuring Jefferies' intimidating presence -- and the Kent penalty-killing unit. Although the Highlanders had their fair share of chances with the man advantage, the Lions calmly disposed of most, cycling the puck, dumping it high off the glass or flipping it up the middle. Generally, they made short work of any momentum the Highlanders might have gained in such situations.
Intangibles: Not to go on and on about Jefferies, but one of the reasons he lit it up is because of his patience. On the power play (one of which in the second period, he played all but 10 seconds), he was measured and confident with the puck, stickhandling with quiet hands and calmly looking for outlets. And whenever he got a shot from the perimeter, he made sure it's low and hard, which is great for generating chances off the inevitable rebound. Many a time his shots were answered with a "thump" of the goalie's low pads. The kid seems like the real deal.
Paul Grant is an editor and a writer for HockeyJournal.com and Seamans Media. He previously oversaw hockey content at ESPN.com and Sporting News. You can connect with him at pgrant@hockeyjournal.com.
