No, it wasn't the Cushing team that lost only two times in the regular season that won the Elite 8. And no, it wasn't the Cushing team that won 18 of its final 19 regular season games that won the Elite 8 either.
Instead, it was the Cushing team with no Division 1-committed forwards, a new head coach, and multiple slumps. The team that wasn't even in the Elite 8 picture in February went on to win it all.
The Penguins took care of business in the Elite 8. It started with a 6-3 win over Brunswick and continued with a 4-1 win at Deerfield.
Their closest game came in Sunday's final. They entered the third period with a 2-1 lead, but it immediately evaporated. With the way Dexter had been playing of late, it looked like they might make it three straight Elite 8 final losses for Cushing.
But the Penguins battled back, scoring two in the second half of the period to win, 4-3.
Various players had outstanding tournaments. Here's a look at our Elite 8 All-Tournament Team and MVP.
Most Valuable Player: Max Dineen
Cushing's best player was its best and most consistent forward all season. The Brentwood, N.H., native had a big game in the quarterfinals, tallying a goal and two assists against Brunswick. After posting an assist against Deerfield, Dineen saved his best for last. He scored his team's first goal and notched the winner late in the third. He finished the season with 26 goals and 58 points. Cushing doesn't win (or make) the Elite 8 without him.
NEPSAC CHAMPIONSHIP DAY: Phillips Andover wins the Large School | Kimball Union wins the Small SchoolÂ
All-Elite 8 Team
Forward:Â Max Dineen, Cushing
Duh.
Forward:Â Rian Chudzinski, Dexter Southfield
Chudzinski came oh-so-close to winning Elite 8 MVP. The Boston University commit was outstanding in all three games. His goal against Salisbury kick-started the comeback. He smothered Rivers with two goals and an assist. In the final, he put up two more goals. He was the most dominant player on the ice at all times and brought his best when it mattered most.
Forward:Â Axel Favreau, Cushing
Favreau was on the 2022 team that got trounced by Avon Old Farms in the Elite 8 quarterfinals. He was there again in 2023 when Avon beat them in the Elite 8 championship. And he was there last year for the loss to Kimball Union. But the Auburn, Maine native made sure this year went differently. He scored against Brunswick, put up another goal and two assists against Deerfield and finished with two assists to beat Dexter.
Defenseman:Â Tommy Bleyl, Cushing
Bleyl's stock was already high entering the Elite 8. He's a Michigan State who was at Select 15, 16 and 17 Camp. He played on the Hlinka team last summer. But that stock was launched into the stratosphere following these three games. He scored Cushing's first goal against Brunswick and then assisted on the next one. He tallied another assist against Deerfield, too. But his best play was his goal against Dexter. He rushed down the left side, zipped past a defender and roofed a shot over Dexter goalie Colin Davis (Canton, Mass.). It was only fitting that Bleyl got to do this all in front of the Cushing student section.
Defenseman:Â Myles Brosnan, Dexter Southfield
Everything ran through Brosnan for Dexter. He factored into every goal (one goal, two assists) to beat Salisbury and was the main reason his team came back to beat the Crimson Knights. He tallied two assists against Rivers and then got another against Cushing. We'll get more into his stock rising later in the week, but this was a phenomenal three-game showing from Brosnan.
CHAMPS: 9 takeaways from Cushing's win over Dexter SouthfieldÂ
Goalie:Â Maksim Corovic, Cushing
Corovic was strong against Brunswick, making 27 saves. He made 14 to beat Deerfield, too. But his best performance came against Dexter. He had 30 saves and multiple were high-danger chances. He shut down the large majority of Dexter's chances from in tight and his biggest stop came on Dexter forward Joe Marchi (Foxboro, Mass.) with seconds remaining in the game.
