BOSTON — It was only fitting that Kimball Union and Cushing — the two best teams in boys prep hockey — met in the championship.
We now know Kimball Union was the No. 1 team in 2023-24.
Kimball Union's road to glory was far from easy. The Wildcats faced St. George's in the quarterfinals, needing overtime to beat the Dragons, 5-4. St. George's outplayed and heavily outshot the Wildcats, but head coach Tim Whitehead's team held strong, getting a goal from Andrew O'Sullivan (Boston, Mass.) in overtime.
In the semifinals, KUA drew a tough Salisbury team. Despite the Wildcats leading 2-0 midway through the third period, Salisbury struck three times in under two minutes to take a late lead. But senior Malcolm Baar tied the game late and senior Jack Sadowski forced a turnover in overtime, leading to his winner.
The Wildcats got outshot in the championship. There were times Cushing had them on the ropes. But just like in the previous two games, they never broke, holding firm. Ultimately, that's why they're the champs.
But there were a handful of players, both from KUA and other teams, who showed well in the Elite 8.
Let's take a look at my NEPSAC Stuart/Corkery Elite 8 All-Tournament Team and MVP.
Most Valuable Player: Jack Sadowski
This one was easy. Big-time players show up in big-time games and Sadowski did that in all three Elite 8 matchups. The UNH commit tallied three assists in the win over St. George's. He had two goals, including the OT winner, against Salisbury, while also assisting on linemate Sam LeDrew's opening goal. Then, to cap off his incredible, 87-point season, the Arlington, Mass., native got to win an Elite 8 championship at Harvard with his friends and family in attendance. He made himself worth the price of admission, scoring two goals (plus a third that was called off) and added an assist. Kids dream of seasons — and endings — like that.
All-Elite 8 Team
Forward: Jack Sadowski, Kimball Union
Are you surprised?
Forward: Sam LeDrew, Kimball Union
LeDrew's impact cannot be understated. Put simply, Kimball Union doesn't come close to winning the Elite 8 without him. The St. Lawrence commit scored two goals against St. George's and added an assist on a Corwith Simmers goal. He scored one of his trademark one-timers on the power play against Salisbury. In the championship, he opened the game with an absurd turnaround pass from the blue line that found Sadowski in front for a goal. Then, he had a phenomenal offensive zone entry and drop pass to Sadowski who hit Simmers for a goal. LeDrew added a third assist on Sadowski's second goal, making a nice, cross-zone pass to Sadowski. LeDrew finished the season with 38 goals and 75 points in 35 games. The 6-foot-1, 175-pound right wing's stock rose exponentially this season.
GIRLS ELITE 8: Check out the All-Tournament Team after Nobles took down Williston
Forward:Â Corwith Simmers, Kimball Union
The All-Tournament Team wouldn't be complete without KUA's dominant top line. Simmers, the center, sometimes got overlooked this season. But after the championship, Whitehead called Simmers the "glue" of that line, and it's easy to see why. He makes various small plays that helped his team and linemates be successful. Never was that more true than in the championship game. Midway through the championship game, Cushing had a wide-open chance in front of the net and goalie Blake McMeniman (Revere, Mass.) looked to be down and out. But Simmers got under the Cushing forward and negated the scoring chance. Simmers also had two goals in the St. George's win and two more against Cushing. That's a 54-point season for Simmers, who's only a junior.
Defenseman:Â Andrew O'Sullivan, Kimball Union
Yep, more KUA. The dynamic Colgate commit had an Elite 8 run similar to his season — full of production. O'Sullivan saved the Wildcats against St. George's, going coast to coast for the OT winner. He also had two assists in that game. He added two more assists in the win over Salisbury and one against Cushing on Sunday night. Pairing him with Jack McMinn for the past two seasons proved to be the perfect match, as the two helped bring KUA an Elite 8 title. O'Sullivan finished the winter with 55 points — the most by a defenseman in prep since Reilly Walsh (Andover, N.H.) posted 30 goals and 69 points with Proctor in 2016-17.
Defenseman:Â Ryland Randle, Cushing
With Cushing and St. Sebastian's knotted up, 0-0, after two periods in the quarterfinals, Randle opened the third with a bang, scoring immediately. The Arizona State commit is an effortless skater who moves the puck with ease and is terrific at knowing when to join the rush. That was on display for Cushing in the Elite 8, as he consistently stood out. Randle finished the season on a tear, ending up with 10 goals and 34 points in 32 games.
CHAMP RECAPS AND TAKEAWAYS: KUA wins Elite 8 | Kent wins Large School | Canterbury wins Small SchoolÂ
Goalie:Â Blake McMeniman, Kimball Union
McMeniman was never the flashy or widely talked-about goalie prospect in prep this season. But the Revere, Mass., native went up against Maine commit Ryder Shea (Framingham, Mass.) and St. George's and made 49 saves to beat them. Then he made 28 saves to hold off Salisbury. In the final, McMeniman went head-to-head with Cushing goalie and Arizona State commit Marko Bilic and made 34 saves to take down the Penguins. McMeniman finished the season with a 2.49 goals-against average, a .912 save percentage and an Elite 8 championship.
