STORRS, Conn. — Sebastian Mogull had been a force for Cushing through two Large School tournament games.
He had no issue continuing that in the Large School championship. He notched his third-straight two-goal game, leading Cushing to a 7-0 win over Brunswick.
The scoring started midway through the first period when Cushing sophomore defenseman AJ Haas' shot from the point had eyes, slipping past Brunswick junior goalie Zai Ferraro (New Canaan, Conn.).
MORE CHAMPIONS: Boys Elite 8 — Avon Old Farms beats St. Mark's | Boys Small School — Winchendon beats Holderness | Girls Elite 8 — Loomis Chaffee beats Deerfield | Girls Large School — Phillips Exeter beats Choate | Girls Small School — Groton beats New Hampton
Cushing struck on a shot from distance again in the second period when Mogull tipped junior defenseman Oliver Svoboda's shot. Mogull potted another off the rush with just over six minutes remaining in the period, converting on a pass from senior Axel Favreau (Freeport, Maine).
Then the Penguins absolutely poured it on in the third period.
Senior forward Blake Cash (Hampton Falls, N.H.) scored on a 4-on-3. Senior forward Ben Marcolini scored off his skate. Senior forward Cam McDonough (Milton, Mass.) scored on a shorthanded breakaway. And then to cap it off, senior forward Jeff Swartz dangled through Brunswick to score just after the 10-minute mark, making it 7-0.
Cushing won the Elite 8 last season, but it's the school's first Large School title since 2013.
Here are some quick takeaways.
Quick takeaways
1. This win was emblematic of Cushing all season: the Penguins had contributions from everywhere. Mogull was the offensive leader throughout the tournament (more on him in a bit), but everyone chipped in against Brunswick, especially the seniors. Cash, Marcolini, McDonough, Swartz and Favreau were consistently creating offense.
2. What an insane tournament from Mogull. His two goals led Cushing past No. 7 Deerfield, 2-1, in overtime of the quarterfinals. He scored two more and notched an assist in the 6-1 win over No. 3 Phillips Andover on Saturday. And then it was only fitting he scored two more in Sunday's championship.
3. The key for Cushing was team speed. They were so much faster than Brunswick, and the Bruins struggled to keep up and contain them. When Brunswick had pucks, Cushing was quick to close on them, forcing them to make quick decisions.
4. He wasn't super busy, but Cushing freshman goalie Mason Raycroft (Wellesley, Mass.) was outstanding. When the game was scoreless early, he made a massive breakaway stop with the knob of his stick on Brunswick forward Keegan Kazan (Wilton, Conn.). He tracked pucks extremely well and didn't give up rebounds. His athleticism helped him adjust to chances from different angles. It was a fitting ending for Raycroft's freshman season at Cushing.
5. Props to Favreau, who played in his 13th NEPSAC playoff game on Sunday. An Elite 8 title and a Large School title. That's a hell of a prep career.
6. That's a great first season for Cushing head coach Dan Fontas, who took over last summer after Ryan Bourque left to be an assistant coach for the AHL's Providence Bruins. This season followed a similar path to last year's Cushing team, which got hot at the end to win an Elite 8 title. This year's Penguins were 8-9-1 after a loss to Kimball Union on Jan. 24. Cushing followed that up by going 12-2-1 en route to the Large School title.
