ASHBURNHAM, Mass. — Cushing Academy looked every bit like a No. 1 seed in its quarterfinal game in the Stuart/Corkery Elite 8 Tournament on Wednesday.
Standout Landan Resendes (Marlborough, Mass.) scored twice in the opening four minutes, the Penguins boosted that lead to a three-goal lead before the first period was up and they rolled over eighth-seeded Kimball Union, 6-2, to book a spot in Saturday's semifinals.
It was a different flavor of game than when the teams met for a home-and-home series two weekends ago, with Cushing taking closer 4-2 and 2-0 wins.
Down 3-0 to start the second, KUA tried to find a way back into the game, with Malcolm Barr and Corwith Simmers both getting close-in chances that were stopped by goalie Cooper Rautenstrauch (16 saves). KUA ultimately earned a power play.
SCOREBOARD: Updated bracket from Elite 8 and NEPSAC playoffs
But on that power play, a turnover allowed Cushing's Linas Dedinas to skate free down the right side, before he cut back to the net and beat goalie Dan Heroux for a back-breaking shorthanded goal to make it 4-0.
Goals by Brendan Agnew and a second from Malcolm Green made it 6-1 by the end of the period and ended any remaining drama.
Here are three quick takeaways from the game.
Resendes lives up to his billing
The crowd was barely seated when Resendes struck in the game's opening minute, redirecting a Troy Maldonado pass from the point past Heroux just 47 seconds in.
The Boston College commit added another goal three minutes later, skated over to the student section to celebrate again, and the tone was set.
Skating with Ethan Gardula (Princeton, Mass.) and Jack Costanzo (Gloucester, Mass.), the trio gave KUA fits all night. The Penguins finished with a 33-18 edge in shots and really didn’t have any nervous moments.
“We were able to jump right on them and that always changes the tenor, especially when you’re the home team,” said Cushing coach Paul Pearl. “I thought we came out with good determination.”
For KUA, timing wasn't everything
The underdog Wildcats’ biggest battle in the second half of February was a flu bug that reduced its number of available healthy bodies.
They practiced just twice, with several JV players bumped up last week leading up to the Lakes Region tournament. They canceled another session Monday.
"In some ways, it's kind of simplified the situation," said KUA coach Tim Whitehead. "We're not worried as much about what other teams are doing. We just have to get healthy."
The Wildcats were hoping to manage the game and give themselves a chance to win at the end but to no avail.
It's the eighth straight season KUA has made the Elite 8 Tournament, even if its stay was short-lived.
Cushing is good enough to win it all
The Penguins' depth, both up front and on defense, was a big difference in Wednesday's game.
Resendes and Green both scored twice, and eight players registered points.
Pearl thought the left-handed shooting Dedinas, who was recently moved to the off-wing, was particularly impressive.
“He was just outstanding,” said Pearl. “He knows he’s strong enough that he can skate through most scrums.”
The Penguins are now one of four teams left, and two wins away from a championship that’s coming into view more clearly.
"They're very well-coached, right out of the gate," said Whitehead. "They've done a great job of recruiting. They have a fabulous group of players in all three positions. Just no glaring weaknesses."
Here are three players who stood out a lot Wednesday night.
Landan Resendes
Cushing, 12/10/05, FWD, right shot, 5-10/165
NCAA: Boston College
Took control of the game from the start with his skills and quickness, and his early goals put KUA on its heels. Didn’t have to play extra shifts with the game in hand early, either.
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Emerson Marshall
Cushing, 10/8/05, FWD, left shot, 5-10/175
Marshall's one of several Cushing forwards to produce big points this season, and one play late in the first period showed why. He stickhandled through traffic in the middle of the zone before setting up Green for the goal that made it 3-0. His smallish frame absorbed plenty of contact.
Jackson Kyrkostas
Kimball Union, 8/19/04, FWD, right shot, 5-10/170
Kyrkostas, an RPI commit, was one of the KUA players affected by the flu, even getting sent home from school after running a high fever. He returned to score a hat trick in the 5-1 win over Holderness in the Lakes Region tournament and did some good things Wednesday, whether creating chances in the offensive end or manning the point on the power play. Picked up a late assist.
@MikeZhe603
mzhe@hockeyjournal.com
