STORRS, Conn. — As Dexter Southfield junior forward Joe Marchi (Foxboro, Mass.) got the puck for a one-timer with 20 seconds to play, it looked like the game was about to be tied.
But Cushing junior goalie Maksim Corovic sprawled across to rob Marchi of the goal. Corovic wasn't going to give up the lead — and he never did.
The Penguins held on to win an instant classic, 4-3, over Dexter Southfield. After losing in the Elite 8 championship the last two seasons, Cushing finally finished on top.
It didn't look so certain in the third period.
Dexter scored on a power play just 29 seconds into the third to tie the game, 2-2, when junior Rian Chudzinski (Needham, Mass.) fired a one-timer past Corovic. Then, roughly five minutes later, junior forward Jake Assad (Franklin, Mass.) ripped one past Corovic, giving Dexter a 3-2 lead. They had all the momentum.
That all changed with just under 7 minutes to play in regulation.
Cushing senior forward Alex Gomes (Ludlow, Mass.) picked up a loose puck in center ice and entered the offensive zone. He cut middle and fired one over Dexter junior goalie Colin Davis' (Canton, Mass.) blocker, tying the game, 3-3.
The Penguins took the lead with 3:27 to play when junior forward Cam McDonough (Milton, Mass.) threw a puck on Davis. The puck bounced off of Davis' pads and onto the stick of senior Max Dineen (Brentwood, N.H.), who fired it in, giving Cushing a 4-3 lead.
The game was close from start to finish.
Chudzinski opened the scoring on the power play midway through the first period. But Cushing battled back when Dineen wired in a shot from the top of the zone to make it 1-1.
Cushing got its first lead of the game in the second period when Michigan State commit Tommy Bleyl took it himself and put it over Davis.
There was a lot to take away from this one.
1. It's only fitting that Dineen scored the game-winning goal for Cushing. The Brentwood, N.H., native was the key cog for Cushing offensively, finishing with 26 goals this season. His first goal was all about his awareness to just take the shot and the second was him crashing the net hard.
2. Cushing overcame a lot in this one. Not only was there the history of losing the last two seasons, but the Penguins had to kill off a five-minute major at the end of the second and beginning of the third period. The Penguins also scored an empty-net goal with 1:12 to play, but the net was off next to Corovic so the goal was waved off. I thought that was the Hockey Gods conspiring against Cushing, but the Penguins overcame it.
BOYS CHAMPS: Phillips Andover wins the Large School | Kimball Union wins the Small SchoolÂ
3. Cushing won because of Corovic. The junior goalie was at his absolute best. He had a laundry list of big saves. He robbed Dexter senior forward Tyler Hamilton (Framingham, Mass.) of a chance in tight at the end of the first period. Midway through the second, Chudzinski had the puck at the top of the crease and Corovic got across to make a phenomenal save. His save on Marchi was his most important, though, as it quite literally saved the game. Any Division 1 college coach who was at the game walked away with a great impression of Corovic.
4. It's a bad omen when a team misses nets or scoring chances in a championship game. In the back half of the second period, Dexter senior forward Sean Leetch (Boston, Mass.) backhanded a shot that just missed an empty net. Moments later, Dexter senior forward Nate Porter (Hingham, Mass.) looked to have a large part of the net open when Corovic went to play a puck and just missed. Sometimes the bounces go your way, sometimes they don't.
5. Bleyl had another highlight-reel goal. His ability to pick and choose when he takes the puck himself and when to pass it off is high-end — along with many of his other attributes.
6. Cushing senior defenseman and St. Lawrence commit Kristopher Richards had a phenomenal shutdown game. He was physical and regularly stepped up to halt Dexter's rush. Players like him won't often show up on the scoresheet, but they're essential to winning.
7. Despite the loss, Chudzinski was dominant. The Boston University commit had Dexter's first two goals and capped off a season in which he was one of the best players in the region. En route to the final, he had a goal against Salisbury and four points to beat Rivers. There's a reason the Dexter student section consistently chanted "We have Chudzi."
8. What an opening act for Cushing head coach Ryan Bourque. An Elite 8 title in Year No. 1 is the dream start for any head coach. He walked into a team with more young players on it than Cushing had been used to. The Penguins lost their first two games (one of which was to Dexter). They went 3-4-0 to end January. When I did my Elite 8 forecast at the beginning of February, they weren't even in the top 16 for JSPR. But Bourque got his crew in order when it mattered, rattling off 11-straight wins to end a magical season.
GIRLS CHAMPS: Loomis survives Andover in Elite 8 | Deerfield blanks Tabor in Large School | New Hampton three-peats in Small School
9. It's impossible not to feel good for Cushing captain Tyler Russo (Hamilton, Mass.) and junior forward Axel Favreau (Auburn, Maine). They were the only two current players on the 2023 and 2024 teams who fell in the final game. Losing three straight would've been approaching early 1990s Buffalo Bills territory. Now, Russo and Favreau don't have that problem. They're Elite 8 champs.
