After more than 30 years of NCAA coaching experience, Paul Pearl (Winthrop, Mass.) is taking the reins at Cushing Academy for the 2021-22 campaign.
The former Boston University associate head coach, who spent 19 seasons as head coach at his alma mater, Holy Cross, is stepping in for longtime prep coach Steve Jacobs, who is moving into a new position, Director of Boys Hockey.
Jacobs, a native of Hudson, Mass., joined the Penguins in 1985 and spent 22 seasons with the Ashburnham prep school before stepping away in 2007. He returned in 2017 and spent the past four seasons with the team but has once again decided to take a step back from his role as head coach.
Although now serving under a different title, Jacobs will remain involved with the program and work closely with Pearl as he navigates his first season at the prep level.
“I wanted to be a head coach again,” Pearl told NEHJ in a separate interview regarding his interest in the position. “I wanted that opportunity again and I think Cushing with its hockey tradition and opportunity was a no-brainer for me.”
After years of recruiting as a college assistant, Pearl (whose first coaching job came at Portsmouth Abbey School in 1991) spent many a night scouring the talent on display at Cushing’s Theodore Iorio Arena.
In doing so, he and the legendary bench boss built a connection that led to the eventual passing of the torch in July.
“Steve has been a friend of mine for 30 years," Pearl said. "When he decided he was stepping down, he reached out to me and it kind of went from there, so it all worked out really well."
While Pearl will now be the one calling the shots from behind the bench, Jacobs and his more than 800 career wins won’t be far off.
“He’s very invested in this school and he's a legend in hockey circles in Massachusetts. We’re lucky to have him," Pearl said.
Outlook for 2021-22
After only playing a handful of scrimmages last season, over 600 days have passed since Cushing played its last official prep school game; a 2-0 loss to Loomis Chaffee in the 2020 Large School final.
From the team that went 23-8-3 on the season, forward Cameron Lund (Bridgewater, Mass./Northeastern), as well as defensemen Jackson Dorrington (North Reading, Mass./Northeastern) and Nolan Hayes (Boston, Mass./Sacred Heart), are a few of the key departures. All three are playing in the USHL.
Of the players who were with the team pre-pandemic, senior Billy Norcross (Lynn, Mass.) is one of the most notable returnees. The 2003-born forward is committed to Boston College. Norcross totaled 30 points in 34 games with the Penguins in 2019-20.
In the fall leading up to the winter season, the veteran prep schooler is one of the numerous Penguins skating split-season with the (non-Cushing affiliated) Central Mass Penguins 18-U.
Mason Kesselring is another senior forward who is playing on the fall team that boasts a lot of the same players that will play for Cushing this winter. The uncommitted ‘04 from Manchester, N.H., played his first season in prep at New Hampton two years ago, before arriving at Cushing at the start of last season.
Another senior, Owen Paskowski will serve as the leader in the back end. An '04 defenseman who was previously committed to Colorado College, Paskowski was one of 14 prep players in the region to earn a ‘C’ rating on NHL Central Scouting’s Preliminary Players to Watch List.
A strong tandem of senior goaltenders, Jackson Irving (Newbury, Mass.) and Colin Ronan (Saugus, Mass.), will serve as the team's backbone in net. Both are currently playing for the CM Penguins 18-U.
In addition to the upperclassmen, the Penguins will also feature a group of '05s who have produced throughout the summer and fall and look poised to breakout in 2021-22.
Hillside alums Ethan Gardula (Princeton, Mass./Junior Eagles 16-U) and Landan Resendes (Marlboro, Mass./River Rats 16-U) are two players that fit that mold.
Gardula is in his sophomore season, while Resendes is entering his first year in prep after playing the previous season with the Boston Junior Bruins 16-U.
With the calendar now turned to November, the 2021-22 season will be here in no time.
Pearl is looking forward to working with his first group of Penguins in more ways than one.
“I’m looking forward to learning the landscape better,” the new head coach said. “You can watch from the outside and have an opinion on players but it’s a little different when you’re in the weeds day-to-day. So, just getting a feel for what this level is all about and then getting a feel for what we have.
“That’s the exciting part, too, seeing how far we can take a team from Thanksgiving to the end of the season and how much better we can get. I think this year will be a great learning experience for everyone involved and hopefully, we can develop the guys the way we'd like to.”
(Previously in New England Hockey Journal’s prep school preview series: Brunswick, Gunnery, New Hampton, St. Mark’s, Tabor, Loomis Chaffee, Berkshire, St. George's)
@_LiamFlaherty
liam.flaherty@hockeyjournal.com
