NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. — The pass that Culver Academies defenseman Isaac Fecteau received on his stick along the blue line bounced up on him. For a split second, it looked as if St. Andrew’s College, defending a one-goal lead with under 1:30 to play, might capitalize on the choppy ice and take the puck the other way on an empty net.
But Fecteau settled it down and sent a floater on net. It went off St. Andrew’s College goalie Liam Furey’s shoulder and in. Culver tied up the True Hockey Prep Cup championship game.
After a thrilling overtime, Culver right wing Kayson Un Yi won it in the third round of the shootout to win the game, 4-3, and give his team the championship win.
St. Andrew’s College, which is actually a prep school from Ontario, took down Dexter Southfield to reach the final. Culver Academies, a prep school in Indiana, defeated Frederick Gunn to earn a spot in Sunday’s big game.
Both St. Andrew’s College and Culver are members of the Prep Hockey Conference, which was established in 2021.
ALL THE ACTION: Check out the full results from a great weekend of hockey
St. Andrew’s got the scoring going 38 seconds into the game when right wing Anselmo Rego blazed through the Culver defense and snuck one past Culver goalie Evan Tompkins to make it 1-0.
Culver responded when Un Yi fired a wrist shot past Furey to tie the game, 1-1, midway through the first period.
After a scoreless second frame, the third period featured plenty of chaos.
Culver opened the final 20 minutes of regulation with a goal from left wing Cole Barrett, as he snuck past the St. Andrew’s College defense and fired one through the legs of Furey to make it 2-1.
St. Andrew’s College replied with left wing Luca Veilleux slamming in a rebound to make it, 2-2. Trust me, we will get to how this goal came to fruition later in this story. The lead was extended when St. Andrew’s College right wing Jack Pridham fired a wrist shot past Tompkins off the rush to make it 3-2.
This was an incredibly exciting game. Fortunately for both teams, lots of college coaches and NHL scouts were in attendance. The Boston Bruins had some of their scouts, as well as general manager Don Sweeney, in attendance at the tournament on Sunday, in advance of their mid-year/winter scouting meetings that begin this week.
Without further adieu, here are the players who stood out the most in Sunday’s final.
Jack Pridham
St. Andrew’s College, 10/8/05, RW, right shot, 6-2/166
NCAA: Boston University
Pridham was dominant in the third period, especially on his team’s two goals. His best play of the afternoon came on Veilleux’s goal. Pridham battled for the puck in the corner, dangled to the front of the net, dove and got a shot off. While the puck was stopped, Culver was entirely focused on Pridham, leaving Veilleux uncovered to deposit the rebound. Pridham’s goal was just as impressive. He took it himself through the neutral zone, cut middle at the top of the slot and fired a laser past the blocker of Tompkins. He also hit the post on a one-timer in overtime.
Larry Keenan
Culver, 3/15/05, D, left shot, 6-3/185
NCAA: UMass
I’ve seen Keenan a fair amount in the last week and his poise continued to impress me on Sunday. He rushed the puck when needed and knew when to join the rush. His hockey IQ was on display Sunday as well, knowing when to pinch in the offensive zone and when to back up and brace for St. Andrew’s College’s speed up front. His pass to Barrett for Culver’s second goal was especially impressive.
Jonathan Castagna
St. Andrew’s College, 4/20/05, C, left shot, 6-2/185
NCAA: Cornell
Castagna can straight-up skate. He has a great stride and was phenomenal at driving play through the neutral zone. There were multiple times Sunday when his trips through the neutral zone featured multiple roadblocks from Culver and because his head was up, he avoided them and entered the offensive zone. His hands were also solid, as he created space for himself off the rush.
Phil Lalonde
Culver, 1/6/05, RW, left shot, 6-3/185
Lalonde did a lot of little things that stood out on Sunday. He had a good stick, such as when he picked off a pass headed for the St. Andrew’s College defenders at the point in Lalonde’s own zone. Lalonde went the other way with it, using his speed to separate from the lone St. Andrew’s College defender back and fired a shot off the crossbar. His hard work was also evident on the game-tying goal as he helped free up the puck to get back to the point.
Cole Barrett
Culver, 4/2/05, LW, left shot, 5-9/165
His goal was a nice one, as he managed to stay onside, created separation and threaded a lamplighter through the legs of Furey. He also had a goal in the shootout — that also went through the legs of Furey. But he showcased good Hockey IQ in the offensive zone and battled hard in corners. His chemistry with linemate Lalonde was evident throughout the afternoon as well.
Anselmo Rego
St. Andrew’s College, 6/1/05, RW, right shot, 5-8/176
While Pridham brought his best in the third period, I thought Rego used his best in the first. He scored the opening goal on a great, singlehanded effort. Later in the period, he laid out Culver defenseman Francois Devilliers in open ice. A few moments later, he beat out an icing. He was consistently hard on the forecheck all afternoon and made himself tough to play against. His skating needs work, but he made himself effective.
