DEDHAM, Mass. — In 1982, the average cost of a gallon of gas was 91 cents, the average rent was $320 and the average loaf of white bread cost 50 cents. “Late Night with David Letterman” aired for the first time and Michael Jackon’s album “Thriller” forever changed the music industry.
Also in 1982, Milton Academy won its third-straight Flood-Marr championship. It was the last time the Mustangs would win the title for 40 years.
That streak came to an end on Sunday when Milton upset Kimball Union, 3-1, to hoist the Flood-Marr trophy for the first time since Ronald Reagan’s first administration.
And what a game it was.
Both teams traded shots off the crossbar early in the matchup. With less than two minutes to play in the first period, junior forward Ryan Shea (Norwell, Mass.) got the Mustangs on the board first when he roofed a shot off the rush over Kimball Union goalie Dan Heroux.
Milton got its second goal, the eventual game-winner, halfway through the second period on an outstanding solo effort from senior forward Henry Cohen (Sudbury, Mass.), who we’ll get to in a bit.
Kimball Union responded less than a minute later when junior forward Jack Sadowski (Arlington, Mass.) received a pass from fellow junior forward Sam LeDrew off the rush and sniped one high blocker on Milton Academy goalie Sam Caulfield (Needham, Mass.) to cut the Mustangs lead to 2-1.
The majority of the third period was a one-goal game. It was exciting hockey with both teams trading long shifts in the offensive zone.
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With just over a minute to play and Heroux off for the extra skater, LeDrew took a boarding penalty, ensuring a Milton power play for the rest of the game. Senior forward Mikka Kelechian rifled home a one-timer with 53 seconds left to make it 3-1.
If there was any doubt that Milton was for real, this tournament performance extinguishes that. Sunday’s win came on the heels of tying Salisbury on Saturday, 1-1. The Mustangs also secured wins over Deerfield and Andover in the first two games of the tournament.
Head coach Paul Cannata’s team also has wins over St. Mark’s and St. Sebastian’s.
Here were the players who stood out most on Sunday.
Sam Caulfield
Milton Academy, 8/29/06, G, catches: left, 6-1/181
Caulfied won tournament MVP and it’s not hard to figure out why. He pitched a 31-save shutout to beat Deerfield on Friday, posted an incredibly impressive 40-save performance to tie Salisbury Saturday and was superb on Sunday. Early in the third period with Kimball Union on the attack, the Needham, Mass., native made two huge saves on two high-danger chances. The second was the most impressive, as he stuck his right leg out to rob LeDrew.
Henry Cohen
Milton Academy, 3/7/04, FWD, right shot, 6-0/181
Cohen was a force Sunday, hitting everything that moved and being hard on the forecheck. Kimball Union was the bigger team, but Cohen helped even the playing field with his powerful style of play. He laid out senior Kimball Union forward AJ Noel at the end of the second period. His most impressive play of the day, however, came on his game-winner. He beat out an icing, got the puck, brought it to Grade-A ice and fired a shot past Heroux. Quite a time for his first goal of the season.
Dylan Hunt
Milton Academy, 2/9/06, D, left shot, 6-1/174
Hunt isn’t the most dynamic defenseman, but he’s certainly reliable. Cannata used him in tough minutes and the sophomore consistently delivered. He was great in a shutdown role and made the right play when it came to transitioning the puck out of his own zone. The Marlborough, Mass., native also showed flashes of his offensive potential like when he went end-to-end late in the game and got a shot off. He’s a really good younger player to watch develop this season.
Jacob Pohl
Milton Academy, 8/13/04, FWD, right shot, 5-9/170
Speaking of reliability, there’s Pohl. He consistently flexed his two-way muscles, positioning himself well in the defensive zone to intercept plays and cut off passing lanes. He moved the puck well through the neutral zone and created chances for his teammates. He’s one of the forwards Cannata regularly relies on.
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Jackson Kyrkostas
Kimball Union, 8/19/04, FWD, right shot, 5-10/170
Kyrkostas is a pleasure to watch at this level. He’s dynamic, has great hands and is a threat to do something every time the puck is on his stick. That was the case Sunday as he and linemates LeDrew and Sadowski created chances and spent a considerable amount of time in Milton’s end. The RPI commit was consistently one of the best players in the tournament.
