Canterbury head coach Paddy McCarthy has been around hockey his whole life. In 1994, McCarthy won a Division 1 New England championship with the Saints. Thirty years later, he led his alma mater to the Small School title and won.
Knocking off Rivers, 3-1, in the NEPSAC Piatelli/Simmons Small School title game, Canterbury put an end to their 21st-century woes.
Interestingly, the way that the Saints won surprised McCarthy.
“As I've been thinking about the actual championship game, one of the things that I've come up with and been proud of is that we were known for our offense all year. In that particular game, a championship game, as I've rewatched it a few times, our commitment to the D-zone and our efforts blocking shots and getting pucks won us that game,” he said.
The Saints finished their season at 20-10-2, an impressive record given Canterbury's recent struggles. Since 2014, the Saints had failed to record a winning record. But a concentrated effort by McCarthy and the Canterbury athletic administration helped the Saints hoist the NEPSAC prize this season.
"That was a concerted effort from the administration and my coaching staff working together. And then finding the right families was the key," McCarthy said. "It definitely was a group effort. It wasn't one particular thing, but it was a goal. It happened a little bit quicker than I thought, but I also wasn't surprised. I've been very proud of how we were able to get it going back on the right track."
McCarthy added, self-deprecatingly, "I’ve been doing this for a long time. I'm so old now, I'm coaching my kids' sons."
A strong core helped fuel Canterbury's run for the NEPSAC title. There were forwards like postgrads Duncan Stewart (Short Hills, N.J.) and Jackson Powers, seniors Ryan Stratton (Camillus, N.Y.), Sam Ciappa (Baldswinsville, N.Y.) and Patrick Heslin (New Milford, Conn.), and junior Ryan Lucarelli (Westport, Conn.). There was senior defenseman Jake Stevens (Newton, N.J.).
They led the way on and off the ice for the Saints, each of them bringing something different to the table. Stratton, one of the Saints' captains, was a lightning rod of leadership, feeding the team positive energy throughout the season.
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For Heslin, McCarthy noted that his contributions to the team were a surprise but earned through his hard work on the ice.
"Patrick Heslin came to us unrecruited with no promises. By the end of this year, he was on the second line," he said.
"He became a trusted guy for the coaching staff, and his teammates enjoyed playing with him because he did all the little things. He was a nice surprise for us, and it couldn't have happened at a better time."
But the Saints were anchored by one player — Stevens. The blueliner for Canterbury was a force all season long and, according to McCarthy, the bedrock of the quick turnaround for the Saints.
"Jake Stevens is a human breakout. It all starts with him, quite frankly," McCarthy said.
"He was one of the key recruits we got two years ago, and we basically have been trying to work from the goal line out to get this thing turned around. Jake's amount of time he logs on the ice, his ability to move pucks, his offensive ability, and his IQ is off the charts."
Stevens spoke on the Saints' run in the NEPSAC Small playoffs and the gauntlet of games they went through en route to their title victory.
"That whole week was pretty tough on the body," Stevens said. "But as a team, we managed and practiced the way we should in order to be prepared for all the games.
"During (the title game vs. Rivers), the ‘D’ really held their own, and we just beared down. They had some good forwards on their end, so we had to shift our game to play against them. We had a defensive-minded-specific game."
The Saints' triumph in the Small School tournament could be the start of something special in New Milford, Conn. With a revamped roster and newly found success, Canterbury looks to become one of the NEPSAC's newest powerhouses.
McCarthy believes it starts with three things: speed, goaltending and skill.
"We tried to build a skating team from the D-zone out," McCarthy said. "We were able to get pucks out and then play as fast as possible in all three zones. That's something we've been building. With that said, you have to have a goalie. Any hockey coach is going to say that for sure."
And Canterbury had the goalie this season in senior Maxim Pitts (Victor, N.Y.), who made 31 saves to beat Rivers in the final.
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But legacies and blue bloods are forged by sustained success. For the Saints, this means proving that their 2023-24 campaign was far from a fluke. By continuing to build their roster through talented recruiting classes and adapting in-game when they need to, Canterbury can continue to find success across New England and potentially make the Elite 8.
"Ultimately, one of our goals is to compete for the Small School championship every year and work from there and try to get to the Elite 8," McCarthy said. "But if we're competing for the Small School tournament every year, we're having a pretty good season.”
