The Blue Line Report: Young Pingree squad learning mightily from its elders

Jan. 19—There are two big buzzwords surrounding the Pingree boys hockey program in the winter of 2021-22: positivity and patience.

With 11 freshmen on the varsity roster — nine of whom skate a regular shift — the Highlanders are almost certainly, in the words of head coach Dan Gordon, "the youngest team in all of New England prep school hockey." These ninth graders and five sophomores are literally learning on the fly against, in many cases, opponents who are bigger, stronger and up to five years older than they are.

That means that Pingree's five seniors — captain Michael Lynch, alternates Cody Plaza and Tommy Tavenner, as well as Bryce Bedard and goaltender Matt Cusolito — are taking on even more responsibility. In addition to what they produce on the ice and how they lead their teammates off of it, they're also helping to shape the formation of the program for the next few seasons, when the youngsters will ripen into what they hope will be a powerful force.

"It can be tough as a freshman or sophomore going to a new prep school and being thrown into this level of hockey," said Plaza, who came to Pingree after skating his freshman year at his hometown Danvers High. "Your nerves can really hit you; everything comes at you. So it's our job as seniors and leaders to help calm the young guys down and let them know that every day, they're getting better. It's all about staying positive."

After Lynch scored both goals and Cusulito shut out visiting Middlesex Saturday afternoon, 2-0, the Highlanders improved to 4-8-1 on the season. There's still almost half a season (11 games) to play, which means plenty of teachable moments, as well as constant progress, can be made at the South Hamilton campus.

"A lot of it is understanding our system and the way we need to play," said Lynch, who leads Pingree in scoring with 11 goals, nine assists and 20 points. "We're a fast team, so it's important that we get the puck in the offensive zone and use our bodies down low to gain possession. You don't have to be the biggest or the oldest team to win battles; that's what we need to keep learning."

The 31-year-old Gordon, a former Pingree star who went on to skate at UMass Amherst, then professionally in France for two seasons, knows he has some outstanding younger players who should blossom with time and experience. Sophomores Ryan Kavanaugh (5 goals and a team-leading 14 assists) and Quinn Moses of Ipswich (6-10-16) already play on the to line with Lynch as their center. Freshmen forwards such as Kyle Smyrnios, Max Trudel, Kellen Danaher, Nick Moulison and Trey Hanson, as well as Max Kirianov and sophomores Tejas Prakash and Isaac Amigo on defense, are among those that should the foundation of the program's future.

"It can be a big learning curve at this level for young players," said Gordon. "You're jumping from playing against guys your own age to older guys who can literally come from all over the world, and every game is competitive. You have to be both mentally tough and prepared to handle it while understanding that it's not easy. That's what these guys are starting to figure out.

"What really helps," added Gordon, "is that we have five terrific seniors who are not only excellent players, but their leadership shows every practice, every game, every shift. These five are my first recruiting class are the ones who helped turn the culture around here, and I'm forever indebted to them."

Cusolito, a 6-foot-3, 160-pounder from Wenham, who returned to game action after almost six weeks following a concussion, looked sharp in Saturday's win. Yes, he was well protected by his defenders out front, but his feet were quick, his lungs were strong, and he was on his game.

Along with renowned goalie coach Mike Bocuzzi ("he's great," said Cusolito), he serves as a mentor to sophomore netminder Luke Marinelli of Marblehead, as well as the program's two junior varsity goalies. "If we have two games in a week, usually Luke and I will go 2-1 (2 games for one keeper, one for the other)," said Cusolito.

"As a senior, I'm just trying to help our team be the best it can now and for when I'm gone," he added. "I can do that by working hard in practice, leading by example and keeping things level: never too high or too low. If I can help get these other goalies ready for the future by what I'm doing now, that's great."

Lynch admits that he "feels the pressure on your shoulders sometimes" to produce on a top heavy first unit, but loves serving as a mentor to his younger teammates to be their best selves on every shift. He really enjoys playing with his two sophomore linemates, too.

"Quinny and Kav are really smart players for their age. The three of us are a really cohesive unit," he said. "They're mature and understand they have pressure on them, too, and combine that with their skill to make things happen."

Moses, an '05 who came to Pingree from the Boston Jr. Rangers, "consistently makes smart decisions", according to his coach. The 5-foot-9, 170-pounder has poise with the puck and uses his skill and intelligence to make his linemates better while generating scoring chances.

Plaza is the quarterback of the team's back line, an offensive defenseman with a long leash who's as comfortable rushing the puck up ice ("I like to serve as a fourth forward," he said) as he is battling opponents in his own end. Saturday against Middlesex, he played north of 33 of the game's 51 minutes.

"Cody's a dynamic player," said Gordon. "He can skate like the wind and wants the puck at all times, to be involved in all aspects of the game. He's constantly showing the younger guys who competitive he is with every shift.

"When other coaches and scouts talk to me, they mention Cody's name and number." — A sign that Bishop Fenwick is making in-season improvements is its 2-2 tie with Bishop Feehan on Monday, one in which the Crusaders were disappointed at settling for the overtime stalemate after holding a two-goal lead early on.

While they're still working to get to the .500 mark, Fenwick (3-5-1) is getting after it with more of a purpose, particularly in the offensive zone. To wit: they're a better forechecking team than they were even two weeks ago, getting after it with more purpose and tenacity. Winning battles in the corners is a by-product of that, leading to more possession and scoring opportunities. The D-zone work has also picked up.

Alas, Fenwick won't have a chance to show those skills in games the rest of this week, as scheduled contests with Winthrop Wednesday and Archbishop Williams Saturday have been postponed. Their next scheduled game is against Andover at Breakaway Ice Center in Tewksbury a week from today. — It's been exactly nine years since St. John's Prep played six straight games on the road. They'll do so again Thursday night, playing at Burbank Arena vs. host Reading High (7:45 p.m.) to cap off a six-game stretch away from their home ice at the Essex Sports Center.

In my records, I can't find an instance where the Eagles won six consecutive road games in succession (i.e., no home games in between). They have a chance to do so if they defeat the Rockets Thursday, having already defeated on this current tour Bishop Guertin of New Hampshire (7-0), Austin Prep (4-1), Xaverian (5-2), Malden Catholic (4-1) and St. John's of Shrewsbury (7-5).

Fourteen different players have lit the lamp during this five-game stretch and 21 players have registered at least one point (including goalie Peyton Palladino). Captain Pierce Blaeser has had a goal and eight assists; his younger brother Cole Blaeser (3-4-7) and cousin Jake Vana (4-4-8) haven't been too shabby, either. Neither has Christian Rosa (5-2-7), captain Theo Vetere on defense (2-3-5), Ben McGilvray (2-4-6), sophomore newcomer Cam Umlah (2-3-5) and many others.

Still, it hasn't been all empty netters and shutouts for the Eagles; there are still areas of their game that need sharpening. For instance, nearly giving up a 5-goal lead in the third period Sunday against St. John's Shrewsbury, in which a 7-2 game became a 7-5 nailbiter late, earned the Eagles a dreaded bag skate Monday, with scant few pucks and plenty of pushing the blades up and down the ice over and over repitiously.

"There should certainly be a sense of vulnerability after Sunday's game," said ever-cautious head coach Kristian Hanson. "We got to a point where we were scrambling late, which never should have happened. We need to play with consistency and not be as complacent."

The Prep's identity is already pretty clear: they're an excellent skating, highly skilled team with a lot of offensive depth, strong goaltending and solid D. When they play with passion, intensity and are hard on pucks, they'll be tough to beat. When they don't ... the door is open for an upset.

The last time St. John's played six straight away from home was January 2013, with the Eagles falling at BC High, 2-0, before toppling Catholic Memorial (5-1), Peabody (9-0), Xaverian (5-0), Austin Prep (5-1), and Malden Catholic (5-2) in a row. They finished that season as Super 8 semifinalists with an 18-3-4 record.

At 7-1 on the season, St. John's Prep has won six straight. It's their longest stretch of victories since the abovementioned 2012-13 campaign, where they won 10 in a row and went unbeaten in 13 straight (12-0-1).

"The biggest challenge when you're winning," said Hanson, "is not letting complacency creep in. When you're on a streak like we are you might feel like you can get away with anything, where you can take chances once you have a lead. But unnecessary chances can lead to mistakes, and mistakes can wind up in the back of our net.

"We can't let overconfidence creep into our game, and that's my responsibility to make sure it doesn't, "he added. "We need to stay hungry and intense no matter who we play and at whatever point in the game it is, no matter the score."

The Blue Line Report, a column on North Shore high school boys hockey, appears each Wednesday in The Salem News during the winter sports season. Contact Phil Stacey at pstacey@salemnews.com and follow him on Twitter @PhilStaceySN

Contact Phil Stacey

@PhilStacey_SN

Contact Phil Stacey

@PhilStacey_SN