The Cumberland Clippers’ undefeated streak was ended Friday night by the high-flying Bishop Hendricken Hawks, with the Hawks coming away victorious, 5-2. Coming into the game, it was an interesting matchup, with an undefeated team taking on the reining state champions. Pregame, Cumberland Head Coach Marko Andreozzi spoke on what has led Cumberland to such a great season so far and the challenge of facing Hendricken.
“I think consistency [has been the strong point of the team], we work hard, and I think that work ethic is paying off in all zones. We still need to improve on a lot of things, but overall our effort every shift, every period has been the difference. It’s [facing Hendricken] going to be tough, we talked about focusing on the things we do well and trying to eliminate the things they do well, they attack the net very well and they have some skill players that can really move with the puck. For us, it’s about playing consistently and hard work in all three periods,” said Andreozzi
On the other side, Hendricken Hawks Head Coach Michael Soscia spoke on Cumberland’s roster and their abilities heading into the game.
“It’s [Cumberland] going to be a big test, it’s going to be a good battle, they’re a good senior-riddled team, veteran-led, they can score, they play solid defense, they’re physical, and they play smart. It’s going to be another good test, we gotta hold our composure and go from there,” said Soscia
Less than a minute into the game, the Hawks proved why they are such a formidable opponent, with a quick goal scored by junior forward Griffin Crain, who was assisted by fellow junior forwards Jack LaRose and William Cavanagh. About five minutes later, the Hawks would strike again, this time Cavanagh would get a goal for himself, and Crain would pick up the assist. Cavanagh and Crain have been among the top scorers for the Hawks this season, and they continue to produce in big spots, especially when they are on the ice at the same time.
Finding themselves down 2-0 in the first period, the Clippers knew they had to put something together quickly, and that urgency resulted in a goal by senior left wing Christian Oliveira with less than 30 seconds left in the period. Senior Jamie Robbins would get credit for the assist, and Cumberland would head into the first intermission down by one.
In the second period, Hendricken would pick up right where they left off with a goal within the first 30 seconds of the period. Crain would pick up his second goal of the evening, quickly getting himself a three-point game. Crain had some help from Cavanagh and freshman Blake Grislis. Early into the contest, it was evident that Hendricken’s passing game and overall chemistry was clicking, which Coach Soscia touched on before the game.
“It’s just about trying to find the right combinations, we’re tweaking lines week to week, we’re figuring out what’s the best fit going down the road. We got a good group of kids, they’re working hard and they’re really starting to buy into the process and what’s going on, time will tell,” said Soscia.
As the game wore on, Hendricken’s defense was proving to be a focal point as well, with a great penalty kill and sophomore goaltender Colin Murray bringing his absolute A-game with many impressive saves and heads-up moves. Although Hendricken was up 3-1, they still had the killer instinct, with another goal by Cavanagh in the final thirty seconds of the second period, Nick Regine and LaRose would pick up the assists.
The Hawks would enter the final period up 4-1 and would smother the Clippers, consistently roaming in the offensive zone until they eventually got another goal. This time, the goal would be a strong slapshot from senior defenseman Aiden Pennachini with a little over four minutes left in the matchup.
Roughly 20 seconds later, Cumberland would finally answer, with Oliveira getting his second goal of the night, and he was assisted by Robbins once again. The second Oliveira goal would only prove to be a cleanup effort as the Hawks would go on to win 5-2. Oliveira proved to be the lone goal-scorer for Cumberland Friday night, which was not the biggest surprise, with him being the first name mentioned by Coach Andreozzi when talking about the top performers/ seniors on the team.
Although the usually high-scoring Clippers only mustered two points against the Hawks, they were still able to put up 33 shots on goal, contrasting with Hendricken’s 24. Though the score was one-sided, it did not tell the whole story of the game. Coach Soscia was right on the mark when saying that Cumberland was physical and that the Hawks needed to maintain their composure. Throughout the game, it was obvious that tensions were high and there was a lot of jawing out on the ice that resulted in some extra-curricular activities that ultimately led to penalties on both sides. The high tensions and emotions came as no surprise, with this being a big game for both teams coming in.
After a tough, physical game, both Hendricken and Cumberland will have games today, with Cumberland facing a banged-up Burrillville squad at home at 8:00 p.m. and Hendricken traveling to Springfield to take on the Pope Francis Cardinals in a non-league game at 2:00 p.m. Being on the cusp of the final month of the regular season, it will be enticing to see where these two teams will end up by postseason with both playing high-level hockey.
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