1/29/05
Jacobs Wins 500th
Ashburnham, Mass. – Cushing Academy head coach Steve Jacobs earned his 500th career win today as the Penguins blanked Phillips Exeter, 3-0.
At the final buzzer, the Cushing players mobbed Jacobs on the bench, and a brief ceremony followed on the ice.
Afterwards, Jacobs, who is in his 20th year as head coach, saluted Bill Troy, his assistant for the past 15 years “for the passion he’s brought to the program.” Jacobs also saluted the program's support staff and, of course, the many players who've worn the Cushing uniform. When it was pointed out that 500 wins comes out to an average of 25 a year for two decades, Jacobs replied, “That just means we’ve had great players here.”
Jacobs also had praise for his current team. “I love the team I have right now,” he said. “Our goals don’t come easy but they have a great team attitude, a great chemistry. It makes it a fun team to come and work with every day.”
Win #500, versus an Exeter team that had beaten them 4-1 back on December 11, was a solid, workmanlike effort. The Penguins outshot Exeter 33-14, scored one goal in each period, and got a shutout from junior goaltender Richard Bachman. Cushing was whistled for just three penalties in the game, while Exeter had seven called against them.
Cushing got on the board just 1:55 in when the visitors turned over the puck in the neutral zone and junior Damen Nisula took it in alone, sliding a backhander past Exeter goaltender Chris Mannix for an unassisted goal that made it 1-0.
In the second, with Cushing on the powerplay, junior Tom Bardis made a nice pass, right to left across the top of the goalmouth, finding the stick of junior Aaron Bogosian who buried it to put the hosts up 2-0 at the 3:29 mark. Broc Little also picked up an assist on the play.
In the third, Cushing picked up their third and final goal when a bad Exeter turnover in their own end put the puck on the stick of senior forward Pat McLaughlin, who fired it by a surprised Mannix at the 11:38 mark.
“We played solid in all phases of the game,” Jacobs said. “We played great D, had the edge in territory, and got good goaltending. It was an important win for us against a good team.”
Notes: Northeastern-bound PG Steve McClellan, a converted defenseman who had been moved up to forward this season and never looked totally comfortable there, was back patrolling the blueline today.
In Jacobs’ 19 seasons, his teams have never had a losing season, and in all but one season have reached the final eight. Twelve Cushing teams have reached the final four, and five have reached the title game. Two Cushing teams have won prep championships, in 1996 and 1998. The Tom Poti-Ryan Moynihan-Bobby Allen-Joe Exter led team of 1995-96, which went 35-1 was the best Cushing team we’ve ever seen, and one of the great prep teams of all time. Jacobs coaching record is now 500-90-23.
