ASHBURNHAM, Mass. — When Cushing Academy – after a terrific regular season that earned them a No. 2 seed in NEPSAC Class AA – was upset by Brimmer & May in the first round of the playoffs last season, it told head coach James Cormier two things.
One, he said he simply didn’t prepare his team well enough. Two, he felt like there wasn’t enough leadership that could catapult them to a championship.
Those issues figure to be in the past. Cormier has built a roster that should not only be one of the strongest in New England, but now has the necessary ingredients to win a title. He believes it’s the deepest team he’s had in his eight years as a head coach; one that’s extremely versatile and also possesses the right mix of intangibles that may have been missing before.
“The leadership, the character, the cohesiveness and the overall synergy is what’s separating us from last year,” Cormier said.
