Liam Madrigal never imagined Mount Carmel would struggle the way it has the past two seasons.
With a 2-16-1 record, the Caravan are at the bottom of the standings in the Catholic League and will not qualify for the upcoming Kennedy Cup playoffs.
Last season, they managed to squeak into the postseason, only to drop two straight games in the first round of the Kennedy Cup’s best-of-3 format.
Madrigal, though, is confident better days are ahead.
“Our skill level and awareness is so much better than last year,” said Madrigal, a sophomore forward. “Everyone wants to be better and is working hard in practice. I’m optimistic.”
Madrigal also easily, and honestly, relates to Mount Carmel’s previous stature as a hockey powerhouse.
“I’ve always had a little extra motivation to do well,” Madrigal said. “I’ve had family members who won Kennedy Cups at Mount Carmel. My dad (Matt) had success here. I want to be a part of a successful team.”
Success could arrive as soon as next season. When Craig Ferguson agreed to come out of coaching retirement 15 months ago, he knew it was going to take time to rebuild the program.
But Ferguson is encouraged by a freshman class that has provided depth and skill. He resisted the urge to promote them to the varsity, preferring instead to keep most on the JV level.
“I knew we (varsity) were going to take our lumps a little bit,” Ferguson said. “Bringing up a couple of the freshmen would have helped us win a few games. But I thought it was more important to allow them to develop together and experience some success.”
There also have been a few bright spots on Mount Carmel’s varsity.
Cary Anderson (6 goals, 15 assists in 19 games) and Madrigal (11 goals, 8 assists) rank among the Top 20 point-producers in the Catholic League. Sophomore forwards Joe Fata, Luke McGinty and Cade Anderson are major building blocks moving forward.
The key to completing the turnaround, though, will be the development of the Caravan’s freshman class. Kids such as John Curtin, Brett Wiseman, Nathan Schultz, Dylan Cline and Matt Jakob have the potential to develop into difference-makers.
“Adding the freshmen who will be sophomores to the (varsity) mix next season is going to be a big help,” Madrigal said.
Another plus is the coaching presence of Ferguson, who won three Kennedy Cup as a player at Mount Carmel.
In his first go-round as the Caravan’s coach, Ferguson led Mount Carmel to four straight Kennedy Cups from 1997-2000. He moved on to St. Rita, capturing five straight Cups from 2008-2012 and state titles in both 2009 and 2011.
St. Rita was in a similar rebuild in 2004 as Mount Carmel is today.
“We like the young talent we have,” Ferguson said. “I believe we’re headed in the right direction.”
Big-time hockey: Keith Burchett, a 2013 St. Rita graduate, is playing for Massachusetts, a Division I college program.
A three-time Kennedy Cup and two-time state champion at St .Rita, Burchett has four points in 17 games. The 5-foot-11, 198-pound forward has two years left at Massachusetts after playing one season for Sioux Falls of the United States Hockey League.
Did you know? Providence forward Jake Rott leads the Catholic League in scoring with 16 goals and 26 assists in 18 games.
With three games remaining, Rott remains ahead of Fenwick’s Michael Powers (22 goals, 17 assists) by three points and Providence teammate Jake Vennetti (20 goals, 14 assists) by eight points.
Twitter: @disabato
