Earlier this season, Gloucester High boys hockey standout Brett Cunningham notched his 100th career point in a thrilling overtime win over Barrington, R.I.
Less than two weeks later, fellow captain Colby Jewell joined him on that exclusive list as he dished out two assists against Winthrop to reach the milestone.
In doing so, Jewell became just the 15th player in program history to hit that elusive century mark.
“Going into the game with 98 points it was on my mind a little bit, but games before that I didn’t realize I was that close,” admitted Jewell, who has scored 11 goals and dished out 12 assists for the 6-4 Fishermen this season. “I think that helped me in a way because I wasn’t really thinking about it as much and I was just playing the best I could for the team.”
Jewell’s decisive assist that allowed him to reach 100 points came on the power play as he fired an open shot just wide that rimmed around to a teammate for an easy back door pass and successful shot.
Despite Jewell’s efforts against Winthrop, however, the Fishermen came up short with a 5-3 loss. But even in the midst of a current three-game losing streak, they’ve notched some impressive wins this winter and sat at No. 5 in the most recent Division 2 MIAA power rankings.
Cunningham (12 goals, 13 assists) and Jewell have largely carried the offensive load for head coach Derek Geary’s squad. The two seniors have built a tremendous rapport together on the ice and are hopeful it leads to many more wins this season as they work towards a potentially deep tournament run.
“It has been a pleasure being able to skate with such a good player every day and I think it really brings the best out of me,” Jewell said of his relationship with Cunningham. “He’s always pushing me to get better and I couldn’t have (hit 100 career points) by myself.”
If Gloucester is going to turn things back around and put an end to the mini three-game skid, Jewell believes it will all start on the defensive end. Guys like Chris LoJacono, James Sanfilippo, Sam Sanfilippo, Joseph Orlando and Will Lowthers, among others, have allowed the Fishermen to thrive on that end of the ice.
“The key is defense; whenever we play team defense things roll our way,” said Jewell. “All of our defensemen put in a lot of work over the offseason and we have three solid lines of defenders that really helps us.
“As coach would say, ‘The hockey gods are in our favor when we are playing honest hockey and next guy up’,” continued Jewell. “This is what has given us success and we will need it in the future if we want to be a top team.”
Gloucester has a big game at Woburn on Monday at noon as they look to right the ship and get back in the win column. The Tanners (5-1) checked in one spot ahead of the Fishermen in the recent power rankings.
“It’s the biggest game of the year and a must win for us,” said Jewell.