Sunday, March 17, 2024

UNH Commit Jack Sadowski's 2024 Championship Season

Jack Sadowski (F)
2025 UNH Commit

"I attribute a lot of my success to my team. My linemates were unbelievable all year long." Jack Sadowski, March 13, 2024

2024 Elite 8 Championship Highlight Reel

After leading New England Prep School Hockey with 37 goals, 45 assists, and 82 points in 34 regular season games, senior Jack Sadowski fittingly dominated the scoreboard in the Elite 8 Championship game. Kimball Union Academy defeated Cushing Academy 4-1 and Sadowski scored 2 goals (and arguably 3) plus an assist.

This highlight reel shows all of Sadowski scores in his final prep school game:

Interview

I had an opportunity to interview Jack Sadowski, via email, about his championship season and future plans:

Mike Lowry: Congratulations on your dominant season for Kimball Union Academy in New England Prep School Hockey. KUA finished last season 22-10-1, was seeded #8 in the 2023 Elite 8 Playoffs, and lost to #1 Cushing Academy 6-2 in the Quarterfinals. KUA improved to 32-5-0 this season, earned the #2 seed and just won the 2024 Elite 8 Championship defeating #1 Cushing 4-1.
What factors contributed to your team's improvement this season?


Jack Sadowski: We knew at the start of the season we had a great team. We had a bunch of veteran players who had the experience of losing in the first round of the Elite 8 and knew we didn't want to feel that way again. We used that as motivation all season.

We were obviously a higher seed this year which allowed us to get home ice for the first two rounds. We have some of the best fans in New England and being able to play in front of them was great!


Mike Lowry: Your individual performance was raised to a whole new level this season. As a KUA junior, you scored 23 goals, 19 assists in 33 games for a points per game average of 1.27. That production essentially doubled this season to 2.46 PPG with 41 goals, 50 assists in 37 games. You earned "Player of the Year" honors from both Neutral Zone Prep Hockey and U.S. Hockey Report.
What individual skills improved this season?


Jack Sadowski: I'm not really sure. I attribute a lot of my success to my team. My linemates were unbelievable all year long. I had already had one year playing with Sam LeDrew so this year we were able to build off of last year's chemistry and Corwith Simmers was really what held our line together as the center, he bailed Sam and I out a lot on the defensive end which led to more production on the offensive side for all three of us. I think we all worked really well together which created more opportunities for us throughout the season.

Lowry: Focusing on the Elite 8 Playoffs, KUA was in very tight games in the Quarterfinals (5-4 OT over St. George's) and Semifinals (4-3 OT over Salisbury). You scored the OT winner in the semis. You and the team really cranked it up in the 4-1 Championship game as you scored 2 official goals (plus a likely third that wasn't acknowledged) and added an assist.
What are some of your favorite memories from your triumphant final game playing for KUA?


Sadowski: So many great memories- I think the environment throughout the season but especially during the playoffs was awesome - at Harvard there were two great student sections that were loud and cheering the whole game. The championship game at Harvard being so close to home was great for me because it allowed so many friends and family members to be there to support me and my team.

Lowry: In our October 2022 interview shortly after you committed to UNH, you talked about the possibility of playing for the Muskegon Lumberjacks in the USHL before enrolling at UNH. They had drafted you in the 2022 Phase I Draft. You recently committed to the West Kelowna Warriors in the BCHL for next season.
What factors went into your decision?


Sadowski: A big part of my decision is that my former linemate Jackson Kyrkostas is there now and will be returning next year and then also getting another year to play with Sam LeDrew. After talking with the coaches and management it felt like a great fit. I think West Kelowna is going to help me develop and get me ready for UNH which ultimately is what is most important.

Neutral Zone Scouting Report

NE Prep Championship Sunday Report, March 11, 2024
"Sadowski is a below-average-sized left-shot left wing with elite game processing and game awareness. Yes, he had two goals had a third go in but was not counted and had a primary assist on the first goal of the game but it is all of the little things that he did that made him so impactful.
On every shift, he set picks or skated through a Cushing player’s lane so they would have to break stride to pursue his teammates. In the defensive zone, Sadowski did his job and was there to lend support when his teammates needed it without vacating his ice. And as a left-wing who had the wide lane twice, he changed when he was supposed to change so the flow of the KUA’s offense was not disrupted.
His hands are silky. His passes were where his teammates could make the next play without needing to adjust their routes or their hand placement. And his shots were money."

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