By Joshua Boyd
The South Shore Kings have their mission, and it’s become their main hashtag right now: #DefendTheDineen.
Last year’s Cup champion were also the No. 1 team in the 2024-25 NCDC regular season, earning them their first Founders Cup title with a 44-7-3-0 record. Once the Kings made the New England Championships, that together with the Founders Cup win, ensured them a spot in the four-team Dineen Cup Championships field. The Dineen Cup Championships take place April 25-29 in Wayne, N.J.
While they were unable to claim the New England Division playoff championship in a 3-1 series loss to the Northern Cyclones, they are heading to New Jersey as the Wild Card in the event. As long as they get there, the reset button is hit and they are 0-0 just like everyone else there.
“It’s obviously exciting to be back in the Dineen Cup Finals for the third year in a row. The format this year is unique. You have four very good hockey teams going at it in a double elimination format. To be able to play meaningful hockey games this time of the year is an unbelievable experience,” said Kings GM/Head Coach Tyler Holske. “We will look for our leadership group to lead the way here starting Friday. Our group is looking forward to the challenge and is hungry to bring another championship title back to Foxboro.”
The Kings have been working hard all season, and certainly in the days heading towards the championship tournament, but they made sure to give the players a breather as they’ve been going full-tilt since August.
“All four teams have obviously had a bit of a break. We gave the guys a few days off after the series against the Cyclones. Rest is so important this time of year,” said Holske. “We got back to work [Monday] afternoon with our normal daily schedule of video, practice and EPS.”
The Kings will begin their championship tournament on Friday at 3:30 p.m. against the Idaho Falls Spud Kings, the regular season (38-10-4-1) and playoff champions of the Mountain Division.
“We are excited to play against a new opponent. The Mountain Division is very strong and we saw that with the Ogden Mustangs last spring in the Dineen Cup Finals,” Holske said. “We have started to dive into the Spud Kings. They are a well-coached team and very disciplined. They are sound defensively and quick in transition. For us, it’s about playing to our identity. Our group knows the way we need to play in order to be successful.”
During the season, Will Rassier led the way with 62 points, and was followed not far behind by Jake Kavanagh (54 points) and Jack DesRuisseaux (51 points). All told, the Kings had 10 skaters with at least 30 points, and seven with 40 or more. During the playoffs, Rassier has again led the way with nine points and Kavanagh’s close behind with seven.
“Similar to the regular season, we have had contributions from everyone on our team to this point. It is important to have depth throughout your lineup,” said Holske. “Will Rassier, a Wesleyan University commit, has led the way up front. Jake Kavanagh has also been a big part of our offense in the playoffs thus far. Ethan Woolcott, who is in his first season with us, has taken a big step. He is playing with a lot of confidence right now. Beau Lane, a SUNY-Plattsburgh commit, has been very consistent for us in net.”
It’s not going to be an easy path for any of the four teams, but the Kings feel they are ready for the mission at hand.
