Fenton's goal a prized moment
It wasn't the Super 8 glory Springfield Cathedral came into the postseason seeking.
But it was a pretty darn good consolation prize.
Forward Daniel Fenton's power-play goal at 5:44 of overtime gave Springfield Cathedral a 2-1 victory over Arlington Catholic at TD Banknorth Garden and the Division 1 state championship yesterday.
"My job is to be in front of the net," Fenton said. "As a senior, in the last game I'll ever play, there's nothing better."
It was Springfield Cathedral's first Division 1 title since 2003. The Panthers (18-3-2) also own a Division 2 title from 1996.
The matchup featured the teams that were bounced during the play-in round of the Division 1A tournament. Springfield Cathedral lost to Winchester, while Arlington Catholic fell to Burlington.
Both teams were in attack mode in overtime, but neither was able to gain the upper hand until Arlington Catholic was whistled for a penalty - the Cougars' first of the game - at 5:22 that gave Springfield Cathedral the opportunity it needed.
Soon after, junior forward Ryan Fernandes found Fenton, who slammed home the winner from the left side of the net. The goal was also assisted by junior defenseman Brendan Geary.
"They took advantage of an opportunity, and that's what you should do," AC coach Dan Shine said. "That's just part of the game."
The Cougars (15-5-4) controlled the puck in the first period, which was played largely in the Panthers' zone. Senior forward Steve Feeney had a scoring opportunity early for AC when he broke loose up the middle, but Steven Audet (22 saves) came up with a glove save.
Arlington Catholic junior Cameron Kelley (17 saves) came up with a nifty stop of his own five minutes in. He went sprawling to his right to knock down a blast from senior forward Keith MacDonald, keeping the game deadlocked.
"You kind of had a feeling it was going to be a one-goal type of game or an overtime situation," Springfield Cathedral coach Brian Foley said. "It was just so evenly matched."
Springfield Cathedral got on the board first. Geary got the puck at the point and floated a wrist shot through a swarm of bodies and into the back of the net at 13:11 of the first period.
The Cougars attacked early in the second, looking for the equalizer. Feeney had two opportunities in front of the net but his shots were deflected.
But at 9:08, Feeney knotted things at 1 when he parked himself in front of the net, took a pass, and beat Audet to the right. Junior forward Paul Kehoe and senior forward Chris Culot assisted on the tally.
The third period was played much more conservatively, with neither team wanting to make a mistake.
Geary broke up a centering pass for Feeney on AC's best scoring chance, while Springfield Cathedral struggled to put pressure on the net.
In the end, though, the Panthers got the break they needed to take home the title.
"They just work so hard and they're such a talented group," Foley said. "I can't tell you how proud I am." 