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CATHOLIC MEMORIAL is back on top of the Massachusetts hockey world after winning the Super 8 title with a 5-1 win over Burlington at the TD BankNorth Garden.

The tournament that had been Catholic Memorial's personal post-season playground since its inception in 1991 had lost its luster in recent years. The Knights hadn't won a Division 1A title since 2005 and hadn't appeared in the championship game since 2006.
    In comparison to CM teams of the past, those in the know said this club didn't seem to have what it took that would enable this senior class from avoiding becoming the first not to wear the Super 8 crown at some point in its career. Those in the know said something was missing. While the Knights' final record (14-5-4) may not be particularly eye-catching, what those in the know failed to adequately consider was the measure of this team's heart.
    So much for those in the know and what they thought they knew about this squad for CM's grit and determination and, yes, heart was on full display throughout this tournament, capped by their systematic 5-1 dismantling of Middlesex League representative Burlington in the title game at TD Banknorth Garden.
    The championship was the Knights' 13th in the tournament's 19-year history and won high praise from hard-nosed veteran Hall of Fame coach Bill Hanson. He's seen it all and then some throughout his career and acknowledged the accomplishments of this team, which had been hampered by injuries to the likes of scoring leader Derek Colucci (broken jaw) and defenseman Billy Carey (broken list), and which lost its tourney opener to Winchester.
    "This has been an awful long year from a physical and emotional standpoint," Hanson told the assembled media after the game. "We've had ups and downs. I've never had in all my years coaching anyone accomplish what these kids did. I can't say enough about what they accomplished."
    Burlington (21-4-1) was hopeful of following the path blazed by Middlesex League compatriot Reading, which last year became the first public school ever to capture this grinding event. And, the Red Devils were trying to do so having played an extra game after gaining their spot in the 8-team field by defeating Arlington Catholic in a play-in game.
    Despite a momentary lift from having tied the game at 1-1 midway through the first period, Burlington was outplayed by a considerable margin in the session as CM dictated tempo and established control it rarely relinquished.
    "I don't think we played our best hockey (in the first period), so we tried to regroup," Burlington coach Bob Conceison said. "We had a couple of good opportunities, and they came right back in transition and scored. That's what good teams do. They take our opportunities and make them into theirs."
    The Knights were powered by junior TJ O'Brien's hat trick, his second in as many games. What's that they say about big players coming up big in big situations? Then there was the junior Colucci, who broke his jaw in the loss to eventual semifinalist Winchester and seemed unlikely to skate again this season. Yet there he was with a specially-designed facemask, free-wheeling and creating throughout. As a unit, CM's forwards stifled the high-scoring Burlington offense, which tallied a division-leading 107 goals this season.
    CM's Dan Cornell, who scored only six regular-season points, continued his post-season emergence and staked the Knights to a 1-0 lead a little more than three minutes into the game. His odd angle shot from the half wall eluded Burlington goalie Ben Irwin (21 saves), who seemingly never saw the puck until it settled in the cage behind him.
    The Devils -- making their first 1A appearance since 1993 -- gave their sizable contingent something to hoot and holler about by answering less than a minute later. Working a 2-on-1 with Joe Yeadon, Peter Russo's attempted pass deflected off the stick of a CM defender and past goaltender Tommy Knox to knot it at 1-1. That proved to be the only chink in Knox's armor as he finished with 18 saves before exiting in the final minute.
    However, CM continued to attack, eventually amassing a 12-5 edge in shots for the period. Their relentless play resulted in the eventual game-winning goal at 8:13 when O'Brien beat Irwin high on the short side. Shane Walsh (3 assists) and Colucci drew assists on the play, then Colucci helped the Knights shift into overdrive in the first minute of the second period when he re-directed Walsh's cross-ice dish past Irwin for a 3-1 lead.
    That left it to O'Brien to complete his hat trick, starting with his second goal, a jaw-dropping unassisted bit of artistry which made it 4-1 at 8:40 of the second period. After swiping the puck from a Burlington defenseman at the offensive blue line, O'Brien cut in hard on Irwin, faked the backhand, pulled to the forehand and, while airborne, somehow swept the puck into the far side at the left post.
    If it was all but over at that point, O'Brien put the exclamation point on the victory less than a minute into the final period, gathering in a Colucci pass and burying his third goal of the night and seventh in three games.
    All that remained was the countdown to the celbratory pigpile signifying the Knights' ascension to the throne of the domain they had so long ruled with an iron glove.

SPRINGFIELD CATHEDRAL knocked off Arlington Catholic, 2-1, in overtime to win the 2008/09 MIAA Division I state championship at the TD BankNorth Garden.

It could have been, for all intents and purposes, one of those throwaway pre-season comments that coaches in every sport at every level are guilty of at one time or another. Caught up in the promise of a new season when everyone is 0-0 it's easy to get carried away.
    However, when Springfield Cathedral coach Brian Foley said this past November that he thought his club was good enough to merit Division 1A consideration, he did so with such conviction that it was one of those comments that got filed away in the memory bank for future reference.
    Of course, Foley's observations were not uttered without a solid point of reference. They were based on the Panthers' finish to the 2008 season when they played a brutal schedule, mounted a late-season charge and missed the tournament on the final day of the season. The experience gained a year ago was clearly evident in how those who returned this season elevated their games as the Panthers did, in fact, play well enough to merit a play-in game appearance in the Super 8.
    While they did not succeed in playing their way into that two-week extravaganza, falling to Winchester in OT, the Panthers were able to re-focus and turn their attention to the next available prize, the Division I crown -- which they claimed in a battle with fellow play-in casualty Arlington Catholic. Dan Fenton's powerplay strike with 2:16 left in the extra session gave the Panthers a 2-1 win and their first State title since the 2003 campaign. SC also won the Division II crown in 1996.
    Following its play-in loss, SC claimed the South Sectional title, surviving a 5-4 quarterfinal shootout decision of Marshfield to advance. Arlington Catholic, meanwhile, captured the North by starting with an 8-0 demolition of St. John's of Shrewsbury followed by one-goal decisions of St. John's Prep and Wakefield. All signs pointed to a close-to-the-vest, tight-checkging title match and that's precisely what transpired.
    "You kind of had a feeling it was going to be a one-goal type of game or an overtime situation," Cathedral coach Foley said. "It was just so evenly matched. They just work so hard and they're such a talented group, I can't tell you how proud I am."
    Both teams were on the attack throughout overtime with neither gaining an advantage -- until Arlington Catholic was whistled for its sole penalty of the game. It didn't take the Panthers long to cash in as Fenton popped home the title-clincher just 41 seconds after the infraction. Stationed at the left post, Fenton settled junior Ryan Fernandes's perfect pass and jammed it past AC goalie Cameron Kelley (17 saves). Brendan Geary also drew an assist and the celebration was on.
    Long-time AC coach Dan Shine accepted the decisive tally for what it was. "They took advantage of an opportunity, and that's what you should do," Shine said. "That's just part of the game."
    As is often the case in tournament play, territorial control often doesn't mean much of anything. That was the case in the first period as AC latched onto the early initiative, creating a number of dangerous scoring opportunities only to be denied by Cathedral goalie Stefan Audet (22 saves). Buoyed by Audet's play, SC grabbed a 1-0 lead with 1:49 left in the period when Geary's wrist shot floated through a maze of bodies in front of a screened Kelley and found the net.
    The Cougars countered in the second period, sparked by the tireless work of senior forward Steve Feeney. With 9:08 left in the period, Feeney planted himself in front of Audet and, off a set-up executed by Paul Kehoe and Chris Culot, beat Audet to the right side to tie it at 1-1.
    Twenty-four minutes of scoreless hockey ensued in advance of the overtime, both teams playing an increasingly conservative style, neither willing to make the mistake that could end their season. Audet had the best save of the third period, turning aside Michael Settipani's bid as time wound down. Earlier in the period, SC's freshman defenseman Mike Foley made a sprawling shot to spoil another good-looking AC chance.