PHOTO BY BOB ROCHE
Fenwick’s Ethan Belt lets out a holler after his goal.
By SCOT COOPER
PEABODY — The Bishop Fenwick boys hockey team scored three shorthanded goals on Monday afternoon en route to a 7-2 win over Peabody. With the win, the Crusaders claimed the Carlin Cup for the first time in 18 seasons.
Fenwick, who got shorthanded goals from Rob Murphy, Ethan Belt and Kasey O’Brien, is heating up nicely, coach Jim Quinlan said.
“I wish we were starting the season over, we’ve played really well lately, we’ve got two in a row now, the kids are starting to get comfortable with my system,” Quinlan said. “I know it’s been tough, we’ve taken some lumps (5-13-1) this season, but when we score goals like we did the kids will see that our system works.”
Quinlan added, “I am so happy for our three seniors (Murphy, Jim Moore and Greg Mattucci.) To finally win one of these on their last try is great. I couldn’t be happier for the guys on this team today, a very solid effort by everybody.”
Peabody coach Mark Leonard said Monday’s loss was the entire season in a nutshell for his Tanners, who slipped to 3-13-3. Peabody needs a win over North Andover in the season finale to avoid its lowest win-total in a season under Leonard.
“This game was a snapshot of our season,” Leonard said. “Special teams were a killer, an Achilles heel for us. We scored five power-play goals and gave up nine shorthanded goals (including the three against Fenwick), and that’s not the way you win hockey games. It was a very frustrating game this afternoon.”
The teams traded goals in the first period, Murphy for Fenwick and Matt French for Peabody. Belt scored the first shorty of the game with 6:16 left in period two. Moore made it a two-goal lead when he scored an even-strength goal with 1:07 left in the second.
Peabody got a short boost from a Tim January goal on the power play to open the third period, making it a 3-2 game. Murphy buried another shorthanded goal just 42 seconds after January scored to pad the lead, 4-2.
Early in the third, Fenwick got a pair of goals from Derek DelVecchio to make it 6-2, the second coming with 9:42 left in the game.
O’Brien closed out the scoring with the final shorthanded goal with 3:08 left. The Fenwick first line of O’Brien, Moore and Murphy combined for nine points.
Murphy said it was great to beat the Tanners and finally win a Carlin Cup.
“Just a great game from our team today, really,” Murphy said. “We’ve been struggling this season, but we never, ever quit, this was our MIAA playoff game today. Everyone really worked hard to get this one today, being a kid from Peabody, this is very special.”
Moore said it was sweet to finally get a Carlin Cup on his fourth try.
“We worked so hard all year, we really are a better team than our record shows, this was great to finally win this thing,” Moore said.
DelVecchio said the game featured a tournament atmosphere.
“Winning this game was our playoff game, our tournament game, certainly, we’re a very young team and I hope we can win a few more of these,” DelVecchio said. “We want to finish with a win on Wednesday against Shawsheen and start thinking about next season.”
