Kennedy Cup Finals

Last night was the third and final game of the Kennedy Cup Finals pitting St. Rita against Fenwick in a best of three format. The first 2 games Fenwick had jumped out to 3-1 leads. In the first game St. Rita was able to spark a comeback and win 4-3, but the deficit proved to be too much for them in the second game as Fenwick held on to win 3-2. All this set up the final game. St. Rita scored first to take a 1-0 lead but Fenwick came back to tie moments later. Then after Fenwick started throwing their big bodies around something happened on the St. Rita bench. Twisted Sisters "We're Not Gunna Take It" comes to my head because St. Rita went on a run and scored the next two goals. One of them on a brilliant defensive play short handed by Jack Warren, who deflected a pass from the goalie Karl Langhans and pumped it into the net for the 3-1 lead. The second period started with Fenwick cutting the lead to 3-2 but after defense men Brendan Conroy got checked into the boards and skated gingerly to the bench where he sat for about a 7 minute stretch, St. Rita took control. Outshooting Fenwick during this portion and getting another goal to make it 4-2. The hits were starting to get a little bigger this period and the scrums in front of the net getting a little more heated. The refs were routinely slow in getting in to break them up but had no problem sending a played from each team to the box to make up for their lackadaisical effort. The third period was filled with much of the same as each team was sending guys to the box but in the end St. Rita held on to win the game 4-2 and win their fourth straight Kennedy Cup. During the handshake line you could see the respect each team had for one another and the warrior like mentality in which they played. Congrats to Fenwick on a great season and to St. Rita for your championship. The St. Rita seniors boast an extraordinary trophy case with four Kennedy Cups and one Blackhawk Cup.