FALMOUTH – For a regular season that’s seen the Archbishop Williams boys hockey team soar to new heights in modern history, the way it ended Wednesday night was likely the team’s pinnacle heading into the state tournament.

With the vaunted Buddy Ferreira Classic title on the line at Falmouth Ice Arena, junior Finn Kelly scored the game-winner with 3:39 left in double-overtime to deliver a 2-1 win over Reading – sealing the Bishops their first championship in the tournament’s history.

Stellar goaltending from the Rockets’ Chris Hanifan (26 saves) and Bishops’ Sean Velozo (31 saves) stole much of the show, but Kelly’s goal was his second of the game and eighth of the tournament to seal MVP honors.

Fresh off a 7-2 loss to Franklin, winning this tournament was a massive swing for Archbishop Williams (16-4-1), with this last win technically counting as a tie in the power rankings.

“It hasn’t sunk in yet,” said Archies head coach Chris Cunningham. “I think we were ready. We knew it was going to be really hard against a good Reading team, and we battled adversity. … This was a good boost and we needed it.”

“We always look forward to this tournament,” Kelly added. “It’s huge (to win it). … It’s a cross off the bucket list and we’ve got a big one next week.”

Even as teams traded goals in the second and third periods, neither group disappointed through a masterfully defensive affair.

Velozo stood out during much of regulation, racking up 20 of his saves within the first 30 minutes. Overtime was Hanifan’s time to shine, stopping six shots to keep the Rockets alive – most of which on Grade-A looks.

It wasn’t until an opposing line change that things really opened up on the ice for Archbishop Williams in 3-on-3 double-overtime, which left Kelly on the left wing with two trailers and just one man to beat. Instead of dishing it across, he took the shot with a defender on him and buried the winner.

“I heard Casey (Kelley) yell, ‘Go, go, go,’” Kelly said. “He was crashing hard. … We’ve been trying to keep it as positive as we can on the bench, been working on that and good outcomes. It helped out a lot. We all had each others’ backs.”

Kelly got the Bishops off to a 1-0 start earlier, ripping a wrist-shot from the left circle with just 1:41 left in the second. Reading responded on Nate Mulvey’s goal almost midway through the third for the 1-1 tie, and seemed to find new life in getting 10 shots on goal in the frame.

Years past have seen Archbishop Williams unravel a bit in those moments, but this year’s group has shown maturity in tight games to edge many of them out. Velozo wouldn’t let another goal past him, and the Bishops played with poise through both overtimes.

“It was one or two minutes there where we were a little rattled (after the game-tying goal),” Cunningham said. “Once we settled down, we settled in tonight. We felt confident. … They were able to keep it together and focus on the big picture.”