PEABODY — The Peabody boys lacrosse team simply would not give up possession of the Danish cup trophy this year, as the Tanners scored with 23 seconds left to take down cross-town rival Bishop Fenwick by a score of 8-7 in the annual meeting Friday night at Donaldson Stadium.
“I think nervous is the best way to describe how I felt for this entire game,” said Peabody coach Leo Shidler. “Half of the guys on this team are playing in their first Danish cup this year, so the inexperience is definitely something that was affecting us early. But I’ve got to give a lot of credit to our more experienced guys, because they really calmed everyone down and kept us in it the whole way.”
The team MVP award for Peabody went to goalie Derek Patturelli, as the senior captain made 13 saves in key spots, to help lift the Tanners to victory.
“The guy is just a leader and that’s all there is to it,” Shidler said of Patturelli. “Not only is he making those saves and keeping us in the game back there, but he’s also coaching up the younger guys and making sure that everyone is in the right place and doing the right thing. You just can’t teach that stuff.”
Paterelli’s counterpart on the Bishop Fenwick side, junior Will Gibbs, earned MVP honors for his team after making 10 saves on the night.
“Gibby is a great goalie, and he showed it out there tonight,” said Fenwick coach Dave MacKenzie. “He’s a funny guy and he likes to keep things loose out there on the field, but when the time comes to make a play, we know he’s going to make it.”
As for the scoring, Nick Salvati — who scored the game-winning goal with 23 seconds to play — finished the night with two goals to lead the way for Peabody. Matthew Bettencourt added two goals and two assists, while Cam Collins had two goals and one assist. Danny Barrett had one goal and one assist, Tyler Kalloo scored one goal and Trotman Smith notched one assist.
For Fenwick, Manny Alvarez-Segee notched four goals and one assist to pace the offense. Joey Marshall scored two goals, while Brady McClung finished with one goal and one assist. Jake Westin added one goal, while Aiden Byrne notched one assist.
The game was back and forth the whole way, with the two sides sitting tied at 4-4 at halftime.
Fenwick gained some momentum and took a two-goal lead into the fourth quarter, but Peabody roared back with goals from Salvati and Collins in the final five minutes to tie things up at 7-7.
Then, after a big defensive stop, the Tanners got the ball back, got into their offensive set and put the ball onto the stick of Collins. The senior captain sent a pass over to Salvati, who ripped a tough-angle shot that snuck under the crossbar to give Peabody an 8-7 lead with 23 seconds to play.
All the Tanners needed to do from there was win a faceoff and get a possession, which they did quickly before running out the rest of the clock to take home the win and keep the trophy.
Bishop Fenwick (7-6) hosts Arlington Catholic Monday (5:30).
Peabody (4-5) plays on the road at Saugus Monday (4).