The Springfield Rifles 2005 hockey team repeated as Bantam Minor Elite 9 champions, Sunday. Back row, left to right: assistant coach oach Mike Hall, of West Springfield; assistant coach Doug Hanscom, of Hadley; Andrew Kwon, of Amherst; Ryan O’Leary, of Easthampton; Bob Trigilio, of Chicopee; Matt Hanscom, of Hadley; Ryan Leonard, of Amherst; Jack Jin, of Amherst; Sean O’Leary, of Easthampton; Beau Elson, of Hadley; Ryan Dzierzgowski, of Longmeadow; head coach Pat Moriarty, of Deerfield. Middle row, left to right: Jack Neves, of Ellington, Connecticut; JR Battaini, of Pittsfield; Luke Castor, of West Springfield; Owen Hall, of West Springfield; Conor Moriarty, of Deerfield. Front row, left to right: Colin Foyle, of Westfield; Nick Gerard, of Vernon, Vermont; Vincent Maggi, of Springfield.
The Springfield Rifles 2005 hockey team repeated as Bantam Minor Elite 9 champions, Sunday. Back row, left to right: assistant coach oach Mike Hall, of West Springfield; assistant coach Doug Hanscom, of Hadley; Andrew Kwon, of Amherst; Ryan O’Leary, of Easthampton; Bob Trigilio, of Chicopee; Matt Hanscom, of Hadley; Ryan Leonard, of Amherst; Jack Jin, of Amherst; Sean O’Leary, of Easthampton; Beau Elson, of Hadley; Ryan Dzierzgowski, of Longmeadow; head coach Pat Moriarty, of Deerfield. Middle row, left to right: Jack Neves, of Ellington, Connecticut; JR Battaini, of Pittsfield; Luke Castor, of West Springfield; Owen Hall, of West Springfield; Conor Moriarty, of Deerfield. Front row, left to right: Colin Foyle, of Westfield; Nick Gerard, of Vernon, Vermont; Vincent Maggi, of Springfield. Credit: SUBMITTED PHOTO

The Springfield Rifles 2005 hockey team repeated as Bantam Minor Elite 9 champions, Sunday in Haverhill.

With a 3-1 win over the Boston Junior Rangers, the Rifles took home their second straight championship for the first time in team history.

“It was a total team effort,” Springfield head coach Pat Moriarty, of Deerfield, said. “I think the team stuck together and stayed positive. I think they just really supported each other and deep down inside we all knew we’d find a way to win the game.”

The game remained scoreless through the first two periods. JR Battaini, of Pittsfield, scored the first goal to give the Rifles a 1-0 lead with six minutes left. He was assisted by Ryan Leonard, of Amherst.

After the Junior Rangers answered, Conor Moriarty, the coach’s son, scored with 2:30 left. He was assisted by Ryan O’Leary, of Easthampton.

The Junior Rangers pulled their goalie in an attempt to score the equalizer, but Leonard sealed the win with an empty-net goal with less than 30 seconds left.

The Rifles, who field a roster of 13- and 14-year-olds, were swept by the Junior Rangers during the season and were outscored 11-4.

“They beat us three times this year in the regular season,” Pat Moriarty said. “They finished first in the league. Our will to win and a couple of in-game adjustments helped us overcome them this time around.”

The Rifles edged the Boston Advantage, 3-2, in the semifinals on Saturday. The Rifles were down 2-0 with seven minutes left before they rallied to force overtime.

Leonard, who is the younger brother of UMass sophomore John Leonard, scored the game-winning goal with 17 seconds left in overtime.

“He had a great year for us and scored a lot of important goals throughout the year,” Pat Moriarty said.

Leonard’s game-winner was assisted by Conor Moriarty.

“He seemed to step it up and make some pretty clutch plays this weekend,” Pat Moriarty said.

The Rifles finished the season 30-6-3. The Junior Rangers finished 30-7-2.

“I think the difference was that last year no one expected us to win,” Pat Moriarty said of the 2018 title. “This year, we sort of had a bull’s-eye on our back being the defending champs. Therefore, we got everyone’s best shot I feel like.”

Local players include: Andrew Kwon and Jack Jin of Amherst; Sean O’Leary of Easthampton; and Matt Hanscom and Beau Elson of Hadley.

Doug Hanscom, of Hadley, is an assistant coach for the Rifles.

The Rifles’ second straight championship was special.

“I think it shows how hard these guys worked day in and day out,” Pat Moriarty said. “The season starts in mid-August and ends in March and we practice two to three times a week. Their hard work has paid off.”