REVERE – The 2016 New England Future Stars season has now come to a close.

While the top prizes for all six of the league’s age divisions were being played for at the Raynham IcePlex, this past Sunday at the Cronin Skating Rink in Revere the Silver Cup Champions for the Squirt, Peewee, Bantam and Varsity Division were crowned. A back-to-back champion, a back-to-back-to-back champion and a pair of newcomers leaving their mark on the 2016 New England Future Stars season.

The Squirt Blackstone Valley Barons were a young team both on paper as a first year NEFS franchise and in actuality with a roster built on 2007’s in the 2006, 2007 age division. It took them some time finding their way in their rookie campaign, but it was a campaign that saw them come together at the end as the flag-bearer for the league’s newest franchise.

Coming off their third authoritative win of the season over the Norfolk County Hawks in the semifinal round, the Barons offense was charging and continued their showing into the final match. Their assault started just nine seconds after the championship’s opening face off. The first of two scores on the day by Joe Sullivan beginning what became a 4-0 lead for Blackstone Valley just over six minutes in.

Despite the disadvantage on the scoreboard and being without one of the division’s best scoring threats in JJ Monteiro, the Thunder offense did not roll over and got themselves back in the game. Charlie Brand and Jon Doucette each netting a goal and then assisting on the other’s in the second half of the first to trail 4-2 at the break.

Unfortunately for the Thunder, however, while the Blackstone Valley offense matched their effort from the first in the second period, Marlboro’s fell stagnant, falling behind 8-2 at the start of the third.

The deficit grew to 10-2 in the third before the Thunder made one final championship effort. They charged late with four scores in the final five minutes, but it was not enough to catch the Barons, who claimed the 2016 Squirt Silver Cup Championship with a 10-6 victory.

Four points for Sullivan (2G, 2A) led the way for Blackstone Valley, while Drew Carr (3G), Kelton Stanley (2G, 1A) and Cole Gibson (2G, 1A) all had three points for the victors.

Brand (2G, 2A) and Doucette (2G, 2A) equaled Sullivan atop the leader board, pacing the Thunder. Tim Grebinar and Cooper Hall also scoring for Marlboro.

There is something about the 2004 class of South Middlesex Coyotes that seems to save their best for the final weekend of Future Stars play each summer.

In 2014, it was a run to the 2014 Squirt Gold Cup Championship. In 2015, an up-and-down season ended up with the 2015 Peewee Silver Cup Championship. In 2016, they closed strong, once again finding themselves in the Peewee Silver Cup title match. This time matching up against the North Shore Stingrays.

The Stingrays were no strangers to championships themselves, a team built around players from last season’s Squirt Gold Cup champion and Peewee Gold Cup finalist. That championship clout was flexed early in Sunday’s Silver Cup title match, North Shore jumping out to a 3-0 lead on a pair of goals by Maxwell Tong and one from Christian Iacoviello.

It was a 3-0 lead that lasted into the second, but not very long there after, Dillon O’Reilly scoring twice and Sam Taber once in the first 4:47 to draw the game back to even at 3-3. Each team had one more in them before period’s end, the game moving to the third 4-4, where it was the Stingrays turn to strike early.

JD Parker and Paul Magalhaes – a member of South Middlesex’s 2015 Peewee Silver Cup winning team – started the third with a goal each to give North Shore a 6-4 lead with 10:06 remaining in regulation. Trailing, but still focused on going back-to-back, the Coyotes had one rally left in them, goals by Ryan Jolicouer and Tad Giardina setting things at 6-6.

No lead in the game ever seemed to be safe. After Giardina’s equalizer, once more a team would take the lead, but this time there would be no comeback. Overtime needed to decide who was taking home the trophy.

North Shore had hoped to do what the Coyotes had done in 2015 – moving up following a Squirt Gold Cup championship to claim the Peewee Silver Cup title – but it was South Middlesex with the repeat performance. A Chris Skelley overtime goal making South Middlesex the 2016 Peewee Silver Cup Champion.

New team, new year, same finish for the Bantam Marlboro Thunder.

Again.

It was a continuation that almost did not happen, losing a two-goal lead in the third period and needing overtime to get past the South Shore Sabercats in the semifinals, but the Thunder found themselves back in the Bantam Silver Cup Championship game for the third straight season. This time facing off against the Natick Chill, who advanced to the game with wins over the Blackstone Valley Barons, 5-2, and Raynham Raiders, 6-1.

Marlboro took the first lead in their quest to go back-to-back-to-back, Matt Petitto getting the Thunder on the board first in the first. Like their semifinal match, however, the title bout remained a tight one, Marlboro’s 1-0 advantage accounting for all scoring in the opening 15-minutes.

While the Chill also got on the frame thanks to a Will Ganaske tally, the Thunder gained a little breathing room in the second, netting a pair – scores coming from Jake Depres and Jamison Alicandro – to head to the final 15-minutes with a 3-1 advantage.

Natick was still close enough to take down the Bantam Silver Cup’s top seed with a period to play, but – as they did the period before – the Thunder once again extended their advantage in the final frame. All four goals in the game coming from a different player, Chris Pinto sealed the three-peat and the 4-1 win.

The Marlboro Thunder the 2016 Bantam Silver Cup Champion.

It is likely it can be said the New England Future Stars has not seen a playoff as close as the Varsity Division’s Silver Cup race in 2016.

Four games.

All decided by a goal.

All decided in overtime.

It started on Friday night at the Cronin Skating Rink in Revere with the Norfolk County Hawks upsetting the North Shore Stingrays 3-2 in overtime. It then ended on Sunday afternoon at the Cronin Skating Rink in Revere with the Blackstone Valley Barons upsetting the Marlboro Thunder 2-1 in overtime.

To make it into the final match, the Thunder defeated those Cinderella Hawks 4-3, the Barons the Raiders by a score of 2-1, both games played the day before at the William L. Chase Arena in Natick.

Blackstone Valley took the title bout’s first lead on Sunday and held it for some time. A Luca Scioletti goal giving the Barons a 1-0 first period lead that lasted through the second and into the third. It would not last throughout, however, overtime seeming fated to decide the series’ winner.

Thunder forward Nik Pagano scored near the middle of the final period of regulation to force the extra session. His second goal of the playoffs.

Marlboro rallied for the tie, but Championship Sunday at the Cronin Skating Rink in Revere was set to end as it began for the Hopedale franchise. A Dave Roche goal early in overtime sealed it. The Blackstone Valley Barons crowned the 2016 Varsity Silver Cup Champions.