Super 8: Springfield Cathedral cruises into semifinals

Lowell, Mass. - Springfield Cathedral's big offensive weapons came to play on Thursday night at the Tsongas Center, as the Panthers advanced to the Super 8 semifinals for the first time in school history with a 6-3 victory over Duxbury.

UMass commit John Leonard had two goals and two assists to pace the offense. Quinnipiac recruit D.J. Petruzzelli had three assists while Holy Cross commit Peter Crinella also had two goals. Freshmen Dan Petrick and Riley Prattson added goals for the Panthers.

Senior goaltender John Liquori started in goal in place of freshman and Quinnipiac commit Keith Petruzzelli. The Panthers held a 5-0 lead after two periods, but let the foot off the gas in the final frame.

Springfield Cathedral advances to the semifinals with the series sweep of Duxbury. The Panthers will face Malden Catholic, the three-time defending champion and the team it faced to close out the regular season. Brian Foley's Cathedral team downed Malden Catholic, 5-2, in the regular season finale to win the Cathedral Classic.

Jeff Cox covers college, junior and high school hockey, NCAA recruiting and NHL Draft prospects. Follow him on twitter @JeffCoxSBNation.