The Cranston co-op boys hockey team brought home the city’s lone state championship in 2021 and has been named the Cranston Herald’s Boys Team of the Year.

The Falcons dealt with much heartbreak in the two seasons leading up to 2021, coming up short in the playoffs after looking like a true contender in each season. Cranston was especially primed to compete for a title in the 2019-20 season, when it had a large senior core that had played together for quite some time.

Heading into the 2020-21 winter season, Cranston was once again a shoe-in for a playoff seed, but the question of how deep it was capable of advancing remained. Considering the pandemic as well, nothing was a guarantee with this group.

However, the Falcons cruised throughout the entire season, finishing the regular slate 6-0-1 and would roll in the playoffs winning every game including the state championship series when it beat North Kingstown.

In epic fashion, Cranston would collect the series-clinching victory in a Game 2 overtime victory. It was the team’s first title since 2014 and it also marked the first time in the program’s history that it finished undefeated.

“Great season,” coach Matt Brannon said. “Obviously, with the adversity that’s happened the whole season with COVID, our seniors really kept this group together. October we had preseason camp, it was shut down back in November, for us to come back in December, and the captains to keep this group together for an undefeated season … This is the first undefeated season in West history. So, it’s a great accomplishment for these kids.”

The team has rolled into the new winter season and is already in the hunt to not only reach the playoffs, but to defend its title. The Falcons have opened the season with a 4-1-1 record and is poised to make another deep run next month. It played North Smithfield on Wednesday, but the results were not available at press time.