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They’ve been the most potent 1-2 scoring duo in Class A for two seasons. So it’s no wonder Jake Skillings and Trent LeSieur were in on Thornton Academy’s biggest goal of the season.

Skillings scored on a short-handed breakaway, with an assist from LeSieur, early in the third period Saturday afternoon to give the Trojans a lead that stood up in a 2-1 win over Cheverus/Yarmouth in the Class A boys hockey state championship game.

It’s the second straight title and third in four seasons for top-ranked Thornton Academy (20-1). Second-seeded Cheverus/Yarmouth, playing in Class A after winning back-to-back Class B titles, ends the season at 14-7.

“I think this is the best class to come through Thornton Academy. You can see with the character, the connections with these seniors,” Thornton coach Jamie Gagnon said. “They’ve developed that and grown that over the years. They’re going to be sorely missed, that’s for sure.”

Skillings and LeSieur might be missed the most when the Trojans take the ice next season. The duo combined for 40 goals and 45 assists this season. They’ve played so much hockey together since the youth levels that they have a feel for where the other will be on the ice all the time, Skillings said.

On the go-ahead short-handed goal, LeSieur got control of the puck and chipped it up to Skillings, who had a step on Cheverus/Yarmouth defenders and scored at 3:08 of the third period.

“The puck came to me, and I saw him behind both the D (defensemen), so I just flipped the puck up,” LeSieur said. “I knew he was going to go. I put all my trust in him. I knew he was going to bury that.”

It was Skillings’ third short-handed goal of the season.

“I looked at them and said, ‘why don’t we go get one here?’ For them to deliver like that, it’s unreal,” Gagnon said.

When St. Dominic Academy closed last spring, Cheverus/Yarmouth received an influx of former Saints, who bolstered the lineup and helped make the team an instant contender in Class A. One of those additions, senior Connor St. George, gave Cheverus/Yarmouth a 1-0 lead with a breakaway goal at 4:24 of the first period.

The score remained 1-0 through two periods. In the Thornton locker room during the second intermission, the team was confident and calm.

“We were going to get our goals,” Skillings said.

Gagnon said he could feel the team’s confidence, so he just encouraged the Trojans to remain focused.

“You can’t change the subject, so change the lens, right? I told them, just think about how good this one’s going to feel when we finish this off and come back in here champions,” Gagnon said.

Brennan Tabor’s shot from the top of the left circle made it past Cheverus/Yarmouth goalie Ashton Additon for the tying goal at 1:35, shortly after the Trojans were unable to capitalize on a five-minute major penalty. The power play was interrupted by a Thornton penalty, and then the end of the second period.

Cheverus/Yarmouth kept pressure on Thornton goalie Cole Fernald in the final two minutes but was unable to get the tying goal. Fernald stepped up in the biggest moments all season, Gagnon said.

Both LeSieur and Skillings said they have no plans to play college hockey. They’re happy to be going out as state champions and leaving the program with a strong foundation.

“This program is a powerhouse. Anybody who wears this jersey should be proud to wear it,” LeSieur said. “They’re going to be good next year, too.”