Icemen cruise into postseason

After blowing a two-goal lead against non-league Hanover and being forced to settle for a draw, the CHS boys’ varsity ice hockey team rebounded with a pair of solid wins last week to close out the regular season — 4-1 over North Quincy and 2-0 over North Attleboro.

The victories gave the Bulldogs 15 for the season to go along with two ties and just three losses — good enough for second place in the Hockomock League behind undefeated Franklin. They also grabbed the #3 seed and a first-round bye in the Division 2 south sectional tournament, where they will look to repeat as champions beginning with a round-two matchup with Mansfield this week (see coverage next Thursday).

Last Monday’s meeting with Hanover proved to be a nice test for the Bulldogs heading into the postseason as the Indians are also D2 tourney bound; in fact, they too were a second-place team and are seeded right behind Canton in the south at #4.

The game initially belonged to the Bulldogs, with freshman Nick O’Connor giving the home team a 2-0 cushion, but the Indians came back with two of their own, including one in the final period, while Canton failed to capitalize when it had the chance late in the game.

Nevertheless, head coach Brian Shuman said he was encouraged by his team’s overall performance, and he was even more pleased with how they responded on Wednesday — with an easy win over North Quincy, another Patriot League team. 

O’Connor had another big day for the Bulldogs, finishing with two more goals and an assist. Recently named Hock MVP Kevin Rooney also had a goal in the win, as did senior Joey DiPillo, who scored for the second time in three games.

Canton then wrapped up its regular season the following day with a defensive-minded win over NA. Seniors Billy Duggan and Kyle Leavitt accounted for the offense while a pair of sophomores — Nick Naples and Kyle Baker — combined for the shutout in net.

Once again, Shuman liked what he saw on the ice, giving him plenty of reason to be hopeful as the playoffs get underway.

“The guys are playing well heading into the tournament,” he said earlier this week. “Tournament play is a whole different experience, and I am looking forward to seeing how we respond.”

Short URL: https://www.thecantoncitizen.com/?p=1593

Posted by Jay Turner on Feb 25 2010. Filed under High School, Sports. Both comments and pings are currently closed.