CHS icemen begin title defense amid schedule, roster changes

At a level of athletics where age and experience are paramount to winning, the 2011 CHS boys’ ice hockey team will enter this season seriously lacking in both departments after graduating 13 seniors last spring, including stud goaltender Jon Donaruma and all-league defenseman Matt Buckley, as well as several other key contributors.

The Bulldogs, who open the season on the road Wednesday night against nonleague Quincy, will also have to adapt to life without would-be senior forward Kevin Rooney, last year’s leading point scorer and the reigning Hockomock MVP. Rooney, a once-in-a-generation hockey talent, transferred to the Berkshire School in Sheffield where he is already among the Bears’ top scorers.

It’s a lot to lose in one season, even for a traditional power like Canton. Then again, the last time the Bulldogs returned to the ice after losing a boatload of talented players — just last season, in fact — they ended up back in the Boston Garden, where they avenged a heartbreaking loss to Newburyport in the 2009 state finals to capture the first state hockey championship in school history.

For head coach Brian Shuman, who was rewarded with Boston Globe Coach of the Year honors, last season’s improbable run to a state title proved that any amount of success is possible, regardless of preseason expectations or a team’s experience level. And he plans to preach that message to this year’s squad — albeit with an important caveat.

“Sure, we can always use last year [as motivation],” said Shuman on the eve of his team’s first and only scrimmage. “But for me, it’s really about remembering the work that it took to win a state championship.”

Shuman said last year’s team, while they will be remembered as a juggernaut, began the season largely unheralded and with plenty of question marks; however, he said they “grew by leaps and bounds” over the course of the season, no doubt inspired by the tragic death of their former teammate, defenseman Scott Herr.

“As the season went along, I never had a team grow and develop as much as they did,” said Shuman, who watched as several players — Rooney, in particular — blossomed into stars.

Shuman said this year’s squad will have to make similar strides if it wants to remain in the conversation as one of the league’s top teams. He said they have already “grown up a lot” just in the past two weeks, although he admitted they still have a ways to go, especially when it comes to keeping their composure on the ice and playing a more physical brand of hockey.

Shuman would also like to see his team get “faster, bigger, and stronger,” yet those are all qualities that tend to improve with age — and the Bulldogs are young all over.

“From an overall perspective, the roster is by far the youngest in terms of age and grades since I’ve been here,” said Shuman, adding that “a lot of our top players are sophomores.”

The one notable exception is senior captain Greg Boyd, who will anchor the top forward line along with sophomores Nick O’Connor and JC Marcone. O’Connor made an immediate impact on the varsity team as a freshman and will be counted on to carry a big share of the scoring load this season.

The Bulldogs’ second line will feature a trio that played together for most of last year and also provided some of the biggest goals of the state tournament, led by junior Matt Malloy at center with sophomore Pat Ward and junior Mike Denehy at the wings.

Another forward who figures to see a lot of playing time is junior TJ Duggan, a newcomer to the varsity team who, according to Shuman, worked hard on his game in the offseason and has “really opened some eyes early on.”

On defense, the team is hoping to have senior captain Mike Oldenburg, although Shuman said he is currently struggling to come back from a concussion injury and his status remains uncertain.

Beyond Oldenburg, the defense is essentially brand new, including sophomore Kurt Leavitt, who is a converted forward, and sophomore Justin Rudy.

The Bulldogs, however, gain a leader in senior defenseman Bryan Gorham, who is back on the ice after sustaining a season-ending injury in a JV game last season. Shuman said the coaches are thrilled with the progress of Gorham, who has “looked awesome” so far this year.

By far the most unsettled position on the team is at goaltender, where three players — juniors Nick Naples and Kyle Baker and sophomore Rich Nee — figure to split playing time in the early part of the season.

“The goalie position is absolutely wide open right now,” Shuman said. “There is no frontrunner at the moment.”

As for their schedule, the Bulldogs are not expected to have many easy nights between their league opponents, which include traditionally strong teams such as Franklin and Oliver Ames, and their new, beefed-up nonleague schedule, which includes talented D2 teams such as Lincoln-Sudbury, Nauset, and North Quincy.

This season also marks Canton’s entrance into the Hockomock’s new Davenport Division, which means the Bulldogs will play two games each against OA, Foxboro, and Stoughton, and one game apiece against King Philip, Franklin, North Attleboro, Mansfield, and Hock newcomer Attleboro.

Shuman pegged league rival and perennial power Franklin as the favorite in the Kelly-Rex Division, and he expects to see continued improvement from Stoughton and a “big turnaround” for KP under new coach and Canton native Pat Leahy.

In addition to their usual slate of nonleague games, the Bulldogs will also host a holiday tournament that will double as a fundraiser for the Scott Herr Memorial Scholarship Fund and for Norwood hockey player Matt Brown, who suffered serious injuries in a game last January. The tournament will kick off the Monday after Christmas, beginning with Norwood versus Westwood in the early game, followed by Canton versus Blue Hills Regional at 7:30.

Meanwhile, as Shuman readies his players for the start of a new season, he can already sense their excitement, even as they lament the loss of so many key players — especially Rooney.

As hard as it was to let him go, Shuman said he and his coaches actually encouraged the move, as they wanted Rooney to play “at the highest level that he could possibly play.”

“We’re missing probably the best player to put on a CHS uniform in the past 10 to 15 years, so it’s going to be a huge loss,” Shuman said. “But with these losses always come opportunities.

“That’s what’s great about coaching this team,” he continued. “It seems like whenever we lose somebody there’s always someone stepping up to fill those shoes.”

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Posted by Jay Turner on Dec 16 2010. Filed under High School, News, Sports. Both comments and pings are currently closed.