Icemen knock off nonleague L-S in barnburner

Junior JC Marcone had 2 goals, including the game winner, against Lincoln-Sudbury last week. (Mike Barucci photo)

The season just keeps getting better for the red-hot CHS boys’ ice hockey team, which followed up a division-clinching win over a talented Mansfield squad last week with its first-ever victory over nonleague Lincoln-Sudbury in a wild finish last Wednesday at home.

“I would say it was the wildest game of the season by far,” said head coach Brian Shuman of the 6-5 win over the Warriors. “It was a game that was very unsettling as a coach because it was so wide open.”

Actually, two-thirds of the game played out as expected, with crisp play, tight checking, and very few scoring opportunities. The middle period was an entirely different story, however, as the two teams combined for eight total goals, beginning with a Warrior goal just seconds into the frame that made it 2-0 in favor of L-S.

Fortunately, the Bulldogs barely had any time to hang their heads because Ryan Nagel scored off a rebound only 30 seconds later to put them back within a goal. About six minutes later, Nagel would tie the game on a similar play, with assists going to senior captain Matt Malloy and junior Mike Denehy.

Then the floodgates opened up, and in a span of three and a half minutes the Bulldogs went from being tied at 2 to leading 4-2 to leading 5-4 by period’s end.

“I can’t remember a period like this since I’ve been here coaching,” said Shuman, who had no idea what to expect for the remainder of the game.

Canton got goals in the period from Pat Ward off a faceoff, JC Marcone off a pass from Nick O’Connor, and Brian Brooks off a nice play in which he beat several L-S defenders.

The Warriors managed to tie the game at 5 early in the third period, but for the most part the game reverted to earlier form until about the three-minute mark, when Marcone took a nice pass from O’Connor and backhanded it past the L-S keeper for the game-winning score.

The victory brought the Bulldogs to 13-1-1 overall and capped off a week in which they also claimed the Davenport Division title. That feat was accomplished on Monday with a 4-2 road victory over a ten-win Mansfield team.

“It was just a really good hockey game back and forth and a really fulfilling win overall,” noted Shuman, who was especially pleased with the defensive intensity against the high-powered Hornets’ offense.

Ward led the visitors with two goals, including one on a vicious slap shot just inside the blue line. O’Connor scored the eventual game winner late in the third period, while Kurt Leavitt polished off the Hornets with an empty-net goal in the waning seconds.

Canton had one game earlier this week — home against North Quincy last night — and will then take on Franklin in Saturday’s Hockomock Classic before closing out the regular season with the three-day Bridgewater Tournament, beginning next Monday, February 20, at Bridgewater Rink.

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