Girls’ hockey wins SEMGHL West division title

Junior Meghan Lennon is one of 3 Canton players headed to the SEMGHL all-star game. (Mike Barucci photo)

After squandering a golden opportunity to sew up the division last Wednesday against rival Westwood, the Canton High girls’ ice hockey team bounced right back on Saturday with a dominant performance against Medway/Ashland, winning 4-0 at home on Senior Night to clinch the SEMGHL West Division crown outright.

It was the perfect highlight to what has been a challenging yet rewarding regular season — a season in which the girls started slow before winning nine of their next 11 games, including six in a row against division opponents. The Bulldogs are now 12-6 overall and 10-2 in league play, not to mention a perfect 6-0 in games played after a loss.

The latest example came on Saturday against Medway/Ashland. With both Westwood and Franklin in position to snatch away the title if they stumbled, the Bulldogs came out flying in the opening period and simply refused to let up, out-shooting M/A 48-8 through two frames while building a three-goal lead. Canton then added a fourth goal in the final period to ice the game, while sophomore goalie Emily Buckley finished with 16 saves and earned her second career shutout in net.

Junior Meaghan McKenna led the offense with two goals, including one off an excellent pass from freshman Mary McNeil. Mary’s sister, senior captain Michelle McNeil, also had a goal in the win, as did fellow senior captain Haley Gaughan along with sophomore Katie Kelleher.

“Every player came out tonight with a greater sense of urgency, pride, and heart, and it propelled us to another victory,” remarked head coach Kelly Rider. “It was exciting to watch and a proud moment for us coaches — and I’m sure the rest of the fans as well.”

Prior to the game, the team honored its three seniors: Gaughan, McNeil, and Stephanie Rizzitano. Members of the Canton Youth Hockey U12 girls’ team were also on hand to recognize the seniors and celebrate the title.

Saturday’s festive atmosphere and eventual victory also helped the Bulldogs move on from their 5-3 loss to Westwood, which Rider attributed to a lack of “passion and energy.”

“I think we had some unlucky bounces,” she said, “but overall we didn’t play smart or with a lot of heart for the full 45 minutes, and that’s what resulted in the loss.”

The game was tied 1-1 after one and 2-2 after two, but Westwood outplayed the Bulldogs in the third, netting the go-ahead goal with less than a minute remaining and then adding an empty netter to seal the win.

McKenna had two goals in the loss and Kelleher also had a goal. Assists were registered by Bethany Kelly, Meghan Lennon, and Michelle McNeil.

Canton was due to wrap up its regular season this week with a pair of home games against Bay State opponents — Wellesley on Monday and league-leading Walpole on Thursday (today) at 4:30 p.m.

The Bulldogs will then support Gaughan, Lennon, and McKenna in the SEMGHL all-star game, scheduled for this Saturday at 5:30 p.m. at Gallo Ice Arena in Bourne. Gaughan and McKenna were also named to the SEMGHL Blue First Team.

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