Girls’ hockey tops Ursuline in tourney opener
By Jay Turner
Stephanie Rizzitano and the Bulldogs came within three wins of reaching the title game.
Update: Despite a valiant comeback effort from three goals down, the Canton High girls’ ice hockey team came up just short against fifth-seeded Belmont on Monday, falling 5-4 in overtime in the first round of the Division 2 state tournament.
Still riding the momentum from its big win over Walpole in last week’s regular season finale, the Canton High girls’ ice hockey team went out and took care of business in the preliminary round of the Division 2 state tournament, knocking off 21st seeded Ursuline Academy 5-3 Monday night at Metropolis Rink.
Favored going into the game, the 12th seeded Bulldogs certainly looked the part in the early going as they jumped out to a 2-0 lead behind goals from their two leading scorers, Haley Gaughan and Meghan Lennon. Katie Kelliher added another goal for Canton in the second period, but the lead remained at two after Ursuline netted its first of the game to make it 3-1.
Refusing to go down easily, Ursuline went on to score back-to-back goals at the start of the third, tying the game at 3 with plenty of hockey left to play. But the Bulldogs simply had too much firepower, and it paid off with just under six minutes remaining as junior Meaghan McKenna found Gaughan for the game-winning goal.
Not to be outdone, the Bulldog defense came up with a big penalty kill with only four minutes left to preserve the 4-3 lead. Gaughan would then add an empty-net goal in the waning seconds to complete her hat trick and seal the win.
As impressive as it was, Monday’s victory was only the first step in what the Bulldogs hope will be a long road to the state championship game. To get there, the girls will have to win three more games against very talented teams, beginning Wednesday night against fifth seeded Belmont (see results next week).
Fortunately for Canton fans, the Bulldogs have already proven they can hang with the top-tier teams, with last Thursday’s victory over Walpole serving as the latest reminder.
Widely regarded as one of the top teams in the state, Walpole was 15-2-3 this season and currently boasts the No. 2 seed in the D2 tournament.
But last week the Bulldogs were the better team, albeit just slightly, as they overcame deficits of 1-0 and 2-1 before downing the visiting Rebels 3-2 behind a hat trick by McKenna.
The team’s third-leading scorer despite playing seven fewer games, McKenna has been on fire as of late and currently leads the squad in points per game (2.4) and plus/minus (19). Two of her goals against Walpole were assisted by Lennon, who now has a team-high 35 points. Gaughan, who trails Lennon by a single point, also had an assist in the win.
Earlier last week, the Bulldogs hosted another tournament team in Wellesley, but they struggled to find the net in a 4-1 loss despite putting up 31 shots and holding Wellesley to just 16.
Senior captain Stephanie Rizzitano had the lone goal for Canton in what was an overall solid effort by the team.
“I think we played strong in both games [last] week,” said head coach Kelly Rider. “We showed a lot of pride in our D zone and created opportunities and were able to throw a lot of pucks on net.”
Rider was even more impressed with the team’s ability to bounce back from defeat just three days later against a tough Walpole team.
“We never lost back-to-back games this year,” she said. “I think that shows a lot about our character and how resilient we are and how bad each player wants to be successful and win.”
“I’m proud of the team and what they have accomplished during the regular season,” Rider added, “and I’m very excited to see what we can do in the state tournament. I’m very happy with the progress we’ve made and how we are playing at this point in the season.”
Short URL: https://www.thecantoncitizen.com/?p=12010
Posted by Jay Turner
on Mar 1 2012. Filed under High School, Sports.
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