Girls’ hockey team opens new year with 2 big wins

Coming off a tough loss to defending state champion Duxbury in its final game of 2012, the Canton High girls’ ice hockey team ushered in the new year with back-to-back impressive victories, highlighted by a 4-0 win over Westwood last Wednesday at Metropolis Rink.

Junior goaltender Emily Buckley (Mike Barucci photo)

The Bulldogs also blew out Mansfield/Oliver Ames 8-2 on Saturday and currently sit atop the Southeastern Mass. Girls Hockey League (SEMGHL) West Division with a record of 6-1.

Canton is also a perfect 4-0 in division games, and its closest competitor is Westwood, which went into last week’s showdown with an identical record and a four-game winning streak.

The Bulldogs ultimately snapped that streak, although it wasn’t as easy as the score would suggest, according to head coach Dennis Aldrich.

“It was 4-0 but it was a lot closer than that,” said Aldrich. “The game was 0-0 after one period and 1-0 after two. It was a really good game with real good goaltending.”

Junior Emily Buckley got the start in net for Canton and had one of her best performances of the season. The team also got a big lift from freshman left winger Mary Nee, who played most of the second period on defense after a teammate was called for a penalty.

Another freshman, Julie Nagel, paced the offense with two goals, and senior captain Meghan Lennon added one goal and one assist. Junior Katie Kelleher rounded out the scoring while teammates Bethany Kelly, Casey Considine, Emily Lanci, Jackie Martin, and Meaghan McKenna each finished with one assist.

Later in the week the Bulldogs traveled to Iorio Arena in Walpole where they cruised to an easy win over Mansfield/OA. The girls scored on their first four shots and added four more throughout the game, led by McKenna, Kelleher, and Mary McNeil, who each finished with two goals, as well as Nagel and Lennon, who both added one goal and two assists. Assists were also registered by Considine, Lanci, Martin, and Caitlyn Feeney.

Reflecting on the season to date, Aldrich said the team has certainly lived up to expectations and should only get better from here on out.

“I think they realize they have a pretty good opportunity here, and they’re going to work hard to get it,” he said.

The Bulldogs were due to get back on the ice last night against Medway at home, followed by a game at Iorio this Saturday against Medfield. The team will then host King Philip on Tuesday, January 15, beginning at 6:30 p.m.

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Posted by Jay Turner on Jan 10 2013. Filed under High School, Sports. Both comments and pings are currently closed.