Boys’ lax team sails into postseason as 4th seed

Update: The CHS boys’ lacrosse team dominated No. 29 Mystic Valley 15-3 in opening round action on Tuesday, May 28. The Bulldogs (16-1) will next battle No. 20 Watertown on Friday at Memorial Field.

Coming off a close loss to rival Foxboro that ended its season-long unbeaten streak, the Hockomock champion CHS boys’ lacrosse team jumped right back into the win column last week with back-to-back road victories over nonleague opponents Abington and Westwood.

Hockomock MVP Pat Ward (Mike Barucci photo)

The wins put the Bulldogs — one of the region’s most dominant teams by any statistical measure — at 15-1 for the season, shattering their previous program-best mark of 12-6 set in 2011. They also picked up their highest-ever seed in the Division 3 state tournament — fourth overall in a massive, 33-team bracket — and were set to kick things off on Tuesday, May 28, with a home game against No. 29 Mystic Valley. (See results next week.)

Both of last week’s opponents are also in the field: Abington (12-7) at No. 17 and Westwood (11-7) a few spots higher at No. 14. Of the two it was Abington that gave the Bulldogs the tougher test, holding the normally potent Canton offense to just four goals in a 4-2 final last Tuesday.

“We didn’t play well in that game,” acknowledged head coach Bill Bendell. “I think we played hard, but for whatever reason, we just weren’t sharp. We never trailed, but it was just too close and you could never get comfortable.”

Senior Pat Ward, who has been the Bulldogs’ go-to scorer all season, had a relatively quiet outing yet still finished with three goals. “It was not one of his strongest games, but he was still our guy,” Bendell said of Ward.

Junior Tommy Galvin also had a goal in the victory, and sophomore Tyler Murphy notched his first career varsity point.

On the other end of the field, the Bulldog defense played “great as always,” according to Bendell, and junior goalie Ben Lodge continued his outstanding first-year campaign in the cage, tallying 11 saves.

The following day, Canton traveled to Westwood for its fifth away game in a row and proceeded to dominate the Wolverines on their senior night, winning 12-5.

Bendell said it was like “night and day” compared to the Abington game, as the Bulldogs looked sharp out of the gate and controlled the action from start to finish.

Westwood temporarily seized the momentum in the opening seconds of the third quarter, igniting the crowd with a quick goal that cut the deficit to 7-3. However, the moment was short-lived as Canton won the ensuing faceoff and went right down the field and scored to bring its lead back up to five.

Ward led all scorers in the game with five goals, giving him 57 for the season. Senior Kurt Leavitt also had a big game with three goals and two assists, and senior captain JC Marcone added a pair of goals. Other key contributors included Galvin and senior captain Matt Lennon, who both finished with one goal and two assists, and junior Austin Zannino, who had two assists.

Meanwhile, in other team news, Canton cleaned up in the awards department as Ward was named Hockomock League MVP while four others earned all-star recognition: Marcone, Leavitt, Lodge, and defenseman Conor O’Brien, with junior midfielder Eric Wong garnering an honorable mention.

Bendell was also recognized as the Hockomock League Coach of the Year, and the team as a whole took home the coveted Sportsmanship Award.

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Posted by Jay Turner on May 31 2013. Filed under High School, Sports. Both comments and pings are currently closed.