Boys hockey tops NA, advances to D2 south semifinals

Senior captain Bobby Mullaney was a huge part of the Bulldogs’ success this season. (Mike Barucci photo)

Update: The third-seeded CHS boys hockey team fell to a surging Scituate squad 4-2 Wednesday night in the Division 2 south sectional semifinals. The Bulldogs finish another outstanding season at 16-3-4 overall.

They took care of business in the first two rounds, and with a win Wednesday night against 10th-seeded Scituate, the CHS boys ice hockey team will be bound for the south sectional championship game for a third season in a row.

With top-seeded Medfield already securing the other spot with its double-overtime victory over Pembroke, both the Bulldogs and their fans were raring to go and were eager to get another crack at the Warriors after last month’s highly entertaining showdown in the Joseph Quinn Memorial Tournament.

At the same time, head coach Brian Shuman made it clear prior to last night’s semifinal matchup that they would not be looking past the Sailors, who dominated No. 2 Bishop Feehan in the south quarterfinals.

“Honestly, they are one of the most impressive teams I’ve seen all year,” Shuman said of Scituate. “They’re seed is inconsequential — they’re definitely one of the best teams in the tournament, and it’s going to be a big-time challenge.”

Whether they move on or not, however, the Bulldogs would still have plenty to be proud of this season after going 16-2-4 with back-to-back tournament wins last week against No. 14 Sandwich and No. 6 North Attleboro.

The Sandwich win was particularly impressive as Canton piled up 10 goals in the first two periods in an eventual 10-1 rout. Facing the Blue Knights for the second time this season, the Bulldogs seized control from the opening faceoff and never took their foot off the gas, scoring three times in the first period and seven more in the second.

Leading the way for Canton were senior captain Bobby Mullaney and junior Shaun Kirby, who both scored twice in a dizzying second frame. Six other players also had a goal in the victory, including Mike Dadasis, Matt Lazaro, Seamus Pecararo, Jim Jenkins, CJ Martin, and Bubba McNeice.

Saturday’s quarterfinal matchup against the Red Rocketeers proved to be a far greater challenge, but the Bulldogs made plays when it counted and pulled out a 3-0 win.

“We definitely didn’t play our best,” acknowledged Shuman afterwards. “But we took advantage of the chances that we did have and buried them.”

Shuman said North Attleboro, which finished second in the Hockomock’s Kelley-Rex Division this season, was clearly ready for the Bulldogs and had a “great game plan.”

“They came out flying and they really pressured us on the forecheck, and as a result we struggled to break the puck out of the zone,” he said.

Still, the Bulldogs kept battling and eventually took the lead on a Jenkins goal late in the opening period. NA then continued to control the action, but they could not solve senior goalie Justin Slocum, who had arguably his best game as a Bulldog and made several spectacular saves, including a sensational glove save at the end of the first.

After a fairly even second period, the Bulldogs got some insurance in the third courtesy of junior Tommy Kilduff, who slid one past NA netminder Ryan Warren for the 2-0 lead. A pair of Rocketeer power plays made things interesting over the last few minutes, but the Bulldogs calmly killed them off before sealing the win with a Kirby empty netter.

With the victory, Canton earned its fourth consecutive trip to the sectional semifinals — a feat unmatched by any other team in Division 2 south. Scituate, meanwhile, is making its first such appearance during that span, and the winner will take on a hungry and well-rested Medfield squad on Sunday, March 13, at 1:30 p.m. at Gallo Arena in Bourne.

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