CHS icemen stay unbeaten heading into season finale

Junior captain Johnny Hagan and the Bulldogs will look to keep their unbeaten streak going in the playoffs. (Mike Barucci photo)

Update: With a 6-1 victory over Coyle & Cassidy on Thursday, the Bulldogs wrapped up an undefeated season (20-0-1) and will await their tournament placement on Saturday, February 23.

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With two days until “Selection Saturday” and one more game to go tonight at the Raynham IcePlex, the Canton High boys ice hockey team find themselves on the cusp of history with a chance to put the exclamation point on one of the most dominant high school hockey seasons in recent memory.

Still undefeated after Tuesday’s wild OT win over Boston Latin in the opening round of the Joseph I. Quinn Memorial Tournament, the Bulldogs unfortunately can no longer stake their claim to a perfect record because the 3-2 result was technically just for tournament purposes. (It goes in the record books as a draw according to MIAA rules.) But they are still very much in the conversation for the Division 1A “Super 8” tournament — a previously unthinkable position for a Division 2 team — and another win tonight against a strong Coyle & Cassidy team (12-5-2) could go a long way toward solidifying their chances at a potential play-in selection.

If it is strength of schedule that the Mass. State Hockey Coaches Association is concerned with, then Canton has already built a pretty strong case, having racked up wins against everyone from D1 Mansfield (14-5-2) to a one-loss Westwood team (12-1-6) to Division 3 powerhouse Hanover (16-2-2).

The latter opponent made their stop at the Ice House last Wednesday and the game played out like a heavyweight prizefight, with both teams trading blows throughout the night in an eventual 4-3 Canton victory.

“They were one of the better teams we’ve faced all season and I think one of the better teams in the state,” remarked CHS head coach Brian Shuman after the game. “Their forwards in particular are some of the most skilled we’ve seen this year, and their goalie was very good and made some huge saves in this game.”

Twice in the first two periods, Canton scored a go-ahead goal — including one on the opening shift of the game by Timmy Kelleher and another on a breakaway by Ryan Nolte — only to watch the Indians tie it right back up a minute later. The Bulldogs finally gained some separation later in the second frame with goals by Johnny Hagan and Chris Lavoie on back-to-back shifts, but Hanover got one back in the third and continued to bring the pressure until the final whistle sounded.

In addition to getting outstanding play throughout the game from their top two forward lines, led by captains Hagan and Nolte, the Bulldog defense also stepped up in key moments behind defensemen Owen Lehane and Jack Connolly and goalie Mike Staffiere, who made a couple of huge saves late in the game to preserve the lead.

Shuman said Staffiere has proven to be a big-game goalie all season long while Lehane has been “fantastic” as the team’s top defenseman. “Jack has had a great season too and has provided us with a lot of offense on the blue line,” Shuman added.

The Canton coach also praised the unselfish and hard-nosed play of defensemen Matt Martin and Ronan O’Mahony, who have developed into a reliable second D pairing. “All of those guys have really stepped up and played great,” Shuman said of his blueliners.

As for their recent win over Boston Latin, Shuman had noted going into the game that the Wolf Pack were one of the hottest teams in the state, and it showed on the ice as Latin built a 2-1 advantage and held it right up until the 1:16 mark of the third period when Hagan buried the equalizer. While officially ending as a tie, the game went to a four-on-four overtime period to determine which team would advance to the Quinn finals and Hagan again played the hero, tipping in a shot by Connolly to give the Bulldogs the unofficial victory and another notch in their belts.

In between the Hanover and Boston Latin games, Canton also made a trip to Natick and came away with a well-earned 3-0 victory. Nolte added to his team-leading total with two goals in the win while senior Ryan Colby notched his third of the season with an assist from Tommy Dimock. Backup goalie Joe Cammarata also saw action in the game and combined with Staffiere to record the team’s ninth shutout of the season.

Now at 19-0-1 going into tonight’s finale against Coyle & Cassidy, the Bulldogs will look to pick up win No. 20 as they aim for their fourth Quinn tournament trophy in the last five seasons.

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