Icemen stay unbeaten with 3 more W’s

Senior goalie Joe Cammarata has made several big stops for the Bulldogs this season. (Cynthia Rosina photo)

With two more victories last week and another on MLK Day, the Canton High boys ice hockey team remained red hot, extending their winning streak to seven straight and locking up a spot in the MIAA postseason tournament.

While it hasn’t always looked as crisp as last year’s historic regular season, the Bulldogs now find themselves at 10-0-2 — the best record in the Hockomock League by several games — and comfortably atop the rankings in Division 2. They have once again positioned themselves for a run at a Super 8 berth and boast a multi-year unbeaten streak that now sits at a staggering 38 games and counting (35-0-3).

And after hitting what for them amounts to a rough patch — consisting of a few closer-than-expected wins in a row — the Bulldogs appear to be right back on track following easy wins over King Philip, Oliver Ames, and nonleague Newburyport. The only partial hiccup during that stretch was a low-scoring victory at home against a 4-4-2 Foxboro squad, although the Bulldogs still dominated the game pretty much from start to finish, out-shooting the Warriors 46-8 and putting two goals up against Foxboro goalie Espen Reager — the reigning Hockomock League MVP.

“It’s a reminder that even when you outshoot an opponent substantially you’re going to run into a good goalie,” said head coach Brian Shuman, who also praised his own netminder, Joe Cammarata, for staying ready and making big saves when it counted.

Joe’s twin brother Dom Cammarata also had a hand in the victory, scoring his first varsity goal, while Eamon Kelly also scored for the Bulldogs in the win.

The only complaint that Shuman had was with the number of penalties that his players committed, which has been an issue at times this season and reared its head again in Monday’s game against Newburyport. The silver lining is that Canton has been very good at killing off those penalties, bolstered by the play of junior TJ McCabe, who has emerged as a key cog for the Bulldogs this season. The defense, meanwhile, has been stout with senior Ronan O’Mahony and sophomore Sean Connolly both drawing praise for their play in recent games.

On the offensive end, seniors Johnny Hagan and Chris Lavoie continue to work their magic with the puck, netting two goals apiece against Newburyport and combining for three more in last week’s 6-0 win over Oliver Ames.

Kelly has also been making an impact on the scoresheet since returning from injury, and senior Shane Marshall has been a steady source of points all season long. Both players had two goals in the 5-2 win over King Philip, and Marshall added another in the OA victory. McCabe and Tommy Vaughan also had a goal against the Tigers and Liam Polles played a scoreless third period in net.

Next up for the Bulldogs is a rematch with rival Franklin on Saturday at the Ice House starting at 3:55 p.m. It will be a battle of Hockomock Division leaders as Canton looks to complete the season sweep against the Panthers for a second year in a row. The team is also planning to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the 2010 state championship season with a special tribute prior to the game.

After facing the Panthers the Bulldogs will then host North Attleboro next Wednesday followed by three straight away games against Taunton, Barnstable, and Bishop Feehan. From there it only gets tougher, with a season-ending slate featuring four nonleague teams that are all likely bound for the playoffs: Lincoln-Sudbury, Medfield, Boston Latin and Braintree.

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