CHS hockey teams wrap up division crowns

Captains Liam Polles and Sean Connolly share a moment after their season-finale win. (Mike Tureski photo)

Not even a global pandemic could slow down Canton’s ice hockey juggernauts this winter as they both cruised to another Hockomock title while dominating on both ends of the ice.

The two CHS varsity squads, both coming into the year as defending state champions, looked unbeatable for long stretches throughout the season and only had one loss and two draws between them, combining for an overall record of 19-1-2. Both led their respective leagues in scoring differential by a wide margin while averaging more than five goals per contest. Both were also incredibly stingy on the defensive end with miniscule goals against averages of 0.67 for the boys and 1.1 for the girls.

In their final week of play, both squads faced tough tests but they responded with convincing shutout wins on home ice. The CHS girls team, shaken by the absence of head coach Dennis Aldrich, actually faced a couple of setbacks against King Philip (4-2 loss) and Mansfield/Oliver Ames (1-1 draw) but bounced back in convincing fashion, winning the rematches 5-1 and 4-0.

In the KP win, the Bulldogs got big performances from defensemen Maya Battista (2g, 1a) and Allie McCabe (1g, +4) and capitalized on all three power play chances to seize control of the game. Audrey Koen added a goal and an assist while seniors Ellie Rae Roberts and Maria Femia had two helpers each.

The lady Bulldogs’ finale win over Mansfield/OA was another team effort as four different players found the back of the net while Carolyn Durand picked up her third shutout of the season. Roberts, Battista, Faith Nelson and Tess Khoury each got on the scoreboard, and Lizzie Tassinari and Meghan LaBelle had two assists apiece to close out their memorable careers.

Several senior players also left their mark in the boys team’s final stretch of games, led by goalie Liam Polles. Coming off two monster performances against their bitter rivals from Franklin — one ending in a victory and the other in a come-from-behind 2-2 draw — Polles punctuated his all-star-worthy campaign with a shutout victory against Foxboro on Tuesday.

Senior classmates Dylan Coyne (2 goals) and James DeLello (1 goal) also had a big hand in the victory as they helped cap off an undefeated season that head coach Brian Shuman said was “extra special” in many ways.

“I think this was a year that a lot of people thought that the Davenport Division might have been up for grabs for the first time in quite a while, and I think that helped give our guys some added motivation,” said Shuman.

With so many new faces this year on the varsity roster, Shuman said the Bulldogs could not afford to rest on the program’s laurels and had to go out and prove it with their play — and prove it they did, winning 11 games (plus the draw with Franklin) while ushering in a whole new generation of Bulldog stars. Players like Sam Carlino, Andrew Valkanas and Tommy Phaneuf blossomed in their newly expanded roles, while varsity veterans including Sean Connolly and Eamon Kelly continued their growth on the big stage.

Never comfortable with the idea that this would be any kind of “rebuilding” year, Shuman said the players nonetheless exceeded even his highest expectations. “I told our guys that winning the Davenport is one of those things that sometimes we take for granted, but it’s still a big accomplishment,” he said. “It’s always special to win the league title and these guys should be very proud of themselves.”

Shuman said credit for this year’s success also goes to his coaching staff and to the team’s two student managers: senior TJ McCabe, who was unable to play this year due to injury, and senior Owen Donovan.

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