Icemen take earn statement win over D1 Reading

Senior Eamon Kelly scored 2 big goals to help power the Bulldogs past Reading. (Mike Tureski photo)

Senior captain Eamon Kelly capped off a career week in the most thrilling way possible and the CHS hockey team made its biggest statement of the season as the Bulldogs outlasted D1 powerhouse Reading in overtime on Sunday to capture the inaugural Ed Burns Coffee Pot championship in the Walter Brinn Division.

Organized as a showcase of Massachusetts’ top public school programs, the invite-only tournament was essentially divided into two mini-tournaments with the Bulldogs earning the top seed in the second grouping. Head coach Brian Shuman’s only complaint about the format is that his squad did not get a chance to challenge itself against some of the top-ranked teams on the other side of the bracket, with the implication being that they simply the “best of the rest” in a tier below that group.

“But I think if you actually watched these tournament games, most would agree that we’re definitely a team that could play with a lot of other top teams,” noted Shuman.

In the end, the Bulldogs (15-2-1) took down three Division 1 opponents, including a battle-tested Burlington team, an underrated Natick squad, and a Reading team that Shuman said was as deep and as talented as any they have seen all year.

“We knew going into this game that there were going to be some moments where we faced real pressure, which we did,” said Shuman. “But our guys adjusted and really responded well. Overall, I thought they played a great game.”

Down by a goal on two separate occasions, the Bulldogs twice battled back to even the score, with Kelly netting the first goal and Pat Drury coming through early in the second period to make it 2-2. Later in the second period, Canton would grab its first lead of the game as AJ Thomas scored to make it 3-2.

The Bulldogs continued to out-play Reading throughout much of the final frame — particularly down the stretch — and they were just 30 seconds away from a victory when the Rockets struck for the game-tying goal to force overtime. Rather than wilt, the resilient Bulldogs simply regrouped; and in one of the highest pressure moments of the season, Canton’s two captains delivered — starting with a huge backcheck by defenseman Sean Connolly and culminating on the other end with Kelly’s game winner off a perfectly timed pass from senior Brennen Pecararo.

“To come back and win it in overtime like that after giving up a late one, that was really impressive,” said Shuman. “I couldn’t be prouder of how the guys responded.”

Shuman was especially happy for Kelly, who had been battling injuries and was having somewhat of a down year statistically, yet never let it affect his play in other areas or his overall compete level.

After scoring just three goals through the first 15 games, Kelly has since exploded for six over his last three contests, including a hat trick last Wednesday in a 7-1 rout against Bishop Feehan. Thomas has also been on fire as of late, scoring in each of his last five games to give him the team lead in that category.

Seniors Tommy Phaneuf and Andrew Valkanas also have multiple goals over the past week, which includes the aforementioned win over Feehan and another seven-goal outburst versus Mansfield. Other goal scorers during this stretch include Chris Turano, Colin Blake, Brendan Tourgee and Billy Delello.

Winners of 15 games in a row, the Bulldogs have climbed to No. 5 in the latest Division 2 power rankings and will look to close out the regular season on a high note with remaining games against Needham and Boston Latin.

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