Girls hockey team advances to Division 2 Elite Eight

Sophomore Kayleigh Koen had a hand in both Canton goals vs. Hanover. (Mike Tureski photo)

With a second consecutive close but decisive victory to open the Division 2 state tournament, the CHS girls ice hockey team is exactly where it hoped to be as it prepares for its highly anticipated rematch with No. 2 Falmouth tonight down at the Bog in Kingston.

While the Bulldogs enter the Elite Eight matchup as the underdogs on paper; in reality, this is probably as close to a pick-em as one can get, with Falmouth boasting the superior record (21-2-1) and big advantage in playoff goals scored (15-2) while Canton has the upper hand in playoff experience, championship pedigree, and record against elite opponents.

Most importantly, the Bulldogs have already seen — and beaten — this Clipper team, handing them one of their two losses on the season in a memorable performance that CHS coach Nikki Petrich described as their most complete game to date.

“I do think there’s a little comfort in knowing what you’re up against,” said Petrich. “It helps to have that firsthand knowledge of what your team is capable of and what we need to do to advance.”

To Falmouth’s credit, they absolutely lit up their first two playoff opponents, No. 31 Newburyport and No. 15 King Philip Regional, whereas both of the Bulldogs’ wins were low-scoring affairs — 2-1 over No. 26 Hanover and 2-0 against No. 10 Westwood.

The Hanover score was particularly misleading, however, as Canton dominated every facet of that game except goal scoring — controlling the puck from start to finish and putting about 50 shots on net. Of the two that made it past the Hanover keeper, sophomore defenseman Kayleigh Koen had a hand in both, with the first one coming off a deflection after she took the puck all the way up the ice, then the game-winner midway through the third on the power-play in which she followed up her own rebound.

In their 2-0 Sweet 16 win over neighboring Westwood, sophomore Izzy Cusack handled the scoring load by herself, including one on an empty net, to help the Bulldogs clinch a season sweep over a strong Wolverines club.

Freshman standout Nora McLean also had a number of quality scoring chances, and while she has had a quiet stretch statistically, Petrich said it’s only a matter of time before some of those near-misses turn into key goals.

The same could be said about the entire team, according to Petrich.

“I know it’s going to happen and we’re going to score when we really need to,” she said, “but we haven’t really been capitalizing on our power play chances, and that is often the difference in the playoffs. We just need to be able to make that last final pass in order to convert.”

The good news, said Petrich, is that the Bulldogs have a stingy and experienced defensive corps, led by senior captains Devan Spinale and Tori Carr along with Koen and Georgia Campbell. All four girls seem to always be in position and rarely get beat, while sophomore goalie Kate Budway seems to look more polished with every start. Petrich has also gotten some of the younger blueliners involved, including freshmen Grace Donahue and Lily Quersher.

“Everyone is going to see time on that ice and we’re confident no matter who we put out there,” said Petrich. “We’re in this to win and we have every expectation of being there at the end.”

If the Bulldogs are able to knock off Falmouth in tonight’s game, they will then move on to the D2 Final Four to face either No. 3 Burlington or No. 11 Marshfield. On the other side of the bracket, remaining teams include top-seeded Duxbury, No. 4 Nauset, No. 5 Algonquin and No. 9 Milton.

The two teams left standing after the Final Four will then square off in the title game at the TD Garden on St. Patrick’s Day, Sunday, March 17.

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Posted by Jay Turner on Mar 7 2024. Filed under High School, Sports. Both comments and pings are currently closed.