Back to the Garden!!!
By Jay Turner
The Bulldogs celebrate on the ice after their victory over Woburn in the D2 Final Four. (Mike Tureski photo)
Bulldogs down #2 Woburn, await title clash with top-ranked Billerica
An epic high school hockey clash is on tap for Sunday afternoon at Boston’s TD Garden as the third-seeded Canton Bulldogs prepare to take on top-ranked Billerica Memorial in the Division 2 state championship game.
The Bulldogs, a perennial powerhouse and arguably the most successful hockey program in the commonwealth over the past decade and a half, will be gunning for their fourth state title in the last six years and fifth overall — all under the stewardship of longtime head coach Brian Shuman.
The only times they did not hoist the trophy in that stretch was in 2022, when they lost in the final to Tewksbury, and last year, when they suffered a surprising upset at the hands of No. 15 Masconomet Regional in the D2 Sweet 16.
This year’s crew has had no such letdowns, and they even managed to exact a measure of revenge with a blowout win over Masconomet in the D2 Round of 32. The team then easily dispatched No. 14 Falmouth and continued their methodical march last week with victories over No. 6 Milton and No. 2 Woburn.
“I think the theme of really the last two games has been our ability to overcome adversity,” noted Shuman. “Even when we let up a goal or things didn’t break our way, our guys kept their cool and were able to really refocus, which was great to see.”
In their quarterfinal matchup last Wednesday versus Milton at Gallo Arena in Bourne, freshman Gavin O’Toole got the Bulldogs going with a goal early in the first period, but the Wildcats, who had tied Canton earlier in the regular season, did not seem rattled.
Milton would grab a goal of its own to even the score at 1-1, but the action did not stop there as junior Joey Ryan buried one off the faceoff to put Canton back up by one. The Bulldogs then appeared to make it 3-1, only to have the goal called off by the refs due to a penalty. Seizing on the momentum, Milton then struck again to make it a 2-2 game at the end of the period.
To the Bulldogs’ credit, they quickly put their misfortune behind them and came out strong in the second frame, eventually seizing the lead for good on a blast from defenseman Teddy Shuman, assisted by freshman blueliner Kellen Labanara. Senior captain Travis Thomas, Canton’s scoring leader both in the regular season and the playoffs, added an insurance goal in the third period and then another on an empty net for good measure to seal the impressive quarterfinal victory.
In Sunday’s semifinal clash against an excellent Woburn squad, the Bulldogs again showed what they are made of as they shook off a Woburn goal just eight seconds into the contest and quickly tied it up on a massive goal by junior Cullen O’Brien.
“That was really huge for us,” Shuman said of O’Brien’s tying goal. “We knew they had a lot of offensive firepower, and for Cullen to respond in that moment really settled us down.”
One period later, Ryan Elrick found Thomas for the go-ahead goal, and the Canton defense, which has been sensational throughout the postseason, completely shut the door on any Woburn chances to get back into the game.
“Woburn is an excellent team and their top line is one of the best in the state,” noted Shuman. “So it’s pretty remarkable that we were able to shut them down the way that we did.”
Shuman said goalie Connor Geoghan played a huge role in that effort, stopping the last 16 shots he faced, including a huge save on a partial breakaway late in the second period that preserved Canton’s 2-1 lead.
With the victory, the Bulldogs ran their unbeaten streak to a staggering 23 straight games as they improved to 23-1-1 overall. The only team that is close to that level of winning in Division 2 is their final opponent, Billerica, who enters the title game with a nearly identical mark of 22-1-1 and an eerily similar path through the tournament, including two early blowout wins, followed by a 5-2 victory over No. 8 Auburn and a 2-1 win over No. 4 Tewksbury.
For details on purchasing tickets for Sunday’s championship game, go to miaa.net.
Short URL: https://www.thecantoncitizen.com/?p=131141
Posted by Jay Turner
on Mar 13 2025. Filed under Featured story.
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