Boys’ lax team crushes Milford in battle of unbeatens
By Jay Turner
After dominating the 2nd half of the hockey season, senior Pat Ward has been on fire to start the spring.
The Canton High boys’ varsity lacrosse team continued its hot start with a 12-3 dismantling of Hockomock newcomer Milford on the road last Wednesday. It was the Bulldogs’ only game of the week and they made sure it counted, improving to 3-0 while handing the Hawks their first loss of the season.
Expected to be a hard-fought battle between the Davenport Division’s top two teams, Wednesday’s game proved to be a one-sided affair, with Canton seizing control early in the first quarter and never letting up throughout the remainder of the contest.
The Bulldogs were especially dominant on defense, led by senior captain Connor O’Brien, who shut down Milford’s best player and helped keep the Hawks off the scoreboard for the better part of three quarters.
Head coach Bill Bendell said it was one of the most impressive defensive displays he has seen in quite some time.
“We actually shut them out for 36 minutes,” said Bendell. “This is a team that had scored double-digit goals in all three of their previous games, so to hold them to three goals was unbelievable.”
The Bulldogs were similarly strong on offense, racking up a dozen goals behind the stellar play of seniors Pat Ward (4 goals, 1 assist) and JC Marcone (3 goals, 3 assists). “Right now, they’re pretty much unstoppable,” Bendell said of his two leading scorers.
Also scoring goals against Milford were seniors Matt Lennon, Shane Nordgren and O’Brien, along with Tommy Galvin and Jack Rooney. Nordgren and senior Kurt Leavitt also dominated the faceoff circle, which “set the tone for the entire game,” according to Bendell.
Meanwhile, new goalie Ben Lodge continued to impress in his third-career start, collecting 13 saves and aiding Canton’s transition game with his pinpoint outlet passes.
Midfielder Eric Wong also had an excellent game for the Bulldogs as he racked up four ground balls and had several important takeaways.
Overall, Bendell said he was thrilled with the team’s performance in all phases of the game. “We’re just hot right now,” he said. “We’re playing very well.”
The Bulldogs will now begin a stretch of four straight home games, including two this week against Medway and Oliver Ames, as well as a night game next Monday, April 22, against division rival Sharon.
Short URL: https://www.thecantoncitizen.com/?p=20148
Posted by Jay Turner
on Apr 18 2013. Filed under High School, Sports.
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