Both CHS ice hockey teams battle scoring woes

Update: The drought may be over for both CHS ice hockey teams as the boys lit up Milford 8-0 on Wednesday while the girls demolished Dover-Sherborn 10-0.

A surprising lack of scoring punch has swept across the CHS ice hockey landscape, afflicting both varsity teams — the boys and girls — over the first few weeks of the season.

Senior captain Austin Zannino in last week’s game vs. Attleboro (Mike Barucci photo)

The Canton boys, a perennial EMass power and traditionally an offensive juggernaut, are averaging less than two goals per contest and are stuck on one victory through the first seven games (1-2-4). The girls, meanwhile, are sitting at 1-6 after a recent brutal stretch in which they were held scoreless over five straight games.

Both squads have played a very difficult early schedule, although both have also been somewhat snake-bitten, according to their coaches, Brian Shuman and Dennis Aldrich.

“We’re creating a ton of chances; we just haven’t been able to find the back of the net,” remarked Shuman after another week of bad puck luck.

Last Wednesday against Attleboro, for instance, the Bulldogs out-shot the visiting Bombardiers’ 50-6 but were stymied by the Attleboro goalie in an eventual 1-1 draw.

The lone Canton goal came in the second period off the stick of sophomore Matt Lazaro — his team-leading sixth of the season — assisted by senior Tony Francescon. The rest of the shots were gobbled up by Attleboro senior Andrew Campion, who made several highlight-reel saves.

“That was one of the best goaltending performances against our team that I’ve ever seen,” said Shuman. “He was just outstanding.”

Defensively, the Bulldogs played another solid game, with junior Sean Klimas drawing the start in net. And the same was true of Saturday’s rematch against Franklin, in which the team battled the Panthers to a 2-2 draw behind the stellar play of sophomore goalie Justin Slocum.

Shuman said Slocum, who has been the team’s top goaltender, was “fantastic” in net for Canton, racking up more than 25 saves.

The forwards also played well but could only produce a pair of goals — one by Lazaro and another by senior captain Ben Lodge. Both players also had an assist, as did Francescon and senior captain Andrew Howlett.

The Bulldogs actually led 2-0 after two periods, but the Panthers chipped away in the third while their goalie stood tall in net, making some exceptional saves.

“It just seems like we’re missing that timely goal to put us up big and put the game away,” lamented Shuman after the game.

As for the girls’ team, last week saw the Lady Bulldogs finally snap their scoring drought with a pair of goals against Sandwich. Unfortunately, the hosts more than doubled that total as they handed Canton its sixth straight loss.

Prior to the Sandwich game, the girls had not scored since the season opener, with shutout losses to Westwood, Medfield, Wellesley, Falmouth and Barnstable.

Several of those teams are among the elite in eastern Massachusetts this season, and the schedule remains tough now that Canton has moved to the SEMGHL Coastal Division — arguably the most dangerous division in the state.

Aldrich said the team is not lacking in talent but does have depth issues. He said the girls will have to out-work and out-hustle teams if they want to pick up wins — something that didn’t happen against Sandwich on Saturday.

“I thought it was our worst game of the year,” he said. “Sandwich was a beatable team, and when we’re supposed to win then we have to take advantage of the opportunity.”

Sophomore Julie Nagel was one of the bright spots for Canton, finishing with a goal and an assist in the loss. Mary McNeil also had a goal and played a solid game, and Mary Nee stood out on the defensive end.

The good news, according to Aldrich, is that the players are still giving full effort and are committed to turning the season around. “The girls are not down at all,” he said.

This week, both Canton teams will be looking to jumpstart their offense while also seeking out their second win of the season. The boys were scheduled to host Milford on Wednesday and the girls were set to welcome Dover-Sherborn to town. The boys will then head to Oliver Ames on Saturday, while the girls travel to Kingston to take on Duxbury, the defending Division 2 state champions.

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Posted by Jay Turner on Jan 16 2014. Filed under High School, Sports. Both comments and pings are currently closed.