Girls’ hockey keeps fighting despite losing streak

While the wins have been hard to come by this season, no one can question the effort of the Canton High girls’ ice hockey team, which continues to scrap and battle against a brutal schedule littered with the state’s top teams.

Senior captain Katie Kelleher (Mike Barucci photo)

Last week was yet another example of this as the Bulldogs gave it their best but ultimately fell short in games against Falmouth and Barnstable — teams with a combined record of 17-2-6.

“It’s been tough on the girls,” acknowledged head coach Dennis Aldrich, “but there have been a lot of victories and a lot of personal gains behind the scenes. These girls are building the foundation for this program for many years to come.”

The issues with this year’s team, he said, are mostly centered on shooting and finishing, as the girls seem to lack that sniper who can carry a team when the rest of the offense isn’t clicking.

On Saturday against Barnstable, for instance, the Bulldogs went toe to toe with an excellent Red Raider team yet still lost the game 4-0 after a late flurry by the visitors.

“The final score certainly doesn’t reflect the game we played,” said Aldrich afterwards. “We more than skated with them, but we missed a couple of breakaways and couldn’t find the net. We’re very much a team that needs all of us clicking in order to win.”

Earlier in the week, the Bulldogs skated hard against a one-loss Falmouth team on the road but ended up on the wrong side of a 5-1 final score.

Sophomore Julie Nagel had the lone goal for Canton — her team-leading sixth of the season — and junior Mary McNeil collected her team-leading fifth assist.

The other bright spot for the visitors was the play of freshman Emily Lynch, who skated the first two periods as a defenseman before taking over for starting goalie Lindsey Nolte in the third period. Lynch had been practicing for the role in preparation for this week’s games, when she will assume the netminding duties while Nolte is away at a field hockey camp.

“She just threw on the goalie pads and went in and played the third period against Division 2 powerhouse Falmouth,” Aldrich said of Lynch. “And she played well, only giving up one goal on eight shots. It was the ultimate team-first move and an indication of what this team is all about and the character that they have shown.”

Other players who have stepped up as of late include McNeil, who had an excellent performance against Braintree in a heartbreaking 3-2 loss on January 27, and senior captain Caitlyn Feeney, who is tied for the team lead in assists and has been a steady contributor all season.

“[Feeney’s] energy level is just incredible,” remarked Aldrich. “She literally never takes a shift off.”

Aldrich said the work ethic of the team as a whole has been “tremendous” all season, and he feels as though they are knocking on the door of a victory.

“They could just call it a day, but they never do,” he said. “We’re playing in a girls’ super league (SEMGHL Coastal) with former state champs and Division 1 teams. And yet we seem to be just a little bit away on a few different things that are keeping us out of the win column.”

This week, the Bulldogs (2-11) were due to host Sandwich on Wednesday before heading to the Bog Ice Rink in Kingston on Saturday for a nonleague showdown against Norwell.

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Posted by Jay Turner on Feb 6 2014. Filed under High School, Sports. Both comments and pings are currently closed.