Icemen edge Bishop Feehan for season’s 1st victory
By Jay Turner
Senior captain and two-time all-star defenseman Jackson Maffeo is off to a strong start. (Mike Barucci photo)
The third time was the charm for the Canton High boys ice hockey team as the Bulldogs picked up victory number one with a hard-fought 1-0 win over Bishop Feehan last week.
While the young Canton icemen have yet to find their groove offensively, head coach Brian Shuman thought they played a solid game overall and believes it is “only a matter of time” before the team starts to capitalize on its many scoring chances.
“We don’t take moral victories at all, but the fact that we have outshot every team we’ve played so far by a pretty good margin is definitely a good sign,” he said.
In Friday’s win against the Shamrocks, the Bulldogs put up more than 20 shots before finally finding the net a few minutes into the third period on a goal by freshman John Hagan. Junior Jack Goyetch, who nearly buried one of his own on a hard wrist shot late in the opening frame, was credited with the assist on the play.
Shuman said Goyetch and Hagan are just two of the many talented forwards on the roster capable of scoring goals, and he expects that the offense is going to come from a “bunch of guys” this season.
“We are on the young side, but we have some returning guys in the top six [forwards],” he said. “I’d be more worried if we weren’t generating goal scoring opportunities, but I think it’s just going to be a matter of time before we break out.”
On the defensive end, the Bulldogs are led by senior captain and two-time league all-star Jackson Maffeo, who was instrumental in the Bishop Feehan win, especially late in the game on the penalty kill. Junior netminder Niko Donovan also played his part in the victory, stopping all 11 shots he faced in his first start of the season.
Shuman said both Donovan and fellow junior goalie Quinn Gibbs, who drew the start in the first two games, have played well thus far and will continue to battle for minutes. “It’s really close,” he said, “probably one of the closest goalie battles that we’ve had.”
Despite their offensive struggles and 1-2 start, Shuman said he has confidence in this year’s group and has once again set the bar high. “We make no bones about it,” he said. “We want to win the [Hockomock] League and then go to the Garden. That’s always our goal and it’s what we want to do this year as well.”
With their first win under their belts, the Bulldogs will look to make up some more ground this week as they battle for the Gormley Cup at Gallo Ice Arena in Bourne. The two-day tournament kicked off Wednesday afternoon and will wrap up this Saturday, December 31.
Short URL: https://www.thecantoncitizen.com/?p=35134
Posted by Jay Turner
on Dec 30 2016. Filed under High School, Sports.
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