Let the games begin
By Jay Turner
High school playoff hockey season has finally arrived and it’s a championship-or-bust mentality for both CHS squads as they enter their respective tournaments with sky-high expectations and a regular season resume to match.
The boys team, seeded second overall in the Division 2 south and the top-ranked team in D2 according to MassHSHockey.com, is already in the sectional quarterfinals after steamrolling No. 15 Somerset-Berkley 11-0 in their tourney opener earlier this week. The team returns to action tonight at the Canton Ice House, where they will square off against No. 7 Westwood beginning at 8 p.m.
The girls team, meanwhile, also nabbed the No. 2 seed in the Division 2 bracket and is set to kick off its tournament run Sunday versus No. 18 Walpole at 3:40 p.m. at the Ice House. Ranked No. 8 in the latest Boston Globe Top 20 poll, this year’s lady Bulldogs look to be a stronger and more mature version of the squad that made it to the cusp of a state championship last season as a No. 14 seed.
Both Canton teams are viewed as legitimate contenders for this year’s Division 2 crown and both are red-hot entering the postseason after winning their respective league titles and posting nearly identical won-loss records — 15-2-4 for the boys and 15-3-3 for the girls.
The boys team has won 11 of its last 12 with its only loss coming against potential playoff opponent Oliver Ames on February 10. They have several big wins during that span, including a 4-1 victory over longtime rival Franklin and three recent wins against tournament teams Lincoln-Sudbury, Medfield and Coyle & Cassidy.
Their wins against the latter two opponents came last week in the annual Quinn Memorial Tournament as Canton hoisted the trophy for the third time in the last four years. In the tournament championship game against CC, the Bulldogs fell behind 2-1 but stormed back in the third period behind a pair of goals by Ryan Nolte. Timmy Kelleher also had a goal for the Bulldogs in the opening shift of the game.
In their tournament opener Tuesday night against Somerset-Berkeley, the Bulldogs overcame a relatively slow start before breaking the game open with a seven-goal burst in the second period. Ten different players had a goal in the victory against the overmatched Raiders squad while goaltenders Quinn Gibbs and Niko Donovan combined for the shutout in net.
On the girls’ side, the lady Bulldogs go into the tournament as winners of five of their last six, including a 2-1 victory over their first round opponent in the regular season finale. The girls also recently scored a signature win over Duxbury, a perennial power and the No. 7 seed in this year’s Division 1 bracket.
Both Canton squads feature balanced scoring attacks with a shut-down defense led by star senior goalies — Gibbs for the boys and Colleen Kelleher for the girls. Statistically, both teams are allowing less than a goal per game while averaging north of three goals per contest on the offensive end.
Tickets for the boys quarterfinal game are $8 for adults and $6 for students/seniors. Tickets for the girls game on Sunday are $7 for adults and $5 for students/seniors.
Short URL: https://www.thecantoncitizen.com/?p=38294
Posted by Jay Turner
on Mar 3 2018. Filed under Uncategorized.
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