Girls’ hockey falls to defending state champs

After knocking off Dover-Sherborn last Tuesday to improve to 4-0 overall, the Canton High girls’ ice hockey team traveled to Duxbury on Saturday, where they met their match against the two-time defending state champion Dragons in a 3-0 defeat.

Freshman Mary Nee (Mike Barucci photo)

For the Bulldogs, it was their first real test of the season following a series of lopsided victories, and despite the final score, head coach Dennis Aldrich was very much encouraged by the overall performance.

“We took it to them [Saturday], big time,” said Aldrich. “We didn’t get the win, but overall I thought we outplayed them and we certainly weren’t intimidated.”

The Bulldogs also dominated the puck for large stretches of the game, outshooting the Dragons 29-19 for the game and 15-3 in the second period alone. But they could not solve Duxbury’s outstanding junior goaltender, described by Aldrich as the “real strength of their team.”

On the other end of the ice, freshman goalie Lindsey Nolte played well for Canton after a rough opening period, finishing the afternoon with 16 saves. Aldrich said the Dragons took advantage of their scoring opportunities, while the Bulldogs, who had started the season on fire offensively, took too many weak shots and were “late to pull the trigger.”

For the most part, however, Aldrich was pleased with the team’s effort against the Dragons and would like the Bulldogs’ chances if the two teams met again in the postseason.

“I think we’ll continue to improve,” he said, “and I’m just as excited, if not more so, about this team than I was a week ago.”

Meanwhile, in their only other game last week, the Bulldogs barely broke a sweat against Dover-Sherborn as they racked up five goals in the first seven minutes before Aldrich “called off the horses” and began to empty his bench.

Senior captain Meaghan McKenna finished with a hat trick — her second already this season — and freshman Julie Nagel added a goal and an assist. Fellow freshmen Mary Nee and Sarah Wilkinson also had goals in the win, while Casey Considine, Jackie Martin and Meghan Lennon each had one assist.

Now 4-1, the Bulldogs will have a week of practices before returning to game action next Wednesday, January 2, against Westwood, followed by a home game against Mansfield on Saturday, January 5.

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Posted by Jay Turner on Dec 27 2012. Filed under High School, Sports. Both comments and pings are currently closed.