Icemen knock off rival Franklin

Freshman Seamus Pecararo and his Bulldog teammates took it to Franklin on January 12. (Mike Barucci photo)

Click here for video highlights courtesy of Canton Community TV.

Riding a two-game winning streak and eager to prove itself against an elite opponent, the CHS boys’ ice hockey team welcomed its biggest rival — the defending south champion Franklin Panthers — to Metropolis Rink on Saturday and proceeded to play its best game of the season, coming back from a 1-0 deficit to win 3-1 in front of a raucous home crowd.

Not only did the victory avenge the Bulldogs’ 3-0 loss to Franklin earlier this season, but it also helped solidify their place atop the Hockomock League’s Davenport Division, putting them at 3-1 in league play and 6-3 overall.

The Panthers, meanwhile, had only one loss all season heading into the Saturday afternoon showdown, and they got off to a good start by scoring the game’s first goal on a power play a few minutes into the opening period.

Canton also had several good chances during the period, but they were all turned aside by the Franklin goalie as the Panthers went into the second frame clinging to a one-goal advantage.

Head coach Brian Shuman considered it a bad omen at the time, since he knew that whichever team scored first had typically won these Canton-Franklin battles. But as it turned out, the Bulldogs were just getting started, and over the next 15 minutes they dominated the puck, outshooting the Panthers 11-2 and stealing all the momentum with a game-tying goal by junior Brian Brooks off a beautiful cross-ice pass from senior captain Kurt Leavitt.

Canton also got a big lift from senior goalie Rich Nee, whose glove save on a hard wrist shot earlier in the period kept it a one-score game. “It was a huge save,” said Shuman of the play by Nee. “In many ways it was the defining moment in the game.”

The final period saw both teams trade chances in a desperate attempt to avoid a 1-1 draw. Franklin seemed to have the better of the play early in the frame, but the Bulldogs turned it on late, eventually breaking through with under two minutes left on a goal set up by senior captain Pat Ward. After stealing the puck behind the Franklin net, Ward delivered a perfect pass to linemate Brooks, who lifted a shot over the goalie’s shoulder to give Canton its first lead of the game.

The Bulldogs would then go on to seal the victory on the very next shift with a goal by senior Matt Lennon, assisted by senior captain Mike Denehy.

After the game, Shuman admitted that he was thrilled to get the win but even more thrilled that his team played well against a tough opponent. “There were stretches where Franklin gave us a run for our money,” he said, “but we outplayed them overall, and it was probably one of the best, if not our best effort of the year.”

In addition to beating the Panthers, the team also earned a 4-2 win over Attleboro last Wednesday at Aleixo Arena in Taunton. Shuman said it was actually one of the Bulldogs’ “poorer efforts of the season,” but he gave them credit for finishing strong after a slow start. Denehy led the way with two goals, while junior defenseman Tony Francescon and sophomore Brian Hagan also scored for the Bulldogs.

This week the team was due to play its two toughest competitors in the Davenport Division — at Milford on Wednesday and home this Saturday versus Oliver Ames beginning at 6 p.m.

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