CHS field hockey stays hot as Lane notches 200th point

Senior Shannon Lane is vying for a 3rd straight Hockomock League scoring title. (Mike Tureski photo)

The wins have kept coming for the red-hot CHS varsity field team as the Bulldogs put the finishing touches on another Hockomock Davenport Division title with 9-0 drubbing of Milford last week at Canton’s Memorial Field.

While the winless Hawks proved no match for the hosts, the big story of the night centered on senior captain Shannon Lane, who further cemented her place as one of the program’s all-time greats by reaching the 200-point milestone for her career.

A four-year varsity player and the reigning Davenport Division MVP winner, Lane needed only one quarter of play to complete the career accomplishment as she racked up an early hat trick to help put the Bulldogs comfortably out in front.

Including their most recent game — a 4-1 victory earlier this week over the 12th-ranked Norwood Mustangs — Lane now has 204 career points with five games to go plus what the team hopes will be another extended playoff run.

As it stands, she already has 38 points on the season through 13 games, putting her at or near the top of the Hockomock League leaderboard. She is also in the running to lead the entire league in both goals and assists, and if she were to accomplish this feat, it would mark the third consecutive season that she has led the Hock in all three major categories (goals, assists and points).

Even as a freshman in the fall of 2023, Lane was already an impact player, finishing that season eighth in the league in scoring with 29 points.

She has also led the Bulldogs to the Division 2 state semifinals in each of the last two years and is hoping to cap her illustrious career by hoisting the state championship trophy this season.

“Reaching 200 career points is an incredible accomplishment, and I couldn’t be prouder of Shannon,” commented head coach Chrissy O’Connor. “She’s an exceptional player who works hard, competes every day, and makes everyone around her better. What she’s meant to Canton field hockey goes far beyond the goals and points, and we are grateful to have had the opportunity to coach her.”

While Lane’s individual brilliance is truly generational, she also has the good fortune of playing on a talented roster that is both battle-tested and hungry. What’s more, she has what O’Connor has described as the perfect running mate in senior captain Cassidy Lyons.

Perhaps just as critical to the team’s success, the Bulldogs also boast one of the stingiest defenses in the entire state, led by captains Grace Martinek and Ava Starr, fellow veterans Ellie Young and Tabitha McCready, and new starting goalie Sophia Carlton.

With an overall record of 11-2, the Bulldogs finished in a tie with Davenport newcomer King Philip for first place in the division, and they are currently right behind the Warriors at the top of the Division 2 power rankings. (The two rivals rank 1 and 2 out of a field of more than 50 teams.)

The two will actually square off again tonight at CHS in what is technically a non-league contest as Canton looks to sweep the season series after edging the Warriors 2-1 at their place on October 5.

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