Back to the state final!

Icemen win the south in shootout

By Jay Turner
Citizen Staff

An incredible sports story reached another stratosphere on Sunday when the CHS boys’ varsity hockey team shut down one of the most potent offenses in the state in Nauset to reclaim its second straight Division 2 south title and earn a return trip to the Boston Garden for a rematch with north champion Newburyport this Sunday, March 14.

Members of the CHS boys’ hockey team after winning Sunday’s sectional final        Mike Barucci photos

Few could have dreamed up such a scenario when the season began — not after the team lost a boatload of talented seniors from its brilliant 2009 campaign. But after going 15-3-2 and finishing second in the Hock in the regular season, the Bulldogs went into the playoffs as a dangerous team and they have not looked back, knocking off the top two seeds in the bracket — archrival Franklin included — to emerge as the undisputed beasts of the south.

Even in Sunday’s 3-2 shootout thriller over top-seeded Nauset at Gallo Ice Arena in Bourne, Canton was far and away the better team, outshooting the high-flying Warriors 42-15 before handing them their first loss since falling to the Bulldogs at home 3-1 back on December 23.    

Bulldogs head coach Brian Shuman said it was apparent from the start of the first period that his team had come to play, and before long they had taken total control of the game, led by defensemen Matt Buckley, Ryan Bogosian, Bobby Hayhurst, and Mike Oldenberg.

“We really shut them down in that first period,” said Shuman, adding that the Nauset goaltender helped keep the game scoreless despite a 10-2 Canton advantage in shots. (Click here for full article)

Canton High School high jumper Matt Sidney qualifies for national championship

By Mike Berger
Citizen Staff

Based on his performance in last weekend’s New England indoor track championships, CHS high jumper Matt Sidney qualified for the upcoming national championships, which will take place this weekend at the Reggie Lewis Track Center in Boston.

Sidney finished in a tie for 11^th place among 17 competitors with a best jump of six feet, three inches. The winning jump was six feet, nine inches — a mark Sidney recorded at the Hockomock League championships.

Besides Sidney, Samantha Smith and Amarachi Njoku also advanced to the New Englands.

Smith finished 12^th out of 26 competitors in the preliminaries of the 55-meter dash with a best time of 7.44 seconds.  Njoku finished 15^th out of 28 competitors with a best throw of 34 feet, 11.25 inches.

Sidney, Smith and Njoku are all seniors and enjoyed outstanding indoor track seasons, according to their respective coaches, Chris Elgar for the boys’ team and Kerri Oldmixon for the girls’ team. (Click here for article)

 Season ends for girls' hockey team

By Jeffrey Cattel
Citizen Staff

After entering the playoff tournament as the first seed, the Canton High School girls’ hockey season came to a close with a 6-2 loss against Winchester last Thursday.

The Hockomock champs fell behind 1-0 in the first period, but coach Kelly Rider said she had expected a rough start because the team hadn’t played a game for three weeks. Rider said she didn’t think the girls began to skate to their full potential until the second period.

“We got two goals and were skating faster, controlling the puck better and getting more chances,” she said of the second period play.

Those two goals — scored by sophomore Stephanie Rizzitano and freshman Meghan Lennon — added to the team’s momentum, but were not enough to catch Winchester’s lead.

The two teams entered the third period appearing evenly matched, Rider said, but Canton was plagued by penalty troubles, which ultimately proved too difficult to bounce back from.

Despite coming out of the game with a loss, Rider said she was proud of the way the Bulldogs battled back and how they handled themselves at the end of the game. The team, which included ten seniors, developed a close bond over the course of the season, she said.

“While the team was upset over the loss, I think they were more upset with the fact it was the last time they would all play together,” Rider added. “It would have been nice to win, but I’m very proud of the girls and all that they accomplished this year.” (Click here for article)