DUXBURY, Mass. – Some teams just seem to have that knack for finding a way to grind out a win. Every game is a little bit different, but in the end the result is the same. Canton has definitely developed into one of those teams.
Despite being on the road, despite facing the top seed, and despite having to wait almost an hour after the scheduled face-off for the game to begin, Canton seemed unfazed heading into Saturday night’s Div. 2 quarterfinal against Duxbury at The Bog. After all, the Bulldogs have been here before.
Allie McCabe opened the scoring, Tess Khoury scored twice in the third period (including an empty netter), and Carolyn Durand came through with big saves down the stretch, as Canton earned a 3-0 win. It was the second time that the Bulldogs had beaten (and shutout) the Dragons this season and it seals Canton’s fourth state semifinal appearance in the past five seasons (not counting last winter where there were no playoffs).
“Our girls play so many tight games, it doesn’t really bother them,” said Canton coach Dennis Aldrich. “We expect that’s how it’s going to be because all year it’s been like that. That’s probably why we were a nine-seed, we didn’t beat people by three goals, we beat people by one, but we won.”
When asked about Canton’s ability to find ways to win this time of year, McCabe, who will be going to the third state semifinal of her career, replied, “It’s definitely our teamwork. We’re basically a family, we do everything together. At practice, we sprint a lot, it’s tiring but it helps us. We’re always prepared and I guess we’re always there for each other when we’re nervous. We are always there to help each other out.”
After a lengthy wait to get on the ice, Canton got a power play opportunity just 26 seconds into the game. McCabe had a good look on goal from outside the right wing circle that Duxbury goalie Anna McGinty fought off. McCabe would later make a nice rush up ice and have a shot partially blocked on its way to goal. Those were the only two shots on target for Canton in the first.
Duxbury was hardly peppering the goal on the other end. Right at the end of the power play, Megan Carney came out of the box and got behind the Canton defense for a breakaway, but Durand (16 saves) stayed tall, stayed with the puck, and made the stop. She also came up with a big pad stop late in the period, but Duxbury, which had the lion’s share of zone time, only managed four shots on goal in the first.
The Dragons came out for the second intent on creating more chances and a minute in Ayla Abben forced Durand into a pad save with a shot from the slot. It was one of only three shots the hosts would put on goal in period.
Canton controlled play in the second, turning the tables and putting pressure on Duxbury’s defense. Audrey Koen flipped a clearance up ice from her own blue line that found Payton McDonough coming off the bench, leading to a backhander that McGinty needed to stop. Two minutes later, Ellie Bohane (who scored the OT winner in the previous round) broke into the zone and dropped a pass to Anna Lehane, who’s shot was partially blocked but on target.
A power play opportunity midway through the second helped Canton solidify its control. Maya Battista was floating from the blue line to behind the net and she teed up McDonough for a tip in front that was just wide. The pair combined again seconds later for a shot from the slot and again it was just wide.
The pressure continued and it felt like a goal was coming for the visitors. With 11 seconds remaining on the power play, McCabe, the Hockomock League MVP, got the puck in the high slot and was given time and space to move closer to goal before firing a wrister into the top corner past McGinty to put the Bulldogs in front.
“That was crucial,” McCabe said of getting the first goal. “We beat them last time and we knew we could do it but a bunch of people were like, no it’s just a fluke game, you weren’t supposed to beat them. Once we got that [goal] it was like, okay let’s go, we can keep going.”
If the crowd was stunned to see Duxbury fall behind, then it was about to be floored by what happened next. Just two minutes into the third and with the first shot for either team in the period, Canton doubled its lead. McDonough again proved to be a massive presence in the attacking zone, blocking a clearance on the left wing boards and driving towards net. The puck squirted loose and right to Khoury on the edge of the crease. She roofed her shot and made it 2-0.
“It was awesome,” McCabe said of the second goal. “I was not expecting that. We knew it was going to be a tough game but when we saw that I was like, okay, take a little breath. Obviously there was a lot of time left, but it was awesome.”
Down by two goals, the Dragons found another gear and started to dominate play. Maddie Greenwood had a pair of big chances at the near post that Durand blocked with her pad and then her glove. Flynn Bridgett let loose with a pair of slap shots from the point that found their way through traffic, but both were turned aside by Durand.
Aldrich said, “I’ve heard other coaches talk about their goalie being the best in the state, show me one who is better than her.”
The chances kept coming. Abban raced into the zone on the right wing, cut across the middle and ripped a shot that Durand coolly gloved as it was heading under the bar. Carney had a chance on a two-on-one with three minutes to play but she shot wide of the far post and Greenwood came closest to scoring when her quick-release rocket went off the post, behind Durand, and out the other side.
Canton’s defense, including McCabe, Battista, Tori Carr, and Devan Spinale, was doing what it needed to crowd the middle, not allow chances on the edge of the crease, and clearing pucks out to the neutral zone. With help from the forwards, Canton kept the Dragons at bay.
With the clock winding down, Khoury was able to get the puck past the Duxbury defenseman on the blue line and everyone watched as it meandered down ice and settled into the back of the net. The empty net goal clinched yet another hard-fought playoff victory for the Bulldogs.
“To be able to hold them in two games to zero goals, our girls buy into what we do here,” said Aldrich. “We work hard and it’s paying off. When your best player, Allie McCabe, is leading the team in blocked shots, as a coach it’s a pretty easy thing to bring the other guys along.”
McCabe explained, “We all worked together. Carolyn played awesome, she blocked a ton of shots at the end. Our players blocked shots, we were just there for each other, and helped us get through it.”
Canton (17-6-0) will face No. 5 seed Natick in the semifinal on Monday at Gallo Arena at 7:15. The Bulldogs won each of the last three semifinal appearances and reached the final at the TD Garden.
