LOWELL, Mass. – It isn’t often that Canton goes into a game as an underdog, but with No. 2 seed Gloucester waiting in the Div. 2 semifinal at the Tsongas Center, the third-seeded Bulldogs knew that they were facing a battle-tested opponent with a strong resume.
All of the concerns about the Fishermen were thrown overboard just five minutes into the first period when Canton stormed out of the locker room and scored four goals on their first seven shots. Behind two goals apiece from senior defensemen Sean Connolly and Brennen Pecararo, the Bulldogs rolled to a 6-3 victory and return to the TD Garden for the third straight season.
Canton, the two-time defending state champion, has now won 22 straight games this season (following an 0-2-1 start) and has won 13 straight in the playoffs dating back to the 2018 South semifinal.
“You have to just look at this crew and have so much respect for what they’ve done because they have big shoes to fill,” said Canton coach Brian Shuman. “We have some alums here right now that were part of those 2019 and 2020 [state title-winning] teams and they feel the pressure and I think they really did take it one game at a time. It’s not a cliche, just their approach to the game.
Connolly, who was a freshman on the 2019 team that played at the Garden, said, “It means everything. It’s what we all dreamed about as kids. Hoisting that trophy above your head is a memory that’s going to last a lifetime.”
When asked about getting back to the Garden after the pandemic took away that opportunity in 2020, Connolly replied, “It’s a redemption game. I remember sitting in a classroom, all of us bawling our eyes out. To get the chance to get right back at it, I can’t wait.”
Just seconds into the game, Gloucester looked like it might have the chance to grab the lead when Emerson Marshall got behind the defense but a strong back check helped dislodge the puck right before he was able to shoot. Things swung down the other end and it was Canton that grabbed the advantage. Pecararo, who joined the team after playing in juniors for three seasons, sniped a shot over Gloucester goalie Nick Tarantino’s shoulder on the first shot of the night.
Only 86 seconds later and the lead was doubled. This time it was Connolly, who limped off the ice two rounds ago after an injury in the closing minute against Plymouth North, throwing a puck at the net. It went through a crowd of bodies in front and past the unsighted goalie.
Before the Canton crowd had even settled down, the Bulldogs added another. Only 13 seconds into a power play (and 48 seconds after the second goal), Brendan Tourgee made a perfect angled pass from the left wing boards right to the stick of Connolly, who didn’t need a second touch, knocking his one-timer into the open net.
“Those two guys have played well all year long,” Shuman said about Connolly and Pecararo. “There are two guys who have been huge forces for us offensively, but most importantly defensively. Their game starts in the D zone out and I thought they played great defensively and generated some opportunities in the offense too.”
Things went from bad to worse for the Fisherman a little over a minute later. Tarantino made the initial stop by Eddie Gillis was on hand to collect the rebound and put it away. Even up 4-0, Canton didn’t stop, as Tourgee and Eamon Kelly forced Tarantino into good pad saves and AJ Thomas dragged his way past a defenseman and put a backhand off the goalie’s pads. Canton outshot Gloucester 18-5 in the first (41-21 for the night).
“We’ve been in a couple of those games over the years,” Shuman explained, “late round games that we start off really well and it’s great, don’t get me wrong, but you know that there is a lot of game left and they are a really, really good team. For our guys to come out and play with that kind of poise at the start was really awesome, I’m so proud of them.”
If the Fishermen though that the intermission would slow Canton down, Pecararo showed that was wishful thinking. He made a nice move to keep the puck in at the blue line and fed Thomas, who went top shelf to make it 5-0 less than 90 seconds into the period. With 8:55 left in the second, Pecararo doubled his tally for the night with a pinpoint shot from the point.
“He’s awesome, one of my best friends, and I was glad to get him back this year,” Connolly said of Pecararo. “We do well together and he’s a great addition to our locker room and on the ice.”
Throughout the postseason, Shuman has talked about teams playing with more urgency and desperation when trailing. Taking advantage of a power play, Gloucester started to find that sense of urgency and tallied twice in only 23 seconds to try and make a game of it. Joseph Orlando knocked in a rebound for the first and a nice pass across the crease from Jack Costanzo to Brett Cunningham accounted for the second.
Gloucester turned the tide in the final few minutes of the second and started to put pressure on freshman goalie Colin Davis, who made a series of big stops down the stretch despite the Fishermen throwing as many bodies at the net as possible. Davis made a big stop early in the third after a long rush by Costanzo and denied Colby Jewell on a point-blank stop to keep the four-goal lead.
As the third period wore on, Canton regained its footing and created a series of chances against Gloucester’s backup goalie Riley De Haan. Connolly’s shot forced a save and Jeffrey Chaput sent the rebound just wide. Another Connolly shot was tipped in front by Sam Carlino, but the goalie stayed with it. Tommy Phaneuf had a wrap around try stopped by the goalie’s toe.
Although Gloucester would get a third on a Costanzo power play goal with less than a minute remaining, Canton was able to celebrate another victory and another trip to a state final. It is a special moment for a team that missed out on a chance to skate at the Garden two years ago.
“I think it’s exciting just to be back out there in the playoffs,” said Shuman. “Last year, we were so lucky just to be out there skating and this is great. You cannot beat a playoff high school sports season.”
Canton (22-2-1) will take on top seed Tewksbury in the final, in a rematch of the 2019 championship game that the Bulldogs won 6-2 to complete an unbeaten season. The game is scheduled for Sunday at 3:15 at the TD Garden.
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