02/12/202202/14/2022

Sunday’s Schedule & Scoreboard – 02/13/22

Today’s games are listed below.

Boys Basketball
Attleboro, 57 vs. Catholic Memorial, 52 – Final – Attleboro senior Alvin Harrison dropped a team-high 18 points and junior Jaiden Outland had some key plays in the final minutes to help Bombardiers secure a win over visiting Catholic Memorial. Senior Colin Morais converted a tough layup with 1:30 to go to put the Bombardiers ahead 52-49, but CM made it a two-point game with a free throw. The Knights had a chance to tie the game after an Attleboro turnover with just a minute to go both Outland raced back and combined with Harrison to steal the ball back. Outland sank a key free throw, and then leading by just one, he scored on a breakout with just under 20 seconds left to make it 55-52. Morais finished with 10 points while Outland had a career-high nine points for Attleboro, who overcame a 30-21 halftime deficit, starting with a 20-point third quarter in which seven players scored.

Milford, 78 vs. Ludlow, 21 – Final – Milford had 12 players get into the scoring column in a big win over Ludlow, its second win in a three-day span. Freshman Gustavo Coutinho hit three of the Hawks’ 11 three-pointers and finished with a career-high 18 points to lead the offense. Senior Justin Luchini scored all of his 13 points in the first three quarters while freshman Andrew Rivera had nine of his 11 points in by halftime.

Taunton, 67 vs. Durfee, 54 – Final – Taunton senior Trent Santos sank five three-pointers and finished with 12 makes from the field for a game-high 35 points as the Tigers avenged their loss to the Hilltoppers in December. Faisal Mass added 20 points and sophomore Troy Santos chilled in with eight points for Taunton, who had a 36-32 lead at halftime.

Girls Basketball
North Attleboro, 45 @ Sharon, 49 – Final – Tess Letendre led three Eagles in double digits to help them split the season series with the Rocketeers. Sharon led by two at halftime, but North came up with 17 points in the third quarter to take a five-point lead into the fourth. Sharon held the visitors to just six points in the fourth quarter to pull out the win. The Eagles scored 15 in the final quarter, including 6-for-10 at the line. North was only 5-for-12 from the free throw line for the game. Jasmine Davis added 12 points and Rachael Hager scored 11. Summer Doherty was North’s top scorer with 14 and freshman Sam Faria added 10. Ava McKeon and Sam Sweeney each scored seven points in the loss.

Boys Hockey
Canton, 4 vs. Reading, 3 – Final (OT) – Eamon Kelly scored his second goal of the game to give Canton the overtime win and seal the Walter Brinn Division championship of the Ed Burns Coffee Pot Hockey Classic. Reading twice had the lead in the game but Kelly, who was named tournament MVP, tied it at 1-1 and Patrick Drury made it 2-2. AJ Thomas put the Bulldogs ahead for the first time late in the second period, but the Rockets were able to score with 27 seconds left in the third to force the extra period. It was Canton’s 15th straight win.

Franklin, 0 vs. Natick, 2 – Final

Girls Hockey
Franklin, 3 @ Mansfield/Oliver Ames, 2 – Final – Maggie McCaffrey scored a pair of goals, including the game-winner with three minutes left to play, to help the Panthers pick up the road win. Molly Hurley had the first goal for the Panthers while Lindsey Dennett, Shaw Downing, Samantha Wong, and Dana Stott each had an assist. Maeve Anastasia and Kylie O’Keefe each scored for MOAF, the latter tying the game at 2-2 with nine minutes to play. Cammy Shanteler, Cierra Doherty, and O’Keefe each had an assist for the Warriors.

01/12/202201/13/2022

Tourgee, Blake Net Canton Comeback Win Against KP

Canton boys hockey — Sophomore Brendan Tourgee (13) celebrates the game-tying goal with less than three minutes remaining in the third period, helping Canton to a come from behind win over King Philip. (Josh Perry/HockomockSports.com)

CANTON, Mass. – Despite Canton dominating play in the third period and holding King Philip to just two shots in the final 15 minutes, the Warriors went into the final three minutes holding onto a one-goal lead. It would be a rare win for KP in the series, a rare win for any Hockomock League team against the Bulldogs, and a chance to take a big early step towards a second straight league title.

Click here for a photo gallery from this game.

But, there is a reason that Canton went into Wednesday night’s game at the Metropolis Rink having won 36 straight league games. The Bulldogs scored a pair of goals in 1:39, completed a comeback after being down two goals twice in the game, and pulled out a dramatic 4-3 victory.

“It’s huge for our psyche,” Canton coach Brian Shuman said. “It’s good for our guys to see that they can come from two goals down. Hopefully they’re not in that position too often, but it’s still good to build that mental toughness.”

After the game, KP coach Paul Carlow rued the missed opportunity to grab a lead in the Kelley-Rex division, even if it is just three games into the league campaign.

“They pinned us in in the third,” he explained. “They outshot us and outplayed us in the third period. Instead of continuing to take it to them, it felt like we were more trying to hang on. That never works.”

It was all KP at the start of the game. The Warriors came out flying and needed only 27 seconds to pick up the opening goal. Shaun Fitzpatrick did good work down the right wing, driving at the net and drawing a couple of Canton defensemen. He flipped the puck out in front to Sean Crowther, who sent the puck through a crowd of legs across the crease where James Boldy was standing all alone to tap into the empty net.

Rather than being a wake up call for the home team, the goal seemed to spur the Warriors on for more. Fiztpatrick collected the puck against the right wing boards and turned towards goal. He had a free path right at Canton goalie Aiden French (18 saves) and stuffed the puck under the pads to make it 2-0 less than six minutes in.

Shuman said, “KP does a great job of getting pucks and bodies to the net and you saw that on the first goal. That’s their bread and butter and we struggled with that mightily tonight. We just weren’t tough enough out in front, we were puck watching, and losing guys. They play a tough brand of hockey.”

KP got a chance on the power play midway through the first and Max Robison forced French into a tough save on a shot from the point. Canton cleared the rebound. It was one of a couple chances that the Warriors had to try and extend the lead, but the Bulldogs held on and got the kill.

Only 13 seconds after getting back to even strength, Canton was on the board. AJ Thomas’ pressure on the forecheck caused a turnover in the attacking zone. His first shot from point-blank range was stopped by KP goalie Kyle Abbott (28 saves) but Thomas stuck with it and knocked in the rebound, cutting the lead in half.

The goal seemed to give Canton momentum, as the Bulldogs went into the locker room on the front foot, but it didn’t carry over to the second period. Only nine seconds elapsed before KP added a third. Boldy snapped off a wrsiter just as he was entering the zone on the left wing and French appeared to be unsighted as the puck flew under the bar on the stick side.

“We had some really good chances and then didn’t convert,” said Carlow. “Canton had the momentum off the kill and then I think they scored the very next shift and now it’s a one-goal game. We got a goal to start the second and I think we just kind of ran out of gas.”

Canton needed a spark. Sophomore Brendan Tourgee nearly had a quick response when he sailed into the zone, split a pair of defensemen and got off a backhand shot from a tight angle that Abbott kept out. Sam Carlino had a partial break for the Bulldogs but Robison hustled back to get a piece of the shot from the right face-off dot.

The Bulldogs were able to cut into the lead midway through the second. After a couple of shots from the point by Sean Connolly that Abbott pushed aside, they swung it across the blue line to Ryan Doucette. His shot was heading wide of the post but sophomore Brian Middleton was able to get a telling touch on it to sneak it past Abbott low at the near post.

“To get one there was big and that line of Middleton, (Patrick) Drury, and Blake continue to get it done and I think our other guys can learn a little bit from them because they’re having success and getting big goals just by getting to the tough, dirty areas,” said Shuman.

KP tried to hold on in the third, blocking shots and trying to keep the Bulldogs away from the crease. Eddie Gillis nearly set up Thomas for a tying goal, but Abbott stayed with the tip in front and kept it out. Tourgee then showed off his strength on the puck, holding off two defensemen to allow the Bulldogs to get back onside and then turning into the zone, forcing Abbott into a good save with his shoulder.

Connolly had another shot from the point that forced Abbott into a save. Tommy Phaneuf corralled the rebound in front but was pressured off the puck and couldn’t get a shot on target.

While the chances were piling up, the clock was winding down. Finally, with 2:42 to play. Tourgee found the back of the net. He dragged the puck through a stick check on the left wing boards and then angled towards goal. His backhand shot through the crease somehow snuck through a thicket of legs and found the far corner.

“He’s so gifted on the puck,” Shuman said of Tourgee. “He’s strong on the puck, he’s fast, he’s just got a nose for the net. I think he’s got to trust getting pucks to the net instead of always trying to pick those corners because you can see how offensively gifted he is.”

The pressure continued, as Canton outshot KP 13-3 in the final period. With 1:03 to go, the Bulldogs got the winner. Brennen Pecararo dropped a pass back to sophomore Colin Blake and he pounced on the chance in the slot, slamming the puck into the back of the net.

KP had one last look with the goalie pulled and less than 10 seconds on the clock, but Brad Guden’s shot from the point hit a body to the side of the post and ricocheted into the corner.

“We just got off to a tough start this year with injuries and illness,” Carlow said. “I think we had eight out sick the first week of the season, so we got off to a tough start and we’re just trying to get rolling.”

Canton (4-2-1) will be back home on Saturday afternoon to face Mansfield, which was the last team to hand the Bulldogs a league loss back in February 2017. King Philip (2-4-1) returns to Canton on Saturday night, this time at the IcePlex, to take on Archbishop Williams.

Click here for a photo gallery from this game.

05/26/2021

Chaput, Coyne Lead Canton in Defensive Battle at North

Canton boys lacrosse — Jeffrey Chaput (17) celebrates after scoring his fourth goal of the game, during Canton’s win at North Attleboro. (Josh Perry/HockomockSports.com)

NORTH ATTLEBORO, Mass. – The Davenport division title race is lining up to be a three-way race that could come right down to the final games of the season. On Wednesday night at Beaupre Field, two of those teams squared off trying to stay unbeaten in league play and keep pace at the top of the standings.

Click here for a photo gallery from this game.

Jeffrey Chaput scored four times and Dylan Coyne made nine saves to lead Canton to an 8-5 win at North Attleboro in a game highlighted by strong defensive play by both sides.

“It was a big win,” said first-year Canton coach Ryan Quinn. “Our seniors really stepped up and held us together. I’m proud of the way they responded. It was a tough game, physical game, but I thought we were better today.”

North got off to a good start, with Connor Ruppert hitting the post just 90 seconds in. JT Gallagher (seven saves) made a good stop on a long-range shot by Canton’s Jeff Fitzpatrick and then a great check on the edge of the crease by Sam Gugliotta dislodged the ball from Colin Albert and led to a quick North break. Ruppert fed Clayton Billingkoff but his shot went just wide of the cage.

With 5:33 left in the first, the hosts snagged the lead. Billingkoff went to the bounce to beat Coyne and make it 1-0. Brendan Tourgee hit the post for Canton seconds later, but North settled down and doubled its lead with just under two minutes left in the first. Matt Antonetti was able to turn the corner and went up top with his effort for a 2-0 advantage.

The Bulldogs had been struggling to get any rhythm on the offensive end, but used a man-up situation to cut the lead to one before the first break. Chaput fired a shot at Gallagher’s feet, finding the corner and giving Canton momentum.

Tourgee struck the post early in the second and Canton started to get a foothold in the attack. Eamon Kelly turned a steal on one end into a great transition, carrying the ball the length of the field and flipping a pass to Sam Carlino for a low-angle rip that tied the game. Two minutes later, Carlino added his second with a bounced shot on the spin and the Bulldogs took their first lead.

Coyne made a nice stop on a chance by Ruppert and then he was able to deny Will Copley from point-blank range after a turnover on the clear. Gallagher added a nice save before halftime, reading the bounce to deny Carlino a hat trick.

North coach Kevin Young praised his team’s defensive effort. He said, “I know we have good defensemen and today they stepped up. It’s a very inexperienced group and the kids who went in there really filled their role. They played well, they never overextended. Whenever you get a game with two teams under 10 [goals], that’s as good as you can ask for in lacrosse.”

After scoring the final three goals of the first half, Canton added the first two of the third quarter as well. Fitzpatrick got his hands free and fired a man-up goal and then Chaput intercepted a clearance and was able to beat Gallagher with a leaping shot from straightaway.

Just seconds after Coyne made a great kick save, North was able to cut the lead back to two. Antonetti assisted on a man-up rip by Ruppert to make it 5-3. The teams then traded goals in the span of 16 seconds. Tourgee fed Chaput right in front but Jared Vacher won the face-off and Antonetti was able to convert on the other end.

Down by two, North had a great opportunity to get back into the game. Coyne was penalized for a hit with 2:21 left in the third. Defender Sean Connolly stepped into the cage for the rest of the quarter, but the Rocketeers managed only one shot off target in that period and the Bulldogs maintained their lead into the fourth.

“I saw the momentum swing a few different times and frankly I thought it was going to go their way a little more,” Young said. “I thought they were solid moving the ball up and down, in the clear and the ride. I’ve got guys who’ve never seen varsity before and it shows at times, but the guys stepped up and played like old pros.”

Ruppert completed his hat trick with a spin and low shot 90 seconds into the quarter, but Fitzpatrick won the draw and Canton turned it into a quick response. Fitzpatrick got the ball ahead to Carlino who moved it along to Chaput and he fired a quick-release shot into the top corner just 12 seconds after North cut the deficit to one.

“Our attack has a knack for the big goal and the big moment,” Quinn said. “When we need it, they always give it to us.”

Canton sealed the win with 1:58 to play. Tourgee made an interception and the ball ended up in the stick of AJ Thomas for the finish. Coyne made the goals stand up, saving chances from Ruppert and Antonetti and then adding a ninth save just before the minute mark on another low rip by Ruppert.

Quinn said, “Today was all about our goalie and our ‘D’. I’m pumped about our attack, but our goalie and ‘D’ really held it down for us. He’s really the heartbeat of our team. he does a great job communicating for our defense, our defense listens well, and then our attack just finished when we needed it.”

Canton (8-0, 5-0) remained in a tie for first with Foxboro. North Attleboro (5-3, 4-1) dropped one game back in third place. The two teams will meet again on Friday afternoon.

Click here for a photo gallery from this game.

01/18/2021

Chaput Snipe Lifts Canton to Win Against North

CANTON, Mass. – North Attleboro got bodies in the way all game long, not letting pucks get through on goal, but sometimes it only takes a sliver of space to find the back of the net.

Click here for a photo gallery from this game.

Sophomore Jeffrey Chaput got that one chance in the second period and buried it in the top corner and it turned out to be all that the Bulldogs would need. Canton added an empty net goal in the final minute and skated to a 2-0 victory over North Attleboro that puts the teams in a tie for first in the Davenport division.

“North Attleboro does a great job blocking shots, they always have,” said Canton coach Brian Shuman. “They sell out, they take away the shooting lanes. Also a failure on our part, too many shots above the knees, which are the easiest shots to block. We have to keep it low, along the ice, and find shooting lanes. Stop trying to go top shelf on their goalie and try to create more rebound opportunities.”

It was an even game, despite Canton’s edge in shots on goal. Both teams came out flying and the Bulldogs showed no rust from having a week off between games.

Shuman explained, “We’ve been fortunate enough to be skating normally, so I think that in itself is keeping us in a good flow and a good rhythm. We’re just lucky to be playing right now because there are a lot of teams that unfortunately aren’t.”

Jack Digirolamo sprung Brendan Tourgee down the left wing for an early chance that was saved by North goalie Kyle Gruber (23 saves). Andrew Valkanas stayed with the puck after his initial shot was blocked and had a good look coming off the right wing boards, but again Gruber stood tall.

The chances kept coming for Canton in the first. Digirolamo had a shot blocked in front and the rebound fell to Tourgee at the post, but the freshman forward was denied by the freshman goalie’s pad. AJ Thomas had another chance between the circles with a quick spin and shot but Gruber, who was making his first varsity start, was again equal to it.

“Why not?” chuckled North coach Ben McManama when asked about having his goalie make his debut against the Bulldogs. “I was a little worried about doing that but you can tell he’s a tough kid mentally and you know what? You’re going to have to learn sometime and we thought it would be good experience for him.”

North started to get more looks in the offensive zone as the first period wore on. Charlie Connolly angled a shot from the right point that was tipped in front by Joe Quinn, but went just wide of the post. In the final seconds of the first, Nik Kojoian pushed towards goal from the left circle but was denied at the post by Canton goalie Liam Polles (15 saves).

Despite starting on the kill, Canton dominated zone time in the second, keeping North pinned back in its defensive zone. Even with all that pressure, it was North that had the edge in shots on goal (6-5) in the period. The Rocketeers defensemen continually got in the way of shots and kept Canton out of the middle.

“It can be a little deceiving sometimes,” said McManama. “There may be a lot of zone time, but are we giving up quality shots? I think we didn’t give up too many except for the goal they scored. They did a good job of keeping everything to the outside and our goalie did a great job and we also helped him out.”

Jake Gruber had a good chance for North when he forced a turnover near his own blue line and then forced a blocker save from Polles on the other end of the ice. Mark Ayvazyan almost had a breakaway for the Rocketeers, but pulled up short of the crease to avoid a defenseman and then fired just wide.

By that point, Canton had gotten its one good chance. After a spell of pressure in the zone that saw a couple of shots blocked in front, the puck kicked out to Chaput just inside the left circle. He barely settled the puck before whipping a shot into the top corner that gave the goalie no chance.

“Jeff had a great shot and a quick shot, quick release that kind of surprised the goalie,” said Shuman. “He worked hard. He had the best game I’ve seen him play in his two years for us and he deserved that.”

The pattern continued in the third period, with Canton using its speed to gain the zone and put pressure on the North defense, but with the visitors holding firm and creating the occasional scoring opportunity on the other end.

“Coach Spillane said it best on the bench, let’s get some breathing room and get that goal early in the period,” Shuman said of Canton’s approach to the third period. (With his assistant coaches unavailable this week, Shuman asked former Franklin coach Chris Spillane to help out on the bench.) “We had a couple good chances, just couldn’t bury it.”

Sam Clarke nearly tied the game inside the first minute of the third. He blocked Jay Kelleher’s shot from the point and raced past the Canton defense before forcing a blocker stop from Polles.

It was a warning for the Bulldogs that the game wasn’t over. The best chance to double the lead came when Dylan Coyne’s shot from the slot was blocked and the rebound fell to Eddie Gillis, but his tip slid just wide of the post.

North came closest to tying the game with 2:30 remaining. Tyler Sarro stretched to tip a clearance in the neutral zone to avoid an icing and, after a battle behind the Canton net, the puck came out to Nick Longa on the edge of the crease. Polles kept his pads on the ice and was able to cover up.

Just a few seconds after North pulled its goalie, Canton wrapped up the win. Sam Carlino blocked a pass on one end, chased the puck down, and flicked into the empty net to make it 2-0 with 40.2 on the clock.

“We’re going to have to look at the film and see how we can generate more offense,” said McManama. “Sometimes they do such good job with our ‘D’ zone coverage that we get stuck down there. We’re going to have to work on ways to get ourselves better entries through the neutral zone.”

Canton (3-0) and North Attleboro (1-2) will meet again on Wednesday at the New England Sports Village.

Click here for a photo gallery from this game.

01/06/202101/07/2021

Wednesday’s Schedule & Scoreboard – 01/06/21

Today’s games are listed below.

Boys Basketball
King Philip, 56 @ Mansfield, 75 – Final – Mansfield senior Matt Boen poured in 30 points to lead the Hornets to a season-opening win over King Philip. The Hornets raced out to a 22-13 lead after one quarter, extended it to 40-24 by halftime, and put the game away with 26 points in the third quarter. Boen added six assists, five rebounds, five steals, and two blocks in a stellar all-around performance. Freshman Trevor Foley added 10 points and five rebounds in his debut and senior TJ Guy finished with 10 points and nine rebounds. King Philip sophomore Will Laplante impressed in his debut, hitting five three-pointers for 18 points.

Girls Basketball
Canton, 48 @ North Attleboro, 32 – Final – Fay Gallery and Kiara Cerruti combined for 40 of Canton’s 48 points, as the Bulldogs rolled to a big road win in the season opener for both teams. Gallery got things going for Canton with 10 points in the first and the Bulldogs built a 14-6 lead. The visitors broke the game open in the second and took a 19-point edge into halftime. Gallery scored nine more before the break and had 19 of her game-high 22 in the first half. Cerruti scored seven in the second, added four in a low-scoring third quarter, and closed out the game with seven more in the fourth, finishing with 18 total. Summer Doherty led North with nine points, including seven in the third, Amanda Kaiser added six, and Taylor McMath had five.

Boys Hockey
North Attleboro, 5 @ Oliver Ames, 1 – Final – North Attleboro exploded for four goals in the middle period to earn a season-opening win on the road over Oliver Ames at Asiaf Arena. Jake Gruber redirected a shot from Sean Mahoney to put the Rocketeers on the board and goalie Jimmy Burtch denied a Tiger penalty shot in the first. In the second, Nik Kojoian, Brady Sarro, Mark Ayvazyan, and Charlie Connolly each found the back of the net. Ross Carroll scored for OA in the second period. Sophomore Brandon Burke made 41 saves for the Tigers.

Franklin, 4 @ Foxboro, 2 – Final – Franklin scored three straight goals between the first and second periods to seize the lead, and tacked on an empty net goal with just four seconds to go to earn a hard-fought win over Foxboro. Thomas Marcucella scored midway through the opening period to put Foxboro ahead 1-0 but Franklin’s Dylan Marchand tied it up with under two minutes to go in the period. Justin Abely scored to put the Panthers up 2-1 with 5:42 left in the second and Sean Connelly scored two minutes later to make it 3-1. Foxboro’s Brady Daly cut into the deficit and the Warriors had a power play chance that followed but couldn’t find the tying goal. Marchand iced it with the empty net goal. Will Sheehan had two assists for Franklin while JT Dwyer and Ben Jarosz each had one. Jack Paterson (27 saves) earned the win in net.

Attleboro, 0 @ Canton, 7 – Final – Canton scored three goals in the opening period and added four more in the third to pick up a win over Attleboro in the first game of the season for both teams. Eamon Kelly scored twice while AJ Thomas, Jeff Chaput, Dylan Coyne, Tommy Phaneuf, and James Delello each scored once in the win.

Girls Hockey
Franklin, 0 @ Canton, 4 – Final – Click here for a Recap and Photo Gallery from this game.

Boys Swimming
Franklin, 100 @ Milford, 54 – Final
Oliver Ames @ North Attleboro – Postponed to TBD.

Girls Swimming
Franklin, 105 @ Milford, 52 – Final
Oliver Ames @ North Attleboro – Postponed to TBD.

Gymnastics
Canton vs. Attleboro, 2:15