The Canton Bears continue their league success this year picking up two league points against St. Lawrence Central.
The Bears played a strong first period, but the Larries struck first about two and a half minutes into the game on a mishandle by a Canton defenseman.
Canton controlled play in the first but Daniel Mahoney took a slashing penalty to give the Larries a power play. Rhett Palmer was put on to kill and took the puck all the way off of a missed pass by the SLC power play evening the score at one. Steady pressure by Canton led Parker Hunt to his first varsity goal, with Palmer and defenseman Justin Brabant picking up the assists. Canton ended with 17 shots in the first period to St. Lawrence’s nine.
After a strong first, the Bears did not play well in the second. Whether it was the long skate to the bench or a lack of effort after the first is subject for debate. A backdoor pass at around the 10-minute mark deadlocked the game at two. Canton kept it close and did not let any more trickle by, getting out of the period relatively unscathed.
Rebounding from the struggles of the second, Canton played well in the third. SLC took two penalties in the third, giving Canton a five-on-three man advantage. This cost the Larries more than water at a theme park. Mahoney scored on the two-man advantage, tipping a shot from Connor Snell to make it 3-2 Canton. Mahoney scored again just after the second penalty expired on the same shift, this time getting extra help from Peter Coakley and Palmer. SLC pulled their goalie with around four minutes left, but to no avail. Canton’s defense showed signs of improvement with only a few shots on target, and won without too much drama.
A stellar performance from the Canton blueliners was key to the victory and strong support from the forwards in the defensive zone was critical to the Bears’ success. Canton ended up with 42 shots to SLC’s 24. Offensive numbers and chances are looking better for the Bears in their last few games, which is promising for the future. Palmer had three points, including one goal. Mahoney finished two goals. Hunt added one goal, and Coakley, Snell, and Brabant one assist.
Canton travels to Clayton on Wednesday to take on Thousand Islands/Alex Bay. Game time is 6:30 p.m.
Editor’s Note: These photos come courtesy of Amy Hunt.
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