The Canton Golden Bears emerged victorious at Cheel Arena Monday night, claiming the Section X Division I boys hockey championship. The Bears beat the Massena Raiders 4-1.
It was Massena who opened the scoring at the 8:20 mark of the first period, when Drew Smutz snuck one past Canton’s goalkeeper, junior Gavin Schryver. This would be the first and last tally Schryver would allow the Raiders, as Canton poured on the offense from there.
The Bears tied the game before the end of the first period when freshman forward Thomas Creurer buried Canton’s first off an assist from sophomore forward Robert Palmer with just under three minutes to go.
Fans waited nearly the entirety of the second period before the next goal was scored. Sophomore forward Owen Logan found the top corner over the shoulder of Massena’s senior goaltender Cullen Taraska. The goal was scored on the powerplay, with assists coming from sophomore defenseman Grady Nee and junior defenseman Jack Brandy. The Bears took the 2-1 lead into the final frame.
Canton continued to pressure Massena in their own zone, dumping pucks into the corners and chasing down Raider defensemen. This strategy resulted in Canton extending its lead, when junior defenseman Caleb Premo dished the puck to junior forward Caleb Briggs, who pushed the puck deep into Massena territory. After regaining puck control below the goal line, Briggsy found senior forward Josh Ayrassian at the net front, and Ayrassian tucked the puck under the cross bar from his back hand to extend Canton’s lead.
About five minutes later, Creurer tacked on an insurance goal for the Bears, slipping one past the outstretched pad of Taraska off an assist from Logan.
Schryver stood tall for the Bears in goal, stopping 20 of 21 shots faced. He was named player of the game by his teammates in the locker room after the game.
With the win, Canton secured its first Section X boys hockey championship since the 2021-22 season. Canton’s win was also its first over the Raiders this season, having lost both regular season matchups.
The Golden Bears have advanced to the New York State Quarterfinals, and will host Shenedehowa on Saturday at 1:30 p.m. at the Canton Recreational Pavilion. Tickets can be found here.
Photos from the Section X Championship, courtesy of Shelly Pike, can be found here.