The boys varsity team’s annual trip to Vermont kicked off with a win in St. Albans, as the Bears defeated Bellows Free Academy in the Doc Tulip Holiday Tournament. The Bears came away with a 3-2 victory after a late surge from the Bobwhites as Coach Squirrel, who played in Canton’s first appearance at the annual tournament, made his coaching debut.
Canton opened the scoring in the first period as the Bears’ first line attacked the home team. Junior forward Owen Palmer broke the puck into the Bobwhites’ zone and cut toward the net. After being fended off by a defender near the net front, Palmer fed a pass across the crease to the waiting stick of junior forward Owen Logan, who roofed a close range shot past the BFA goaltender.
A short time later, Canton scored again after a turnover in the Bobwhites’ zone. Junior forward Robert Palmer pressured a puck handling defender in front of BFA’s net, who coughed the puck up after a physical play from Palmer. The errant pass landed on the stick of senior defender Jack Brandy at the top of Canton’s offensive zone, and he stepped around a white jersey and buried the shot.
The Bobwhites opened the scoring in the second period, but Canton would return their lead to two a short time later, as O. Palmer created a turnover in the neutral zone. After speeding toward the net, he was able to slide the puck just across the net front to his cousin, and R. Palmer capitalized on the opportunity.
The Bobwhites managed a late goal after pulling their goalie, bringing the score to 3-2 with just 10 seconds remaining in the game. The Bears were able to close out the remainder of the clock and walk away with the victory.
Senior goaltender Gavin Schryver stood tall for the Bears, managing 33 saves in the winning effort.
Canton’s defense was fully staffed for the first time all season and the depth made a difference. The elder statesmen — seniors Jack Brandy and Caleb and Carter Premo — have played a major role not only in leveraging their experience to benefit the Bears, but also mentoring some newcomers as well as a transfer senior. Senior Lucas Clausen, freshman Luke Parker, and eighth grader Jake Hayes all were equal to the task of rolling six defenders for the duration of the game.
Canton managed to play more depth forwards than in previous outings. Junior Will McDonough, sophomores Matt Holbrook and Max DeCoteau, and freshmen Cole Lawrence and Sean McCluskey all gave solid effort in third line shifts for the Bears.
The Bears take on Essex Saturday afternoon at 1 p.m. for Doc Tulip Holiday Tournament. After a 6-4 win over Saranac Friday evening for Essex, the winner of Saturday’s game will be crowned tournament champion.
