The boys varsity hockey team kept its win streak rolling on Wednesday night at the Canton Recreational Pavilion. It was senior night, and the Bears took home a win in their honor, defeating Salmon River 3-0.
Prior to the game, seniors were honored for their commitment to the program. This year’s seniors include Jack Brandy, Gavin Schryver, Caleb Premo, Carter Premo, Caleb Briggs, David Seymour, Lucas Clausen, and Tate Rodriguez.
No time was wasted in creating scoring opportunities for both teams. Midway through the first period, Canton was outshooting Salmon River 6-5. The Bears started sluggish against a young but feisty Shamrock squad who kept the home team on its toes for the duration of the contest.
It took the Bears nearly 13 minutes to break through on offense. With less than five minutes to play, an offensive zone faceoff won by junior forward Owen Logan generated a shot from Brandy from the point, which skidded wide of the net. Caleb Premo gathered the puck behind the Salmon net and eventually worked it out to the goal mouth, where Briggs found enough space to pull it around the goaltender and tuck it in on the far post. The Bears carried a 1-0 lead into the first intermission.
Canton found the net twice in the second period, sealing the Shamrocks’ fate.
Clausen was able to find the back of the net for the Bears’ second goal. After a scrum on the side wall in the Shamrock end, Caleb Premo picked up a loose puck and headed for the end board behind the Salmon goal. Just before he ducked behind the net, he found a through-pass all the way to the blue line, where Clausen stepped in and delivered a wrist shot off the cross bar and in.
Logan would finish off the scoring for the Bears just minutes later. After picking up a loose puck near Canton’s blue line, Logan streaked down the middle of the ice before cutting across the Shamrocks zone and using the two defenders as a screen for a wrist shot that snuck in under the goaltender’s arm.
The remainder of the second and much of the third period played out with little fanfare and resulted in a fruitless back-and-forth with the teams unable to make any headway.
Canton outshot Salmon 44-18 in the contest. Many of those 18 shots were simple turnaways for Schryver, who secured the shutout in goal for the Bears.
Canton stays home this weekend for its last non-league contest of the season. Ithaca, ranked No. 4 in the state by the New York Sportswriters, will visit the Pavilion on Saturday for a matinee matchup with the Golden Bears. Puck drop is at noon.
Photos, courtesy of Jay Berkman and Section X Shots, can be found here.
