Lincoln-Sudbury Hands Canton its First Loss 6-4

Canton, MA – Neutral Zone was in attendance at the Canton Ice House to catch the 15-0-2 Canton Bulldogs host the Lincoln-Sudbury Warriors. LS jumped out to a 4-1 lead and survived a major penalty in the third period to skate to a 6-4 victory and hand Canton its first loss of the season.

LS opened the scoring on the power play as Johnny Oblak cut across the slot, received a pass and then fired the puck five-hole. They doubled the lead shortly after the second period began as Oblak again found himself in the right position to tip a shot from the point just under the bar. Canton cut the lead in half a short time later when Chris Lavoie collected a rebound off an Owen Lehane shot and banged it into the back of the net. Before the second was finished, LS scored two more goals. First, Brendan Cullen finished a rebound chance off a shot from Oblak and then Brendan Quinn scored on a long-range shot after cutting down the right wing.

Shortly after the third started, LS took a major slashing penalty, and the home team began to claw back. First, John Hagan scored a nice goal as he cut down the wing and rifled a shot under the bar from about 25 feet out. Canton cut the lead to one a minute later when Jack Connolly took a cross-ice feed and roofed the puck. That was as close as the home team would get, however, as Angelo Venuto and Cullen scored to put the game out of reach. Before the end of the third, Tim Kelleher would wrap the scoring on a tip-in just outside the crease. The game would end 6-4.

Three Stars:
1) F Johnny Oblak – Lincoln Sudbury
2) F Brendan Quinn – Lincoln Sudbury
3) F John Hagan – Canton

NZ Notes:
Canton suffered its first loss of the season and its first loss in over two years. Up front, the usual suspects were strong for Canton. John Hagan was constantly noticeable with the puck on his stick. He is measured with the puck and can make defenders miss in space. He is confident and makes plays in transition. Chris Lavoie was solid as well. He is always around the net and does a good job creating space with his feet. He fights through traffic and isn’t
afraid to work in the dirty areas. On the back-end, Owen Lehane had a strong night. He sees the ice well and makes strong tape-to-tape passes through seams. He is active in the offensive zone and is constantly looking to make plays back-door.

Lincoln Sudbury played a solid game. They received a strong night in net from Jack Hankey. The senior made several nice saves and did a good job controlling rebounds. The Warriors played physical and did a good job keeping Canton’s forwards to the perimeter of the rink. Up front, Johnny Oblak was always around the puck and net. He has a quick release and finds open areas to give himself space in the offensive zone. Colby Jones also had a nice night.
He is a smaller forward with quick feet and drives the puck wide. He is tough to track down in the offensive zone and can make defenders miss in space. Brendan Quinn also had a good night. He is long and uses his reach well. He protects the puck with his body and works well in the corners. He has a quick release which he shoots in stride. On the back-end, Brendan Walsh was good as well. He is a puck-mover and made several nice exits from his end. He retrieves pucks well and snaps passes to his wingers.