By Josh Perry || HockomockSports.com Managing Editor
BOSTON, Mass. – Following the disappointment of a double overtime loss in last year’s Div. 2 state title game, Canton’s returning players made a promise to each other. The Bulldogs made a pact to get back to the TD Garden and this time finish the job.
With 15 minutes remaining in Sunday afternoon’s final, the second part of that pact looked to be in serious doubt.
A rare mistake in the defensive zone gifted Tewksbury with the go-ahead goal just seconds before the intermission. After trailing in only three games during the regular season, the Bulldogs trailed for the second playoff round in a row. A week ago, Canton stormed back to put away Burlington at the Conte Forum and, in the locker room, confidence was high that the Bulldogs could do it again on the biggest stage.
Junior Ryan Elrick sniped the top corner to tie the score early in the third and, with less than 90 seconds to play, classmate Cam Guerschuny pounced on a loose puck and slid it into the corner to put Canton in front. Senior goalie Matt Wright (22 saves) delivered his best performance of the season and Canton (24-1-0) skated away with a 2-1 victory and its fourth state title in the past seven seasons.
“It’s a storybook ending,” said Canton coach Brian Shuman. “I started with this group when they learned to skate in Mighty Mites and then we had some new guys get added but the new guys get brought into the fold. It’s a special group that’s taken a lot of pride in playing together, enjoyed playing together. Playing with your friends for your town, there’s nothing better than that.”
For the seniors, it was a title to bookend their high school careers. Canton won in 2023 when they were freshmen and they added a second title to finish it off. “I felt before the game that we were going to pull it out, I just didn’t know how,” said senior defenseman Teddy Shuman. “I didn’t see it going down like that but it’s a great feeling. It’s been a great journey. I’m so thankful to have all the guys with me. It’s unbelievable right now.”
When the teams met earlier this season, Canton rolled to a 5-0 win at the Tsongas Center in the final of the Ed Burns Coffee Pot Tournament. There was no question that the Redmen came to the TD Garden looking to exact revenge and the No. 2 seed got off to a strong start.
Kevin Andriolo, who was missing in the first meeting, tested Wright with an early backhand from the slot. Later in the first, Wright made a pair of point-blank saves and Shuman made a crucial block on another shot from the edge of the crease. Andriolo also struck the post and Wright needed to make a terrific pad stop on a deft tip in front.
Canton wasn’t devoid of offensive intent, even if things didn’t seem to be clicking as usual in the first. Gavin O’Toole set up fellow sophomore Brayden Dickie for a shot in the slot that went high. On an odd-man rush, Joey Ryan narrowly missed the stick of Elrick at the far post and Andrew Gillis had a shot from the right-wing circle saved.
Ryan had another chance late in the period when he threw the puck into the skates of Tewksbury goalie Cole Abruzi, but the Redmen were able to cover up.
Things continued in a similar vein early in the second. A turnover left Tewksbury star Tyler Bourgea open in the slot but Wright made the save. Jake Batts also got free in the slot but his shot blazed over the bar (possibly off the stick of a Canton defenseman). Bourgea had another chance when he dangled to the near post, but Wright kept the pad down to keep the shot out.
Canton started to tilt the ice as the second period wore on. Cullen O’Brien made a nice backhand feed to Shane Kelleher out in front but the one-timer was blocked. Kelleher then found James Howard on the edge of the crease but Abruzi kicked out a leg to deny the goal.
With 1:48 left in the period, Shuman fired a shot from the blue line that Abruzi knocked aside. Canton kept the play alive and Ryan set up Gillis only to have Abruzi get across and make a sprawling save.
The Bulldogs had momentum as the clock ticked down to the end of the period, but an attempt to be aggressive going up ice in the defensive zone led to a turnover. Bourgea stole the puck and found Andriolo just inside the left-wing circle to put the Redmen in front.
It was a stunning turn of events, but the Bulldogs have been in big games many times before and they showed the resiliency needed to be champions.
“We came back twice against Burlington, we have plenty of time, and there was a level of calm on the bench,” Shuman said about the team’s focus going to the third. “We were playing tentative for sure in those first couple periods and I think that kind of shook us up at that point and we said we need to start making some plays.”
A little more than three minutes into the third, sophomore defenseman Kellen Labanara made a rush up the right wing and ran into traffic. He managed to slip a pass through a swarm of skates and it found its way to the stick of Elrick. The team’s leading scorer snapped off an unstoppable shot to the far corner, tying the game at 1-1.
“He gave me the puck cutting through the middle and the scouting report on the goalie was high to the blocker and I finally hit it,” Elrick recalled. “It felt so good to get the first one and I knew we weren’t done after that one.”
Less than a minute later, Bourgea thought he was about to restore the lead when he broke free behind the Canton defense. Wright somehow stayed with the puck and made a massive save to keep things tied.
Chances started to come thick and fast with both teams feeling the next goal could win the title. Cam Washburn forced a pad save from the right wing and Liam Connolly was inches away from latching onto the rebound. On the other end, Jack Ryan set up Batts for a point-blank chance that Wright saved.
Dickie sent a pass across the zone for Guerschuny to test Abruzi (29 saves), then Jack Ryan stabbed a shot on goal from close range forcing another kick save from Wright. With time starting to wind down, Howard dropped it for O’Brien to fire on target and Labanara, Elrick, and Gillis combined to get a shot in the slot.
With 1:22 remaining, senior defenseman Graidy Carr stepped up from the blue line and blasted a shot towards goal. The puck was knocked down by the bodies in front of Abruzi and Guerschuny was the first to react, sliding the puck into the open side of the net to put the Bulldogs in front and set off a wild celebration on the home bench.
“It’s just a dream,” Guerschuny tried to explain. “I couldn’t even explain everything. We’re one big family in there, one goal in mind, and it was just get the job done. We all did it together. I’m just so happy.”
The goal held up as the winner. At the final horn, the Bulldogs raced onto the ice, with pads, helmets, and sticks flying through the air, to celebrate the completion of the mission that they set for themselves in the TD Garden locker room one year ago.
“We all hold ourselves to high standards and I knew we weren’t going to go out like that,” Teddy Shuman said. “We all pick each other up when we’re down. We took control in the third period and the rest is history.”
His father added, “These guys never said revenge tour or anything like that but these guys were driven and you can tell, even though they didn’t say it, this was the ultimate goal.”
Elrick was already looking ahead to another run in 2027. He said, “We pride ourselves on being here every year. We’re going to give 100 percent, we’re going to play this system, and it’s right back to the start. This is always the end goal.”
As he is just about every year, Brian Shuman was asked to put into perspective what it means to keep getting back to the final every year. What is it about Canton that makes the hockey program perform at this level each season?
“It’s a hockey community and it’s wonderful,” he explained. “Every Saturday at 11 a.m., we have a team meeting at Ponky and two hours before that our guys are volunteering at Learn to Skate.”
“Looking down on the ice from the top of the rink and seeing the oldest kids in our youth hockey program and the youngest and that to me is a perfect symbol of what this town brings as a hockey community.”
