Duxbury, Canton skate to spirited 1-1 tie
KINGSTON >> Duxbury still may be at the top of the Div. 2 standings but a huge chance to exact some revenge from a gritty Canton squad wasn’t happening Saturday at The Bog.
Holding onto a 1-0 lead in the third period, the Green Dragons saw a prime shot for victory No. 17 get snuffed out. The Bulldogs’ Anna Lehan was left unchecked at the front of the Duxbury net and she wristed home a perfect pass from Izzy Cusack past goaltender Anna Mcginty with 7:04 remaining to make it a 1-1 game.
No one scored in the overtime period and Canton salvaged a tie on the road.
The showdown was a big one after the Bulldogs defeated the Green Dragons twice, bumping them from the Div. 2 tourney in the quarterfinals last March. Duxbury remains undefeated at 16-0-2, while Canton moved to 12-2-3.
Duxbury head coach Dan Najarian expected a close game between the divisional powerhouses.
“They’re a good team,” said Najarian. “You don’t win 12 or 13 games in a season without being a good team. I thought there were times when we were the better team and times when they were the better team. I think it ended where it should have in a 1-1 tie. We’re a different team (than last year). We were heavy on the top end. We’re a much more balanced team now. The name on the shirt may be the same but the team is very different.”
The Green Dragons came out quick in a chippy first period and had Canton backed up in its zone for much of the 15 minutes. Bulldog goaltender Carolyn Durand made big saves on two strong shots by Maddie Greenwood to keep it scoreless. Durand was just as sharp in
the second, but the Green Dragons went up 1-0 when Greenwood went top shelf from the faceoff circle with 4:22 left.
“Maddie’s a hard working kid,” said Najarian. “She scored two big goals in the game against the Archies
and a big one today. She’s a young kid who has really stepped into her role as a leader up front.”
Durand kept Duxbury from running out to a bigger lead in the second. She robbed Martine Van Aarem on a wicked wrist shot and
turned away an Addie Harrington bid with 4:19 left.
“We beat them twice last year but every year is a new year,” said Canton head coach Nikki Petrich. “They’re a very tough, great hockey team and they have an outstanding
goalie. This is such a fast ice surface and we looked exhausted out there and it’s not that we weren’t trying.”
Najarian said his squad is taking the games as they come as the Green Dragons near the state tournament.