FRAMINGHAM — With a defense as sound as the Canton boys hockey team’s played in a Div. 2 state quarterfinal Thursday night, all it takes is one rang louder and louder as time elapsed in a scoreless affair at Loring Arena.
Even for a group with three 100-point scorers, though, that one proved a lot easier said than done.
It took nearly 37 minutes and 45 shots on net to do it, but the top-seeded Bulldogs (22-1) finally got a shot past an all-time showing in net from No. 9 Walpole senior goalie Michael Roof (49 saves) to eventually edge out a 1-0 win, and again reach the Div. 2 Final Four a year after losing in the state final at TD Garden.
“One year ago we all made a promise to come back and get the thing done,” said Canton junior Ryan Elrick, who scored the lone goal on a power play. “Now we’re two steps away. But first we have to get past (No. 4 Burlington in the state semifinals).”
Resilience, composure and another stellar defensive showing were at the heart of gutting this one out.
As Canton allowed just 12 shots on goalie Matt Wright, it brought a storm of offensive pressure early and often on Walpole. A 24-shot first period, along with a shot that rang off the crossbar, had the Bulldogs threatening, but Roof was equally composed between the pipes to keep it scoreless.
While shots were less frequent from there, the opportunities never really faded. A 5-on-3 in the second came up short as Roof saved 13 more, and the Bulldogs generated another 13 shots in the third.
Head coach Brian Shuman had an emphatic conversation with Roof to start the handshake line postgame, letting him know exactly how good he was.
“(I told him) just how much respect we have for him as an athlete, competitor, player,” Shuman said. “He was the best player on the ice tonight and I think everybody in the rink saw that. Just an unbelievable effort on his part, and also their whole team.”
Frustration started to kick in a little bit as the first 44 shots Canton produced were turned aside, many of which were from point-blank range without a defender in the way. But faith always remained.
“Trust the process, trust the last three months of hard work,” Elrick said. “We’ve got the best offense in the state. It’s going to come. (Roof) can’t make 100 saves. At one point, it’s going to go in.”
With 8:05 left, Elrick delivered that strike on the power play.
Fellow 100-point scorer Teddy Shuman crossed the puck from the left wall to Elrick just inside the right dot. He collected it quick and fired a near-side snipe to the top shelf on a much-needed, perfectly executed play.
“I think we have such a good power play,” Elrick said. “Me and Teddy work so well together. A seam opened up and he found me. Quick shot off, that was the goal. Quick shot, it’s going to beat them.”
Brian Shuman added: “You have to move (Roof), but the problem is, they were doing a great job of playing defense and taking away those passing lanes that we couldn’t really get him moving that much. The one time we were able to able to find that pass through the seam, (Elrick) makes that shot.”
Much of the scoreless affair looked like it could be the recipe for an upset. Canton’s postseason experience and their composure in the clutch, made sure it wasn’t.
“It all comes back to our defense,” Brian Shuman said. “We always have three keys to the game, and the first one’s always something about defense. … We look to hold teams to a goose egg every game. That’s our goal and if we just get one, that’s enough to win the game.”
Still, Wright was called upon a couple times in the third, and he delivered a standout save on a shot from the point that flew through traffic. He kicked it aside at the last second.
“For him to be able to make that big save when we needed it was huge for us,” Brian Shuman said.
