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By Dave Henry - HNIB News
Every period Canton would score in the first three minutes of action. And, every period Newburyport answered with a goal - except when it mattered most.
In overtime, when each team only gets one crack at victory, Newburyport struck first. Derek Freeman deflected Billy Eiserman's shot from the point past a helpless Mike Cahill to lift the Clippers to a thrilling, 4-3 triumph in the Division 2 State championship at the TD BankNorth Garden.
"That was the most amazing situation," Freeman said. "I saw the puck go out to Billy then it was like slow motion and it tipped off my stick."
Without a chance to respond, the Bulldogs' 20-game unbeaten streak came to an end, while the Newburyport players celebrated their first state title in school history and the first state championship for the Cape Ann League. Half the squad piled on freshman goalie Chris Eiserman and the rest smothered Freeman.
"I'm so shell-shocked I don't know what to think," said Eiserman, who made 18 saves. "They call us the 'Band of Brothers' for a reason. We play for each other and never give up."
"We've had a ton of support throughout the season and to finally bring the title to Newburyport is a dream come true for all of us," Newburyport coach Paul Yameen said. "People had written us off a little with a couple losses at the end of the season. We just stayed positive. Nobody's perfect. We went on a roll at the right time."
Canton went on a roll at the right time as well to reach the final. It seemed as if the Bulldogs would keep it going, pressing the Clippers the first two periods and outshooting them, 21-15 for the game. Despite the loss, the Bulldogs can certainly hold their head high.
"Any team going 0-3 to open the season can put a lot of pressure on themselves," Canton skipper Brian Shuman said. "They showed a lot of character picking themselves up, working hard and improving to reach this point. These guys can count themselves as one of the best teams that Canton has ever seen."
Newburyport took advantage of every scoring opportunity, scoring three goals on 11 shots during regulation. The Bulldogs bottled them up throughout the game with tenacious forechecking and backchecking. The physical Clippers wouldn't back down either.
"We held the blue line and closed the gaps," Shuman said. "We knew they were a very dangerous team and tried to limit the space to work in. Our defense did a great job breaking the puck out of the zone and limiting their chances."
Sean McNeil one-timed a perfect feed from Kevin Rooney to beat Eiserman top shelf at the 2:24 of the first for a 1-0 lead. At 6:52, Kevin Holmes deked a Canton defender and finished a spectacular partial breakaway to even the score.
The second was more of the same. Canton's Chris Galanis crashed the net to put a stick on Tim Ford's pass one minute into action to retake the lead. At 6:48, Holmes answered the call again. He camped out alone with the puck just beyond the crease and waited patiently before unleashing a wrister past Cahill (11 saves). The shot was only one of two for the Clippers that period.
"The two goals really mean nothing to me," Holmes said. "The win means everything. We took it home as a team. In these games you have to take advantage of your opportunities and we did."
In the third, both teams capitalized on rare power-play opportunities. Galanis tallied his second goal on a one-timer from McNeil at 1:46. Less than four minutes later, the unheralded Zachary Schmoeller intercepted a clearing attempt and launched a blast from the blue line near side to knot the score.
"It came at a crucial time and we needed it," said Schmoeller of his fourth goal of the season. "I just tried to get it on net. I knew it was going in right when it left my stick."
The Bulldogs reached the final six times in school history, including 1981 when the Rooney brothers' father Dave and uncle Steve skated for Canton.
"We've been talking about it all year, hoping to rub it in their face, but it didn't work out that way," senior Bryan Rooney said. "It's was awesome. The state finals, playing at the Garden, nothing gets better than that. They just got their bounces and buried their chances. It was a great game."
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