Canton beats Granby to win share of first NCCC championship since 2006

The Canton High girls field hockey team celebrates after beating Granby Wednesday, 1-0, to win a share of the NCCC championship. (Photo courtesy Elizabeth Haynes)

Learning to win is a skill that athletes master, or not, at some point in their career. As the 2021 regular season draws to a close and the CIAC state tournament approaches in a few days, the Canton High field hockey team is learning to win the tight games.

Canton earned a share of their first league championship since 2006 on Wednesday night with a 1-0 win over Granby on the road. The Warriors and the Bears both finish the season with 7-1 records in the North Central Connecticut Conference.

Canton (11-5, 7-1 NCCC) scored the only goal of the game midway through the third quarter when freshman Madison Dufresne popped in a pass from Molly McClellan for the game-winning goal. And then the Warrior defense held off the Bears.

Granby (11-5, 7-1) had an 11-1 edge in penalty corners but couldn’t get a shot past Canton goalie Lyla O’Connor, who made 12 saves and registered her third shutout of the season.

“We played as a team,” Canton coach Margaret Bristol said. “We played with confidence and we played smart. We learned from the mistakes we made the first time we played them.”

Elle Bahre, left, and Molly McLellan (11) close in on the ball during Wednesday’s NCCC game in Granby. The Warriors won, 1-0, to win a share of the league title. (Photo courtesy Elizabeth Haynes)

In late September, the Warriors had a one-goal lead only to see the Bears score twice in the final five minutes to come away with a 3-2 decision.

“We’ve grown as a team,” Bristol said. “It doesn’t matter who scores. We just need someone to score. They’ve embraced that and work together. They trust each other on the field.”

Against the Bears, Canton played with composure. “Defense was on point,” Bristol said. On penalty corners, the Warriors use Erin Macklin as a flier, the first defender out of the cage on the play, running as quickly as she can to the ball to try and disrupt the play.

“She got out there quickly and the defense did a great job getting the ball out of the circle and shutting down the play,” Bristol said.

Canton ended the season with three consecutive victories – all by shutout and with eight wins in their final 10 games.

With the win over Granby, Canton snapped a 17-game losing streak at the hand of the Bears dating back to 2013. It’s the first time since 2017 that two teams have shared the league championship.

Gabby Delsanto is the team’s leading scorer with eight goals while Delsanto and Mary Deritis leading the team with five assists each. Twelve different players have scored goals this season and seven had gotten at least one assist.

Canton will open up play in the CIAC Class S tournament on Tuesday, Nov. 9.

2021 NCCC standings
FIELD HOCKEY

x-shared league championship