BOSTON — In the moment of defeat, Tewksbury High head coach Derek Doherty was still filled with pride.
For his players. For his coaches. For his town.
It didn’t go Tewksbury’s way Sunday evening at TD Garden, as the No. 2 Redmen relinquished a goal with 1:22 left in the third period to fall 2-1 to top-seeded Canton for the Division 2 state title.
But amid the frustration and the heartbreak stood a proud coach. Tewksbury is a small town — some 35 players report to tryouts each winter — yet Sunday’s stage was unfamiliar to none. It marked the fourth time in the last eight years that the Redmen had appeared in the state championship game.
Practically the whole town was in attendance in the lower seating bowl at the Garden.
“And for us to be one of the top teams in the state overall, it’s just unreal the commitment of the kids have to our program,” Doherty said. “You look up and see all the little kids.”
Tewksbury (22-2-1) scored first — a perfectly executed pass from stalwart Tyler Bourgea to Kevin Andriolo in the second period — and relied on excellent goaltending from sophomore Cole Abruzi (29 saves) but couldn’t hold on to force overtime in the final minutes of the third when Canton’s Cam Guerschuny finished a backhander in front of the net.
Tewksbury pushed the pace of the play in the first period — holding a 10-7 advantage in shots on goal — and nearly converted on a power play opportunity with 5:40 left in the frame. As it has all season, Tewksbury’s depth was apparent. Fourth liners Aaron Sosa, Jonathan Kusmaul and Ben Christopher were a physical presence. Middle-six forward Jack Ryan was all around the puck.
But Canton goalie Matt Wright flashed his pad on Jason Shreenhan, who one-timed a puck along the blue paint on a feed from Andriolo behind the goal line before sprawling for another save at the tail-end of the man advantage to keep Tewksbury at bay.
It was Abruzi who stood tall between the pipes in the second period, denying Canton on a pair of point-blank opportunities while the Bulldogs outshot the Redmen, 15-6.
The table-setter, perhaps, for Andriolo to open the scoring with 1.2 seconds left in the period.
Curling in the attacking zone with a pair of Canton defenders draped on his hip, Bourgea fought through the contact before sliding the puck to Andriolo for a one-timer below the left hash marks to the excitement of a large Tewksbury contingent on hand in Boston.
“He brings a different energy to that line,” Doherty said of Andriolo, who was sidelined in Tewksbury’s 5-0 February loss to Canton.
Bourgea’s assist marked the 199th point of his career, who finishes with an astonishing 97-102-199 after a 39-32-71 season.
“He’s not only a great player but a great kid,” Doherty said of Bourgea. “He was fun to coach…He’s one of those kids you wish you could have every four years.”
Canton tied the game at 1-1 at the 11:48 mark of the third — a laser off the stick of Ryan Elrick — and controlled play for most of the third.
Abruzi, unfazed amid a Canton onslaught, played the best game of his career.
“He was phenomenal,” Doherty said. “Phenomenal. He’s a good goalie. He’s a good goaltender. He’s alert. He’s very technical, but he came up pretty big there in spurts just flashing his leg out and making really good saves.”
