Bishop Stang defeats Dartmouth and Old Rochester/Fairhaven for holiday tournament title

When Dartmouth’s two high school ice hockey teams took to the ice at Hetland Arena on December 22, both coaches knew it would be a tight game.

And tight it was, as Bishop Stang knocked Dartmouth High out of the running for the Dartmouth Holiday Tournament title, 4-1 in the first day of tournament action.

The Spartans opened the game aggressively, with Riley Scales putting in the first goal of the night four minutes into the first period.

In the second period, with ten minutes on the clock, a hard hit left Indian Sam Caniff, a freshman defender, down on the ice with a suspected broken collarbone. After a delay of game, he was lifted into a stretcher, shaking his fellow teammates’ hands as he was wheeled out.

“He’s a great player and a great kid,” said Head Coach Mike Cappello.

When the game resumed, the resurged Indians managed to put its first point on the board in a matter of seconds with a shot by sophomore Angelo Nicolosi.

“We got a little momentum and we went after it,” Cappello said. “It’s tough to come back after a 25 or 30 minute delay for both teams, and usually an injury takes the team down but the kids stepped up for Sam in that situation.”

The Spartans, marred by penalties throughout the period, reclaimed the lead in the third period with goals by Bobby Jedrey, Devin Allen, and Collin DiNardo securing the 4-1 win for Bishop Stang.

”We just couldn’t get any rhythm with the penalties,” said Head Coach Ken Gouveia. “Once we stayed out of the box in the third period I thought we were able to wear them a little bit.”

With stands full of fans from both schools, both coaches highlighted the friendly rivalry behind the game.

“It’s great high school hockey,” Cappello said. “We tell our players all the time this is the game we look forward to; this is the game you’ll remember when you graduate, and it lived up to the billing.”

Cappello added that the game is one of the best so far this season, as the Indians currently stand at a 2-1 record overall this season.

“They know how important this game is, and we expected a close game,” Gouveia said. “We got nothing different, and our goal was to wear them out.”

The annual tournament is a tradition for Dartmouth High. Usually hosted by New Bedford High, this year the Indians stepped up to continue the tradition.

“We’re happy to take this over,” Cappello said. “The first day was pretty successful, and hopefully tomorrow will be as well.”

Bishop Stang went on to defeat Old Rochester/Fairhaven for the Dartmouth Holiday Tournament title on December 23. Dartmouth defeated Taunton in the consolation game.