Aaron Towers had two goals, and Portsmouth goalies Matt Maggiacomo and Steve Souza combined to give the Patriots their third shutout of the season as the hockey team defeated the Cumberland Clippers 3-0 Saturday night at the Mount Saint Charles Ice Arena.  The game pitted the leaders of the D-II North and D-II South conferences against each other in the only regular season match-up of the of the teams.  Both squads had posted nearly identical records going into the game.  Although the two teams’ performances were similar to that point, they had each arrived there by different means.  The Clippers possessed the number one defense and the top goal tender in the league, while the Patriots’ powerful offense was second in Division II.  At stake was the number two seeding position in the State Championship Tournament behind league leading Coventry.  The playoff games are set to begin next Friday, March 4^th.

 

It was Seniors Night for the Clippers and the 10 players in their last season with the Cumberland hockey team were, as the Patriots did for their Seniors the night before, specially honored before the game.  At the completion of the celebration, the puck was dropped for the opening faceoff and the game began.  Nearly the entire first period was all Cumberland as the Patriots came out flat.  Virtually all the play was in the Portsmouth end with the Patriots seemingly unable to even get the puck out of their zone.  The squad managed only four shots to 11 for Cumberland as the Clippers dominated play.  Maggiacomo played exceptionally well in the net and prevented the Patriots from finding themselves at a significant deficit.  All of that changed with 30 seconds remaining in the period, when Towers caught a pass from Senior Defenseman Eric Eaken and broke in on the Clippers’ goalie.  His shot found the back of the net to give Portsmouth a hard earned one goal lead at the first intermission.

 

As the second period began, an energized Portsmouth squad began to take the play to Cumberland more and more as the game progressed.  Nearly halfway through the period, in the Clippers’ zone, Forward Ryan O’Conner sent the puck to Team Captain Matt Abraham who skated it back toward the blue line along the Patriots’ left wing.  Turning toward the slot, he slipped a pass to Defenseman Mac McDonald at the top of the right faceoff circle.  McDonald moved forward, found an open lane to the goal, and fired the puck over the Clipper net minder’s right shoulder to put the Patriots up by 2.  Three minutes later, near the 10 minute mark of the period, Towers grabbed a loose puck in the neutral zone and headed for the Cumberland net.  For the second time in the game he beat the Clipper goalie, that time unassisted, to give his team a commanding three goal lead.  The period ended without further scoring.

 

The final period was wide open and physical.  Portsmouth had found its game, but the Clipper net minder kept the Patriots from widening their lead.  At the halfway point of the period, Maggiacomo was injured making a save and had to come out of the game.  He had faced 21 shots through two and a half periods and allowed no Cumberland goals.  Back-up goal tender, Souza stepped into the crease and was almost immediately challenged by the Clippers offense.  In the in the final seven minutes of the game he faced five shots and blanked the Cumberland snipers.  Souza’s exceptional performance in goal ensured the Patriots came away with the victory.  Portsmouth was unable to capitalize on four power play opportunities in the game, and successfully killed the one penalty it had in the third period.

 

The game was the final contest of the regular season for the Patriots.  Portsmouth finished with a record of 14 wins, 2 losses, 1 tie, and 1 overtime loss in league play.  The team’s 30 points is second in the league, behind the Coventry Knotty Oakers with 33.  The Patriots finished as the leaders of D-II South, four points ahead of the Middletown Islanders.  The squad also earned two additional victories in non-league play as they defeated both the Mount Hope Huskies and Rogers Vikings on their way to capturing the 2010-2011 Coastal Cup.

 

As previously mentioned, the playoffs for the D-II state championship begin next week.  Portsmouth’s opponent will be determined once all the scores are in and tabulated from yesterday’s games.  Watch this space for more information on the tournament  as it becomes available.