Portsmouth met Cumberland in the deciding Semi-finals Game 3, and came away with the victory which earned the team a berth in the State Championship Series, set to begin next Wednesday.  The two teams returned to the Abbey, Sunday afternoon, after splitting the first two games in the series. 

 

The Patriots opened the scoring  at 2:45 of the first period when Mike Maggiacomo fired a blistering shot that beat Michaelangelo Federici, the Clippers goalie, and the league’s top net minder in the regular season.  Matt Abraham added to Portsmouth’s lead at 14:05 with a shot from the right side of the slot that found the back of the net.  The period ended with the Patriots up 2-0.

 

Portsmouth kept its momentum going with an early goal in the second period.  Only 19 seconds after play began again, defenseman Mac McDonald, took a pass from Abraham and scored with a slap shot from the top of the  right faceoff circle.  The Patriots had their first power play opportunity of the game just past the halfway mark of the period.  Making full use of the extra skater on the ice, McDonald and Abraham combined again, this time setting Abraham up for the goal that put the Patriots up 4-0.  The two players combined one final time in the period when Abraham again fed the puck to McDonald at the top of the right faceoff circle where he, once more, fired a hard slapper that beat the Clippers’ goalie.  The goal gave the Patriots a five point lead with 3:39 remaining in the period, and drove Federici out of the net, as the Clippers coaching staff replaced him with their back-up goal tender.  With less than two minutes remaining in the period, McDonald left the game after being knocked hard into the boards and hitting his head.  He was unable to return to the ice in the third period. 

 

In addition to building a comfortable lead through two periods, the Patriots were also playing solid defense.  The team’s tough physical play slowed the Clippers’ forwards and prevented them generating any solid scoring opportunities.  Portsmouth held Cumberland to just five shots in each of the first two periods and Patriots’ goalie Matt Maggiacomo stopped them all.

 

Portsmouth continued to dominate play when the two teams returned to the ice following the second intermission.  At 6:31 of the third period, Patriots forward Matt Harrigan was assessed a five minute major penalty for hitting a Clippers player from behind.  It was Cumberland’s first power play of the game.  Portsmouth killed three and a half minutes of the penalty before the Clippers scored their first goal of the game.  Unlike minor penalties which end when the team on the power play scores, the Patriots continued to skate a man shore because of the major call.  Just 31 seconds after their first goal, Cumberland struck again to make the score 5-2 with a minute still remaining in the penalty.  As the major penalty was coming to an end, Portsmouth was called for a minor penalty, which extended the Clippers’ power play.  Less than 30 seconds into the second penalty, Cumberland notched its third goal of the game at 11:55.  Following the goal, Portsmouth was once again at full strength and shut down the Clippers’ offense once again, as they had done before the penalties.

 

Portsmouth finished the game with 5 goals on 15 shots, while Cumberland had 3 goals on 19 shots.  All three of the Clippers goals came on power plays.  The Patriots had one goal on two power play opportunities.  Matt Maggiacomo in goal recorded his fourth win against one loss in the playoffs to this point.

 

The Patriots will play their first game in this season’s State Championship Finals this Wednesday, March 16 at 8:00 pm, at the Schneider Arena, on the campus of Providence College.  They will face top seeded Coventry in the best of three series.  The second game will be played, again at Schneider Arena, on Saturday, March 19, at 3:00pm.  If a third game is required to decide the champion, it will be played on Sunday, March 20 at 8:00 pm, at Schneider Arena.

 

Don’t miss the exciting Patriots hockey action.  Plan now to make the trip to Providence College to cheer the team on to the State title.