Portsmouth had, for the most part, played well in Game 1 of the State Championship Tournament quarterfinal series, yet still came away with a 2-0 shutout loss to the South Kingstown Rebels at the URI Boss Arena Friday night.  Not only did the Patriots run into a hot Rebels goalie in Game 1, they also failed to do the things required to optimize their scoring chances.

 

Saturday night the series moved to the Abbey, Portsmouth’s home ice.  Facing elimination from post season play with another loss, the Patriots reviewed Game 1 and made adjustments to the things it seemed could help them win the game.  And it worked.  Portsmouth defeated South Kingstown 7-4 to even the series and force a Game 3.

 

Despite the three goal lead at the final buzzer the game was not an easy win for the Patriots.  After carrying a solid 3-0 lead into the second intermission the Patriots returned to the ice and survived a wild third period that saw eight goals scored.

 

The tension began to build almost as soon as play began in the final period.  Portsmouth was called for a minor penalty just six seconds after the third period began.  It took South Kingstown’s power play just 39 seconds to get the Rebels on the scoreboard.  The Patriots responded a little over two minutes later by netting their fourth goal to reestablish their three goal lead.  The Rebels then roared back into contention with two goals in a span of six seconds at just over five minutes into the period.  Suddenly Portsmouth found itself in a 4-3 situation with over nine and a half minutes left to play.

 

With the Patriots comfortable three goal buffer reduced to just a single goal, it looked like the Rebels had captured the momentum in the game.  But whatever energy might have shifted to Portsmouth’s opponent as a result of the two fast tallies, it was dispelled as fast as it seemed to appear.  On the faceoff following the Rebels’ two quick goals, Ben O’Hearn won the draw for the Patriots.  The puck went to Evan Alvanas who immediately passed it back to O’Hearn who then broke into South Kingstown’s zone.  With a Rebels defenseman a half step behind him, O’Hearn skated the puck to the left side of the goal crease and fired a point blank shot that beat the net minder on the short side.  Ten seconds after the faceoff, Portsmouth had a two goal margin once again.

 

The Patriots added another goal, this one off the stick of Matt Marion, with 4:39 remaining, and the lead was back to three goals once again.  But then Portsmouth ran into a dangerous situation.

 

With 4:14 remaining in regulation time, the Patriots were called for an infraction resulting in a five minute major penalty.  The squad would finish the remainder of the third period on the penalty kill, with a player in the box who would not return to the ice if the Rebels scored.  Portsmouth’s penalty killing had been very good all year, and the team went to work to hang on to its lead.  And then the situation got worse.

 

Less than a minute after Portsmouth found itself shorthanded, the squad was assessed a second major penalty, that one occurring with 3:22 remaining.  The Rebels would have a five on three power play for the remaining time in regulation, and would keep the two man advantage no matter how many times they were able to score.  Portsmouth’s three goal lead no longer looked as secure as it had a moment before.

 

It is almost expected that a team working a five on three power play, especially a long one, will score in that situation.  And so the Rebels did.  But their goal came with only 1:17 remaining in the third period.  The Patriots penalty killers, three at a time on the ice, along with goalie, Gage Aguiar, had managed to eat up over two minutes of game time before having their lead cut to two goals.  But it wasn’t over, and there was still plenty of time left for the Rebels, who then increased the pressure even more.

 

With just over a minute left in regulation time, South Kingstown’s coaches pulled their goalie to gain an extra attacker on the ice.  Facing a six on three situation, the Patriots rose to the challenge.  The Rebels were unable to maintain control of the puck in Portsmouth’s zone and the Patriots were able to clear it from their end of the ice two times as the clock ticked down.  With only twenty seconds remaining, the Rebels made one final rush across the Patriots blue line and once again lost possession of the puck.  It ended up on Alvanas’ stick who then fired it the length of the rink and into the Rebels empty net.  The shorthanded goal with thirteen seconds remaining in regulation, gave the Patriots the three goal margin that the team carried to the final buzzer.

 

Alvanas finished the game with two goals and two assists to lead all Portsmouth scorers with four points on the night.  O’Hearn had two goals in the contest, including the game winner.  Jonah Callandret had a two point game with a goal and an assist, as did defenseman Kevin Manning who was credited with two assists.  In addition to Marion’s goal, freshman Tim Jackson also scored.  Two other defensemen, Noah McHugh and Michael Adkins, each picked up one assist in the game.

 

Aguiar, who held the Rebels scoreless through the first two periods, had 26 saves on 30 shots to earn his first playoff win.

 

Portsmouth had three power plays in the game and scored on one of them.  The team allowed two goals in seven penalty kill situations, but that statistic does not tell the whole story.  Once again the Patriots penalty killing was exceptional; only one of those goals allowed came during the long five on three the team faced at the end of the game.

 

The win by the Patriots evened the best of three series at one game apiece, and forces a deciding game three.  That contest will be played Monday, March 16 at 6:00 pm, at URI’s Boss Arena.

It’s down to a one game, winner-take-all series for the right to move on to the semi-final round of the D-II State Championship Tournament.  It’s the Patriots biggest challenge of the season.  Get over to the Boss Arena and support the team in this most important game.  See you at the rink.