Portsmouth’s bid to tie the best of three semi-final series in the Division II state championship playoffs in order to force a deciding Game 3 with Barrington came up short Friday night at the Abbey.  The 7-4 loss to the Eagles closed out the series as Barrington advanced to the championship finals for the second consecutive year and Portsmouth’s campaign ended.

 

In a game that was well-played by the Patriots, and much closer than the final score would appear to indicate; the team had a chance to win until just before the close of the third period.  In the end though, it was it was the talented goal scorers on the Eagles, the team that notched a league leading 105 goals during the regular season, that made the difference in the game. 

 

The Patriots big problem in Game 1 was its poor performance in the first period in which it allowed three unanswered goals.  Slow starts had plagued the squad all season so that point received special emphasis in pre-game discussions and plans.  There was simply no way the Patriots could spot Barrington two or three goals in the opening period and hope to come back for a win.  In Game 2, by the time the buzzer signaled the first intermission, it was clear the Patriots had made the necessary adjustments.

 

In the first minutes after the puck dropped to begin the game the team was unable to generate much offense, but neither did it allow much by the Eagles.  Still, Barrington is a difficult team to contain and at the 4:01 mark the Eagles grabbed the early lead on only their third shot on goal.  Those watching the game might have thought they had seen this scenario before, but if there is one characteristic the Patriots were known for this season beside their outstanding defensive skills, it was their persistence.  The team came right back at its opponent.

 

Prior to the mid-point of the first period, the Patriots had played solid hockey, and trailed by just a single goal.  And although the team had improved on its typical slow starts, it still had not generated much offense.  As the game clock neared the half-way mark of the period the squad had but a single shot on the Barrington goal.  That all changed in the second half of the session.  As if someone had flipped a switch, the team’s play visibly ramped-up to a new level.  Portsmouth took control of the game.

 

As is often the case when the pressure is on, teams will make mistakes that cost them penalties. And so it was with Barrington.  Skating with a man-advantage Portsmouth’s first goal came on a power play.  Assisted by Cam Mello and Niklas Pedersen, Patriots defenseman Mike Alves launched a rocket from the left side at the blue line that ended up in the back of the Eagles net at 8:19.

 

With the score tied at a goal apiece, Portsmouth continued to press its opponent.  The payoff came with 2:20 remaining in the period when the Patriots took the lead for the first time on a goal by Nolan O’Brien.  Alves, and Connor Little assisted on the tally and the team carried the 2-1 into the first intermission.

 

There was only one goal in the second period as Barrington tied the game at 12:10.  That lasted to the second intermission.  The Patriots knew that if they were to have a chance to win they had to keep the game close.  And they had done just that through two periods. 

 

The Patriots renewed their pressure on Barrington as the third period ensued.  At 2:47 into the final segment in regulation time their efforts resulted in an Eagles penalty and Portsmouth went on the power play once again.  Thirty-three seconds later the squad had taken the lead for the second time in the see-saw battle.  This time it was the team’s other leading defenseman, Jack Cavanagh that sent the puck into the net from the top of the right face-off circle.  Tim Jackson and Alves were credited with assists on the goal.

 

Barrington, which owned the best record in Division II during the regular season, lost only one game the entire campaign, in that by just a single goal, and they swept through the quarterfinal round of the playoffs.  With three of the top four scorers in the league they are capable of quickly changing the character of a game in their favor.  Especially if their opponent makes a mistake.  And that is what happened.

 

Portsmouth hung on to its lead for almost five and a half minutes.  With just over six minutes remaining in regulation time, about the time many people began to think the team might steal the win from the top seeded Eagles, disaster struck.  Capitalizing on errors in the Patriots defensive zone Barrington scored three goals in the span of two and a half minutes.  Portsmouth’s one goal lead suddenly turned into a two goal deficit with only 3:42 remaining on the clock.

 

Portsmouth’s goalie, Matt Nordhill, was called to the bench for an extra skater in an attempt to close the scoring gap with a little over two minutes left.  Unable to establish themselves firmly in the Eagles end of the ice, however, a turnover occurred which resulted in an empty net goal.  Barrington’s lead was up to three goals.

 

With less than two minutes to play and three goals down, give credit to the Patriots for not giving up at that point.  After winning the center ice face-off, the team worked the puck into the Eagles zone and with 1:33 remaining, O’Brien scored his second goal of the night, with an assist by Jake Fagan.

 

When play resumed, the coaches once again called Nordhill to the bench for an extra attacker, but again a turnover resulted in another empty net goal.  With forty-seven seconds remaining in the period it was the final tally of the contest.

 

The win moved the Barrington, the defending state champions, into the finals for the second time since moving from Division I to Division II last season. 

 

The Eagles outshot Portsmouth 27-22 in the contest, with six of the shots in that differential coming in the third period.  The Patriots had eight minor penalties in the game, to Barrington’s seven.  Those infractions resulted in five power plays for each team.  Portsmouth scored on two of their man-advantage opportunities and did not allow a goal when skating on the penalty killing situations.

 

With the season ending loss there was, understandably, disappointment in the dressing room after the game.  That was especially so among the eleven seniors on the team who had all spent four years on the team and had just played their last game together.  It will take a few days for all the players to consider the campaign, but when they do they will realize the success they had.

 

After losing four of the first five games this season, and the only win coming against lowly East Greenwich which has gone winless in its past two seasons, few people had expectations that the team would even qualify for the playoffs this year.  But then a remarkable change happened.  Over the remaining thirteen games of the regular season, the squad lost only two.  The Patriots went from eleventh place in the twelve team league, to fourth place at the end of the season.  And were it not for Barrington’s unexpected and only loss in its next to the last game of the season, Portsmouth might have finished third. 

 

Perhaps most amazing, is that the team did so well despite scoring only forty-two goals over the eighteen game regular season.  To prevail with only the ninth best scoring offense in the league Portsmouth relied on its defense and its all-star goalie, Nordhill, to provide the opportunities needed to win.  With talented defensemen backed by Nordhill, who owned the top save percentage among all the goalies in the league, combined with some of the division’s best defensive forwards, the Patriots allowed only the third fewest goals-against in the division.

 

Mid-season the team made one run in which it shut out five opponents in eight games, allowing only five goals during the span.  Three of those goals against the Patriots came in their only loss during that streak; a close game that the squad lost to RMR by a score of 3-2.  In the remaining seven games - all wins - the team gave up only two goals to their opponents  The five shutouts set a new team record, exceeding the old mark of four reached last season.

 

Aside from Portsmouth’s run to the championship finals two years ago, this year was the first time in six seasons that the team made it to the semi-final round of the playoffs.

 

Overall it was a successful campaign, and one that, in just a short time, the players will remember for its highlights.

 

See you at the rink - next season.