During the last couple of weeks leading up to their game with the Cumberland on Saturday afternoon, the Patriots knew that winning that contest would be a daunting task.  The first place Clippers would enter the  game undefeated this season, boasting the top goalie in the league, and fueled by a high powered scoring offense.  Undoubtedly adding to the apprehension was the memory of the first time the two squads met this season, when Portsmouth was routed by a score of 7-0 in a game at Adelard Arena last December.  Portsmouth High School has a good hockey team, but everyone knew that it was going to require the best game of the season from all its top players if the Patriots were to have a chance at winning.  But when Game Day arrived the odds of winning seemed to all but evaporate.

 

For various reasons, all completely legitimate, seven of the team’s best, regular playing skaters, were unavailable to suit-up for the game.  With their hopes of winning dashed, the coaches and players not only prepared to accept a loss, but considering their opponent, they steeled themselves for the possibility that the contest might turn into an epic beat down.   But whatever the eventual outcome, the never-say-die Patriots still intended to give it their best shot.  If the Clippers were going to win, Portsmouth was going to make them earn it.

 

The coaches hastily rearranged the offensive lines and defensive pairings.  To fill the bench, all the remaining players on the roster dressed for the game, including five who had yet to make an on-ice appearance in competition this season.  With the adjustments to the line-up complete, Head Coach Bryan Kriner explained his expectations to the team, and they headed to the ice.

 

Not surprisingly, most of the game was played in Portsmouth’s defensive zone.  The Patriots managed only ten shots on goal while the Clippers poured in forty-eight.  The team was clearly outclassed, but with expectations lowered, the players seemed more relaxed than usual, and were, but for a few short instances, remarkably effective on defense.  In every hockey game, though, mistakes on the ice are inevitable and teams like Cumberland are very good at capitalizing on errors

 

Portsmouth held its opponent at bay for nearly the entire first period.  Right about the time some started to wonder if the Patriots might have a chance after all to scratch out a win, the Clippers broke the scoreless tie with their first goal with just 1:45 remaining in the period.  And then struck two more times in the next minute and a half.  When the period ended thirteen seconds after that last goal, the Patriots were down by a score of 3-0.  The situation was not good, but it was not as dire as some thought it could have been; Portsmouth was still in the game.

 

Cumberland put the game out of reach with two more tallies in the second period; the first at 4:10 and the second at the 11:38 mark.  With the Clipper’s fifth goal, the coaches began cycling the third and fourth line players into the game, while continuing to use the skaters from the first two lines who had carried the load in the earlier portions of the game.  The players on those lower ranked lines were mostly those who previously had only limited, or no game appearances during the campaign.  And they all played well.

 

The first of those “untapped” players to join the game was Portsmouth’s backup goalie, Noah Goldman.  He stepped into the crease to replace the starter, Sam Stamoulis, after Cumberland’s fourth goal.  To that point Stamoulis had been the only goalie the team had used all season.  In a game that still had the potential to get out of hand, Stamoulis was called to the bench to avoid any possibility of losing him to injury, to protect his statistics, and to give Goldman the chance to see how he fared against a good team.  It was Goldman’s first game appearance in three seasons with the Patriots, and he made the most of it allowing only a single goal in twenty-one shots.

 

Throughout the third period, the coaches rolled all four lines in regular shifts while making on-the-fly adjustments to their composition.  The effectiveness of those adjustments was clearly evident.  The skaters held the Clippers to their lowest shot total of all three periods and more importantly, kept them from scoring and adding to their lead.  And along the way they produced a goal to deprive Cumberland of its sixth shutout in eleven games this season.

 

Skating with first line forwards, Niklas Pedersen and Max Dooley, freshman, forward AJ Grilli put his team on the scoreboard with a pretty goal from eight feet out from the net.  Assisted by his line mates, Grilli took a pass from the left side behind the goal line and snapped a shot into the upper right corner of the Clippers’ net.

 

In contrast to the previous game with its exceptionally high number of penalties, Portsmouth was called for only three infractions in its match with Cumberland.  Just two of those resulted in Clipper power plays as one of them was matched by a coincidental minor penalty for one of Cumberland’s players.  The Clippers took full advantage of Portsmouth’s shorthanded situations by notching two of their five goals on power plays.

 

After the game, the attitude of the players in the dressing room, and among the coaches was not what one might expect, nor was it typical of other losses this season.  There were no glum attitudes or bad feelings.  Instead the team handled the loss well and felt good about the things they did right.  The squad got good effort from every player and kept the game from becoming a runaway blowout.  In fact, when compared to the first game with the Clippers this season Portsmouth was more competitive, with a closer score, and many fewer penalties, all while lacking seven of its top players.

 

Game Notes: In addition to Goldman, the game was the first on-ice appearance this season for four players, all skating as forwards:  freshmen  #5 Parker West,  #7 Chris Chagnon, #12 Sean McGannon, and sophomore #18 Colin Struckman.  Grilli’s goal was his first ever as a Portsmouth Patriot.  Mac Dunn and Gus Nightingale, who both usually skate as first line forwards, moved to defense as a pair for the game and were exceptionally effective.  And finally, special thanks goes out to Mr. Struckman and Mr. Padula for helping to record player statistics during the game.

  

Next week, there are, once again,  two games on tap for Portsmouth.  On Wednesday, February 6, at 6:00 pm at the Abbey, Portsmouth will host the North Kingston Skippers.  On Saturday, February 9 the team will travel to the Rhode Island Sports Center / Route 146 Rink to play the Lincoln Lions at 9:00 pm.  Both games are the only time in the regular season that Portsmouth will play those opponents.

 

Wednesday’s game at the Abbey is the next to the last opportunity to see the Patriots on their home ice.  Portsmouth’s games with Lincoln are always very competitive, and would be worth the trip to see the teams play.  With playoff spots on the line, the Patriots would appreciate our support.  Come out to the games and root for Portsmouth.  See you at the rink.