Already assured of a playoff berth, the Patriots entered the penultimate weekend of the regular season with an opportunity to make a big jump in the league standings.  With a solid chance to finish in fourth place overall, the squad prepared for two important games; one with one of the league’s best teams and one with one of the worst.  When it was over, Portsmouth had endured two embarrassing losses.  The squad found itself locked into seventh place, and facing the difficult prospect of playing the league’s number two finisher in the first round of the championship playoff tournament which begins in two weeks.

 

Portsmouth vs. Ponaganset

 

Friday evening the Patriots faced off with the Ponaganset Chieftains at the Abbey.  It was the only regular season game scheduled between the teams this season.  Despite entering the contest in third place in the standings, the Chieftains were a team that the Patriots could have defeated had the team played to its potential.  Instead, the squad suffered a total collapse and was shut out with a score of 11-0.

 

With most of the game played in Portsmouth’s end of the ice, the team’s defense and goaltending was not up to the task from the opening face-off to the closing buzzer.  Ponaganset scored all of its goals with just 40 shots.  Patriots goalie, Sam Stamoulis, who ended up with the loss, had 20 saves on 25 shots before being replaced at the 7:28 mark of the second period.  Noah Goldman, who stepped into the crease finished the game allowing six  goals on 15 shots.  Portsmouth’s offense managed only 17 shots in the game with only a few of them valid scoring opportunities.

 

Portsmouth had three power play opportunities in the game but was unable to cash-in with the man advantage.  To compound the Patriots’ troubles, the squad surrendered a shorthanded goal to the Chieftains on one of its power plays.  On the other side of the equation, the team allowed three goals on six penalty killing situations.

 

To add injury to insult, two of the Patriots’ top line players left the game in the second period with shoulder injuries and did not return for the final period.

 

Game notes:  The game was the annual “Seniors Night” which traditionally takes place at the last home game of the regular season. It is an opportunity to recognize the players and managers who are in their final campaign with the squad and will graduate later in the spring after the hockey season is complete.  During a pre-game ceremony following the introduction of the seniors from Ponaganset, each of the Portsmouth seniors present was individually recognized on the ice.  This year the team has three senior players, Mike Alves, Ian Gerdin, and Luke Mailloux, and three senior team managers, Gabrielle Levreault, Katie McGowan, and Jenna Roderiques.

 

The entire third period of the game was played in “running -time,” that is, without the game clock stopping at the referees’ whistles.  In accordance with a league rule established several seasons ago, any time a team is up by eight or more goals in the third period the game will proceed without stopping the clock.  While the rule is applied several times each season in various games, it is rare that it is used for the entire third period of any game. The intent of the mercy rule is to prevent the score from running away.  Unfortunately it did not help the Patriots in this instance, and so…

 

The 11 goals scored against Portsmouth set a new team record for goals against in a single game.  The old record of 10 goals against in one game was established on December 16, 2000 when Portsmouth lost to Cranston West by a score of 10-5.  The record was equaled one time over the years.  That occurred on January 4, 2004, when the Patriots lost to Coventry 10-1.  Friday’s game not only set the record for most goals against, it was also the Patriots’ biggest loss in team history.

 

The game also resulted in another record being broken.  It’s one you won’t find listed on the on the team’s website, but which is tracked nonetheless.  For the fourth time in six seasons, the team broke its own record for penalty minutes in a single season (league games only).  With two games remaining in the season the old mark was shattered by 21 minutes.  This season it took the team only 14 games, in a shortened 16 game season, to do what it always took a full 18 game season to do in the past.

 

Portsmouth at Toll Gate

 

Saturday night the team made its only trip to the Thayer Ice Arena this season to take on the Toll Gate Titans.  Entering the game the Titans had won just a single game, and tied another, during its whole season to that point.  Both of those games, the only two that Toll Gate had not lost in its entire campaign, were against winless North Kingstown.  The game should have been a romp for the Patriots.  Instead, the Titans played the ultimate spoiler and won their second game of the season 3-2.  Even though the Patriots still have one game remaining in the regular season, the loss locked the them into finishing seventh in the final standings.

 

Portsmouth initially appeared to be doing at least enough to win the game.  Although the team allowed the Titans to score first during the opening period, Hunter Tavares responded just 17 seconds later to tie the score at one goal apiece.  Max Dooley and Ben McGowan assisted on the equalizer.  Connor Little put the Patriots ahead in the second period with his team leading fourteenth goal of the season.  His unassisted tally came at 10:01 into the period and gave the squad the lead through the second intermission.

 

When the final period began it did not take long for it to become clear that the Titans were an energized team gunning for the upset.  And they got it.  Coming from behind Toll Gate scored twice, first at 6:03 then again at 11:03 to take the lead and hold on for the win.

 

Sam Stamoulis took the loss for the Patriots, despite a solid performance in the crease stopping 27 of 30 Toll Gate shots.  The reason the team lost was because of a lack of scoring due to taking too few shots on net, a problem that has plagued the team all season.  The Patriots managed only 18 shots in the entire game, only four of which occurred in the critical third period.

 

Game Note: The devastating loss did have one bright spot.  Sophomore forward Hunter Tavares scored the first goal of his high school career with the Patriots during the first period of the game.  The goal came on a shot from near the boards on the right side, midway up the face-off circle, and beat the Titans’ net minder to even the score 17 seconds after Toll Gate had taken the lead with the first goal of the game.

 

Portsmouth wraps up its regular season schedule next Saturday, February 23, at Lynch Arena in Pawtucket, at 1:30 pm.  The Patriots will close their campaign the way they opened it, by playing the cooperative team of Providence Country Day, Saint Raphael Academy, and The Wheeler School, better known as PSW.  The first time the teams met this season, back on December 7, the Patriots came away with a 3-1 win.  But Saturday the squad will face a much improved opponent from the one it saw back then.  The game will have no impact on Portsmouth’s league standing, or seeding in the playoffs.  Win or lose, the team is already locked into seventh place.  But the game might have a bearing on who the Patriots’ opponent will be in the first round of the playoffs.  Depending on how the game between Ponaganset and Lincoln on Friday night turns out, PSW might have a chance to take over second place.  In any case this is your last opportunity to watch Portsmouth in action before the playoffs begin.  Come take-in the matinee game, and be back home before dinner!  See you at the rink.