Portsmouth’s hockey team and its Aqidneck Island counterpart, the Rogers / Middletown / Rocky Hill cooperative squad better known as RMR, put aside their intense rivalry Sunday afternoon, and joined together to play a game to raise money for a local organization, Robin’s Nest, that provides support to young adults with special needs.

 

Robin’s Nest is the Aquidneck Island service center of the Rhode Island Social Skills Academy (RISSA), an organization established last October which provides life skills training for young adults with disabilities who have aged out of the public high school programs.  The center is named after Robin Pacheco, a driving force behind starting the academy, who passed away just over a week before it began operation.

 

The hockey game featured the Division II rivals, but with a twist that avoided the passion and intensity of the game, and the raucous enthusiasm of the crowd that is typical of the league games between the two teams during the season.  It was intended to be a fun event for both the players and spectators.

 

The teams’ coaches placed all their players’ names in a hat and drew them out one-by-one to randomly form two teams comprised of players from each squad.  Because many of the players on both teams got their start playing in the Newport Whalers Youth Hockey Club the teams commemorated that fact by ditching their regular uniforms in favor of uniforms loaned by the Whalers organization just for the occasion.  Instead of the Patriots versus RMR it was Whalers White versus Whalers Blue with teams comprised of skaters from both squads.

 

Because the regular season was still in full swing for both teams, and the playoffs were rapidly approaching, the game was played with no checking in order to avoid any injuries to the players.  Regular league referees were on hand to manage the game, and when penalties were called, instead of sending the player to the box, a penalty shot was awarded. Every player from each team was dressed for the game and everyone got to play.  In the end the game was, essentially, a slightly more formal version of a pick-up game.  Both the players and the spectators had an enjoyable time

 

To support the primary purpose of the event, all of the money from the gate receipts, snack shack sales, additional donations at the event, and raffle ticket sales were combined with donations from the faculties at Portsmouth High School and Middle School.  The total raised for RISSA and Robin’s Nest was $3,200.

 

The organizers of the event would like to thank the businesses and individuals who donated items for the raffle at the game.  Their contributions were greatly appreciated.  Following is a list of the businesses, and in some cases the raffle items themselves, and individuals that either contributed the items or arranged for their donations.

 

Alves & Co.					Lisa Alves
Brick Alley Pub					Amy Dunn
Fieldstones					Angelo Grilli
Flat Waves					Amy Dunn
Home Depot					Amy Lopes
Kid's  Snack Basket					Amy Nightingale
Fatal Book Series					Marie Force
Newport Mansions					Jen Little
Newport Vineyards					Amy Nightingale
Newport Whalers					Lynda West
North End Pizzeria					Patty Gerdin
Oyster Bay Wines					Ray Noreau
Pasta Beach					Lisa Mailloux
Portsmouth Hockey Boosters					Amy Nightingale
Star Wars Concert Tickets					Lee Dooley
Release the Reigns					Elizabeth Winnes
Spa Vana					Valerie Griffiths
Star Nails					Amy Nightingale
Sullivan Tire					JP Guerin
Taylor rental					Bryan Kriner
Tenth Gate Yoga					Lynda West
Thirty One Gift Basket					Liz Chagnon
West main Pizza					Lynda West