Portsmouth ended its regular season with a game against the same opponent it began its current campaign against, but the outcome was widely different.  In a Saturday afternoon game at the Lynch Ice Arena in Pawtucket, the Patriots met PSW, the cooperative team made up of players from Providence Country Day, Saint Raphael Academy, and The Wheeler School, for the second time this season.  Unlike the first contest which Portsmouth won 3-1, this time the squad was shut out by PSW by a lopsided score of 8-0.

It took only 1:33 after opening face-off for PSW to notch its first goal of the game.  By the time the first period ended they had added four more to their total and held a commanding five goal lead.  And they did it all with only eleven shots.  To compliment the disastrous start of the game, Portsmouth’s offense managed just a single shot on goal in the first period, but even it had no chance of scoring.

Starting goalie, Sam Stamoulis, was replaced in the crease by Noah Goldman at the start of the second period.  Goldman completed the remainder of the game and allowed three goals on eighteen shots by PSW.  Through it all Portsmouth put up only a limited number of shots themselves and were unable to make any progress at closing the scoring gap.

When PSW rang up its eighth and final goal with just under ten minutes remaining in the third period, the league’s mercy rule kicked in and the game finished without further stoppage of the clock on the referees’ whistles.  It was the second time that situation occurred for the team in its final three games this season.

Portsmouth had only one power play in the game.  It occurred during the first period and the team was unable to take advantage of the opportunity to score with the man advantage.  The squad skated shorthanded five times in the contest and allowed two goals on those penalty killing situations.

Game Notes:  The game had originally been scheduled to be played on January 19, but was postponed when the Lynch Arena lost all electrical power on that day.  With both teams’ final spots in the standings already determined before the game started, the contest had no bearing on playoff seeding; PSW finished third overall and Portsmouth finished in seventh place.  The thirteen total shots by Portsmouth was not the team’s fewest in a league game this season; in two meetings with Cumberland this year the squad managed only ten shots in one game and twelve in the other.

And now it’s off to the playoffs.  The Patriots will face the number two seed, Ponaganset in a best of three series beginning next weekend.  Details on the locations and times of the games are forthcoming and will be published here as soon as they are available.  Reserve next weekend and see them all.  See you at the rink.