Portsmouth opened the 2021-22 season with a big win over Barrington in an exhibition game Sunday afternoon at the Abbey.  Skating in the annual Injury Fund event the Patriots earned a 3-2 victory over the Division I Eagles.

The Injury Fund events open the hockey season each year.  The games are non-standard and take a variety of formats.  This year Portsmouth and Barrington faced off against each other and played two thirty-minute halves with no clock stoppages for faceoffs, goals, or penalties.

Barrington, a long-time Division I team, played in Division II for the 2016-17 and 2017-18 seasons, winning the state championship both times.  During those seasons Portsmouth played six games with the Eagles and lost every one of them.  Additionally, the two teams have met in a number of other Injury Fund games over the years, but the Patriots lost all of those, as well.  So, the win was a big deal for a couple of reasons.  First, it was a feel-good victory over team that Portsmouth had never beaten, especially since the Eagles are a dominating Division I squad.  But, perhaps, more importantly, it was a confirmation of the team’s system of play, a verification of the hard work in practice sessions, and a solid confidence builder for the start of the regular season games next Sunday.

Because the game was played in a non-standard format and does not count in the standings or the team’s overall record, no official statistics were recorded in the contest.  That said, there were noteworthy performances in the event.  The squad got outstanding play from everyone on the bench, including the three freshmen who made their debut on the ice for the Patriots.  Shane Temple, Joey Levreault, and Ben West played like veterans and clearly showed why they earned their spots on the team’s top three lines.  Portsmouth’s blue-liners not only did an excellent job defensively, they also added scoring punch netting two of the squads goals in the contest.  Logan West netted the Patriots second goal in the game, assisted by Temple, and James LeBreux fired a blast from the right side of the blue line that beat the Eagles’ goalie to become the game winning goal.  All that took place, of course, after Aidan Toner combined with Andrew Alvanas to open the scoring for the Portsmouth’s new season.  The true star of the game, though, was the Patriots net minder Stephen Dutra.  During the past two seasons, he put up outstanding performance numbers but got only very limited play time as the team’s backup goalie.  Now, having ascended as the squad’s primary goalie, he delivered an outstanding performance in the crease.  Although shot totals were not recorded for this exhibition game, he faced an onslaught of attempts by the Eagles.  He stood on his head and made a number of exceptional saves in addition to the rest of the stops which he made seem routine.  His accomplishments against the strong offense of a very good Division I squad promise more good things to come this season.

The Patriots campaign for the playoffs begins next Sunday, December 12, at 2:30 pm at the Abbey.  The first game of the regular season features Portsmouth’s cross island nemesis, RMR.  RMR’s roster has always been comprised of mostly Middletown players.  Over the past 11 years, ever since Middletown became a Division II team, Portsmouth’s regular season record against RMR/Middletown stands at 1 win / 16 losses / 3 ties.  The Patriots sole victory in 20 games with RMR/Middletown, a 4-3 overtime win, occurred two years ago.  With three games on the schedule with RMR this season, Portsmouth will be looking start a new trend – one that works toward evening the series.  It all begins, with the first regular season game on Sunday.  Get to the Abbey and cheer for the Patriots.  See you at the rink.