RMR evolved from a merger of the remnants of the Rogers–Rocky Hill Co-op with Middletown’s hockey team beginning with the 2014-15 season.  Today, the squad is still mostly comprised of players from Middletown with a handful from Rogers and typically one from Rocky Hill.  So, the RMR hockey team is still essentially Middletown.  Over the past twelve years, ever since Middletown became a Division II team, the Patriots have played Middletown/RMR twenty times during the regular season – with only one win to show for it.  And even that single victory took overtime to achieve.

Sunday afternoon at the Abbey, the Patriots began what they hope is an end to that long miserable streak by defeating RMR for only the second time and, for the first time ever, collecting the win in regulation time. The hard earned 2-1 win over their cross-island rivals came as the team opened league play in the new campaign for the playoffs.  They will face off with RMR again two more times later in the season.

RMR got on the scoreboard first with a power play goal midway through the first period.  It would be their only goal of the afternoon.  Portsmouth then responded with two goals in the second period.  Aiden Toner struck first on a power play to tie the game three minutes into the session.  He was assisted by freshman Joey Levreault who notched the first point of his high school career with the helper.  But he wasn’t finished.  With five minutes to go in the second period, Levreault stuffed the puck into the RMR net for the game winning goal.  Assisting on the tally were his linemates Toner, and Andrew Alvanas.

At he other end of the ice, Portsmouth’s junior net minder, Stephen Dutra, turned away seventeen RMR shots, making a number of highlight reel saves on the way to earning his first win of the regular season,

Overall, Portsmouth outshot RMR 34-18.  The patriots who had some penalty problems found themselves skating shorthanded five times in the contest, but successfully killed the penalties four times.  The team’s power play unit turned in one goal in two opportunities.

With 23 games on the schedule the Patriots will be busy all season, and you will have good opportunities to see them in action both at the Abbey and on the road.  Next weekend there are two games on tap.  The team’s first ‘away’ game of the campaign is set for Friday night, December 17, at 9:00 pm at the Lynch Arena in Pawtucket.  Portsmouth will play PSW – the cooperative team from Providence Country Day, Saint Raphael Academy, and The Wheeler School.  The Patriots’ games with PSW are always competitive, and the two squads finished with identical records last time in the COVID shortened season.

Sunday afternoon, December 19, the squad will be back at the Abbey at 2:30 for the season’s series opener against the newly formed Cranston–Scituate Co-op.  The Falcons, playing as the stand-alone Cranston West team last season, were the Division II state champions.  This should be an exciting game well worth seeing.  Come to the games, see your favorite players in action, and root for the Patriots.  See you at the rink