The long New Year weekend was not as happy as the Patriots might have wished for as the team lost both games on the schedule.  After playing away games with the South Kingstown Rebels and the new Blackstone Valley Schools team, the squad’s record dipped below .500 mid-season for the first time in over two years.

 

 

Patriots at Rebels.

 

On Friday, December 29, Portsmouth faced off with South Kingstown at URI’s Boss Arena and came away with a 6-2 loss.  The Patriots ran into an uncharacteristically hot Rebels goale that played well above his career average save percentage to grab the win.

 

Shane Temple got Portsmouth on the scoreboard first with an unassisted power play goal late in the first period.  The lead was short lived as Shuth Kingstown tied the game two minutes later.  Henri Boneu gave the team the lead again in the second periodwith a tally assisted by Chase Pascoe.  But that was all the scoring Portsmouth would get.  The Rebels answered with three goals in the second period and two in the third period, notching their final goal into an empty Patriots net.

 

Johnny Cabral made 20 saves on 26 shots as the team fell to 2-2 on the season.

 

 

Portsmouth at BVS

 

In a New Year’s Day matinee game, Portsmouth traveled to Lynch Arena to take on the new Blackstone Valley Schools team.  BVS, formed just this season, is the six-school cooperative squad comprised of players from Providence Country Day, St. Raphael Academy, and The Wheeler School (all formerly skating as the PSW co-op) and North Smithfield, Johnston, and North Providence (formerly the North Smithfield Co-op).  The game was the first of two contests the teams will play this season.

 

Playing catch-up the Patriots trailed BVS by a score of 2-1 at the end of the second period.  Portsmouth’s goal was scored on a power play shot by Shane Temple assisted by Chase Pascoe and Ben West.

 

The third period saw a wide open game with eight goals scored.  Henri Boneu initially tied the game for the Patriots with an unassisted goal.  But thereafter the team managed only two more goals while BVS rang up five, including an empty netter, to win the game 7-4.  Portsmouth’s final two goals were scored by Hayden Krzych with Rafe Dionne picking up the assist on the first one and Pascoe earning the helper on Krzych’s second tally.

 

Portsmouth outshot BVS 32-26.  The Patriots goalie, Johnny Cabral, made 19 saves on 25 BVS shots.

 

 

The team will be looking to end its three-game losing streak next Saturday afternoon, January 6, at the Levy Community Ice Center in Burrillville.  Game time is 4:00 pm with the Patriots’ taking on the Ponaganset Chieftains in the first of two games on the schedule this season.  Get to the game and cheer for the Patriots.

 

See you at the rink.