Eagles beat Coventry in game 3, win D-II championship

By Mathew Galvao
Posted 3/27/18

PROVIDENCE — The Barrington hockey scored three goals in the third period to overcome a 2-1 deficit and beat Coventry 4-2 in a game 3 thriller to win a second straight Division II championship at …

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Eagles beat Coventry in game 3, win D-II championship

Posted

A three-goal third period helped the Barrington High School boys hockey team complete a comeback victory over Coventry in game three of the Division-II state championship on Monday night. 

With the 4-2 win, the Eagles captured their second straight D-II state championship. 

“Great win for the guys," said Barrington coach Kevin Croke. "They found themselves down one but they could score at any time. We finished the season playing twenty-six, twenty-seven games and we scored one-hundred fifty goals. These kids can score. Great team, great players."

Coventry’s Kolye Bankauskas nearly got the Oakers up early in this one as he skated up the right wing boards and wristed a shot that was saved by the glove of Barrington netminder Matthew Hosey. Bankauskas would get another opportunity with under four minutes remaining as he let a shot go that would ring the post. 

With 1:41 left to play in the period Barrington went on the power play. Senior Joshua Roy got the Eagles on the board on the man advantage as he tapped in a pass from teammate Drew Sirmalis past Oakers goalie Thomas Julian to put Barrington up 1-0 with 1:19 left in the opening period. 

Coventry’s Bankauskas got his third and best scoring chance of the period as he went in alone on the breakaway with under 10 seconds left. Hosey came up with a huge glove save to keep his team up 1-0 heading into the middle frame. 

“Just focus. He (Barkauskas) can’t pass it to anyone. He’s got very little time. Just attack him and if he shoots it make the save,” said Eagles freshman goaltender Matt Hosey. 

The Oakers went to the man advantage with 5:14 left in the second period down 1-0. Coventry tied things up as Patrick Egan tucked in a shot under the glove of Hosey as time expired on the power play. 

The teams went to the locker room with the score tied 1-1. 

Patrick Egan opened up the scoring in the third period as he sniped a shot over the glove side of Hosey to put the Oakers up 2-1 with 8:51 left in the game. Coventry was awarded a power play opportunity two minutes later after Barrington went off for a hooking call. 

Luke Rudman, who was later named series MVP, tallied a shorthanded goal as he shot the puck over the blocker side of Julian to tie the game at 2-2 with 5:36 remaining in the game. 

“I’ve had better shots but whatever gives my team the edge,” Rudman said of his short-handed tying goal. 

Just two minutes later, Owen Gordon fired a shot from the point that got past Julian giving Barrington the 3-2 advantage. 

The Eagles added an insurance goal when Dominic Robidoux scored with 2:37 left to give Barrington the 4-2 lead and their second straight Division-II crown. 

“Back to back. We’re a program on the rise. Look for us two, three years down the road competing with the big boys,” Croke said.

Eagles top Oakers in game one 

The Barrington High School boys hockey team took game one of the Division II state championship series. 

The Eagles offense surged for five goals while their defense shut down a high powered Oakers' offense to seal the victory.

“I’m relieved more than words can describe," said Barrington head coach Kevin Croke. "The first game is always nerve wracking. We like to win our shifts, our periods and our games. We won the first two periods and tied the third. If you get two wins and a tie in there you’re gonna win every game.” 

Coventry got out to a fast start when Elijah Benjamin scored a shorthanded goal to put the Oakers up 1-0 just 1:21 into the game. It was the first shorthanded goal Barrington had allowed all season. 

The Eagles answered back as Jacob Andreozzi corralled a puck in the slot and fired it past Oakers goaltender Thomas Julien to tie the game 1-1 with 8:57 left in the period. The Oakers went on a 2-on-1 with a chance to take the lead but Eagles goalie Matthew Hosey made a huge pad stop to keep the puck out and the game tied. 

Barrington got on the board again when defenseman Drew Sirmalis fired a puck from the point that found the back of the net and gave Barrington the 2-1 advantage. 

The Eagles weren’t done there. Down a man with just over three minutes remaining, Luke Rudman scored a shorthanded goal of his own when he jammed a puck in past Julien to give his team the 3-1 lead heading into the middle frame. 

The second period saw didn’t see nearly as much offense but both teams had their share of scoring opportunities. With about one minute to go in the middle frame, Barrington’s Luke Rudman scored his second goal of the game as he let a wrist shot go from the top of the face-off to put Barrington up 4-1 heading into the final period.

Coming out of the intermission the Eagles got right back to work as Dominic Robidoux tapped home a Matthew Spears pass short side giving Barrington a 5-1 lead. 

“Initially they weren’t together. That was something we put together late in the season,” Croke said on his top line of Dominic Robidoux, Luke Rudman and Matthew Spears. “They move the puck. You see a lot of tic-tac-toe with them.”  

Coventry scored late on a goal from top-scorer Kolye Bankauskas, but it wasn't nearly enough as Barrington skated away with a 5-2 win and a 1-0 game lead.

The team’s defense is something Coach Croke believes is a strong suit for this Barrington squad. It is the straw that stirs the drink for this club, he said, and is a big reason why this team is where they are at this point of the season. 

“I don’t think our defense gets the credit they deserve. We have without a doubt the best defensive corps in division two and arguably the state,” Croke said. “They are big, they are strong, they are mobile. They move the puck well. They don’t get the credit they deserve.” 

Coventry won Game 2, defeating Barrington 2-1 in double overtime.

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