Eastbayri.com

PORTSMOUTH — On the front foot all night, the LaSalle Academy boys’ hockey team handed host Barrington High a 5-2 loss Friday evening, Jan. 27, in a Division I crossover contest played at the Portsmouth Abbey rink.

The Rams controlled the puck and the pace of play pretty much from the opening face-off, building a 2-0 lead after one period and a 3-0 edge by intermission.

Stephen Rocchio’s near-post goal 11 seconds into the third stanza all but locked up the win for LaSalle. The Rams added another tally before the Eagles scored a pair of late goals, one off the stick of senior co-captain Ethan Studley and the other from junior co-captain Collin Fay.

“I thought it was a good effort overall,” BHS head coach Derek Borek said. “We did make a lot of mistakes in our own zone, which we can’t afford to do against a team like LaSalle. But I liked the effort of our guys. I liked our fore-check. It should have been a little closer of a game.”

LaSalle maintained the better of the possession early and it led to the Rams’ first goal. Nathaniel McDonald redirected an Alex Howard shot from the point past Barrington goalie Chris Calitri 6 minutes, 35 seconds into the game.

Nearly six minutes later LaSalle doubled its ad. McDonald gathered the puck behind the Eagles’ net and sent a pass to Jason Delisle alone in the slot for the goal at 12:24.

The Rams were called for a late tripping penalty and Barrington seemed to have gotten back into the game when David Kraunelis beat LaSalle keeper Tyler Walsh for an apparent goal. The tally, however, was waved off after the refs deemed Kraunelis to have batted the puck in with a high stick.

LaSalle would eventually kill off the infraction, which carried over into the second period.

The Rams then went back on the attack shortly after the penalty time expired, scoring for a third time just 54 seconds into the middle frame. Once again a LaSalle forward was left alone in front, this time is was Rocchio who scored his first of the night off a Delisle feed.

Kraunelis later sent a pair of testing shots towards the LaSalle net, but Walsh repelled each, including a back-handed attempt by the Barrington junior aimed just under the crossbar.

The second would eventually end without further scoring, though with the Rams comfortably on top by three goals.

LaSalle and Rocchio broke from the gate swiftly in the third. The junior forward skated unabated down the right wing and beat Calitri inside the post for the goal mere seconds into the final stanza. Defenseman Nick Migliori was credited with the assist.

Less than two minutes later the Rams were at it again, scoring their fifth goal on yet another open look from the slot. Defenseman David Almeida, of Bristol, sent a slap shot from the left point wide. McDonald was first to the puck for LaSalle, sending a pass to Delisle, who deposited a one-timer by Calitri for the tally at the 2:05 mark.

The Eagles avoided the shutout late, scoring twice in exactly one minute. Kraunelis and Fay assisted on Studley’s goal from deep in the slot at 12:32. At 13:32, Fay scored with a snap-shot from the right face-off circle off a feed from his brother, Brett. Defenseman Nick Lundgren had the secondary helper.

In total, the Rams out-shot the Eagles 32-17. LaSalle improved to 7-3-1-0 and with 15 points in the Division I-Cimini standings. Barrington dipped to 5-6-1-0 and with 11 points in the D-I-Eccleston ranks.

Both teams are back in action Saturday night, Jan. 28. The Eagles are home again at the Abbey opposite Moses Brown at 7:30. The Rams travel to Adelard Arena in Woonsocket against host Mount St. Charles at 9 o’clock.

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