Eagles defeat Patriots in first game of hockey semifinals

Barrington scores three first period goals; Patriots battle back

By Matt Galvao
Posted 3/16/18

The Barrington High School boys hockey team defeated Portsmouth High School in game one of the Division-II hockey semifinal on Thursday night. A three goal first period helped the number-one seeded …

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Eagles defeat Patriots in first game of hockey semifinals

Barrington scores three first period goals; Patriots battle back

Posted

The Barrington High School boys hockey team defeated Portsmouth High School in game one of the Division-II hockey semifinal on Thursday night. A three goal first period helped the number-one seeded Eagles capture a 4-2 victory.

“We came out on fire and then we backed off. We got a little bit comfortable after we got up 3-0,” said Barrington head coach Kevin Croke. “They came back in the second and scored to make it 3-1 and stunned us a little bit. After they made it 4-2 it was anybody’s game and we gutted it out in the third period.”

The first period started off with some back and forth play with either team getting their share of scoring chances. Barrington’s best chance came on a 2-on-1 break as senior Luke Redman took a shot from the face-off dot but was stopped by Portsmouth’s Matthew Nordhill. 

Just a minute later the Eagles would get on the board as senior Joshua Roy took the puck in the slot snapping it over the glove hand of Nordhill to give the home team the 1-0 advantage. 

Barrington added insurance when freshman Matthew Spears fired a puck underneath the glove of Nordhill putting the Eagles up 2-0 with 4:36 left in the third period. 

After a late penalty kill by Portsmouth, Rudman wristed the puck up and over the blocker side of Nordhill giving the Eagles the 3-0 edge with time expiring in the opening period. 

“They were on. We had four, five or six posts that we hit too,” Croke explained on his team’s first period offensive surge. “We were all over the net.”

It didn’t take too long for Portsmouth to get back in this one as they scored just 31 seconds into the second period. Senior Cameron Mello banged in a rebound past Barrington goaltender Stephen Amaral putting the Patriots within two goals 3-1. 

Luke Redman tallied his second goal of the contest when he barreled down the left wing side sniping the puck over the glove of Nordhill putting the Eagles back up by three, 4-1. Just a minute later Portsmouth scored as Nolan O’Brien tipped a shot through traffic cutting the Patriots' deficit to 4-2 entering the final period of play. 

“They came right out and potted one and the bench was fired up and we kept battling,” said Portsmouth head coach Bryan Kriner. “They kept battling.” 

The third period was much like the beginning part of the first period where both teams generated scoring opportunities. Unlike the first period, this one would go scoreless through all 15 minutes and the Eagles would take game one by a 4-2 score. 

“Absolutely. Nobody’s got their heads down, they’re looking forward,” Kriner explained on his team believing they can win Friday night. “I have the privilege of having 10 seniors, and they know their backs are against the wall...I have no doubt that those guys will get the rest of them fired up for tomorrow night.”

Game two of this series will be played Friday night, March 16, at 6 p.m. at the Portsmouth Abbey Rink. 

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