The Johnston/North Providence co-op hockey team got its 2016-17 season underway last Saturday night at the Rhode Island Sports Center with a tough, 6-3 loss to a big and physical Woonsocket/Scituate co-op team. Despite the loss, JNP head coach Dave Centracchio and his assistant coach Manny DaCosta were pleased with their team’s effort.
“I'm really happy with our team's performance,” Centracchio said. “This was a good test for us, and I thought we had the better opportunities. Woonsocket/Scituate was just able to capitalize on (its opportunities). They have a good goalie and five seniors on the team.”
Junior goaltender Jake Frezza made his first career start in net for the Panthers/Cougars and was immediately put to the test, turning away five shots in the first few minutes of play. Frezza became the starting goaltender after David Kelly departed to play junior hockey. The Villa Novans/Spartans would get the first goal of the game midway through the first period on a Joe Roy slap shot. JNP tied the game as last year’s leading goal scorer Brandon Tanguay beat goalie Devon Rivard thanks to a nice pass by Justin Harvey.
Tanguay netted 17 goals for his team last year. Woonsocket/Scituate retook the lead with 48 seconds remaining in the opening period on a Matthew Besser goal as he found the back end of the right side of the net. The Villa Novans/Spartans would take control of the game with three goals in the second period. Matthew Jarret scored on a power play as his shot managed to trickle into the net. Roy then scored again, this time on a shorthanded goal, and Jarret tallied another to open up a 5-1 lead.
JNP had an opportunity to get the game closer when freshman Ryan DiLorenzo was taken down inside the crease and awarded a penalty shot. Rivard would stop Dilorenzo's penalty shot, but JNP would get on the board with just 19 seconds left in the second period to close the gap to 5-2 as Harvey took advantage of Rivard being down in the net and would fire it past the senior goaltender. The Panthers/Cougars cut the lead to 5-3 early in the third period. Skating 4-on-4, Tanguay netted his second goal of the night with another assist from Nathan Nye. JNP had several chances to score in the final six minutes of play as it had two 5-on-3 advantages, but could not capitalize.
“We were tired at that point,” Centracchio said. “I ran two lines tonight and they were worn out. " Frezza made one of his best saves of the night, robbing Alec Allaire on a breakaway, which kept the game in reach for JNP.
Centracchio gave credit to his rookie goalie. He said, “Jake made some tough saves. The problem was that three out of the six goals he gave up were because we had breakdowns in the defensive zone. We had possessions and we lost it with a couple of errant passes. Overall, 22 saves out of 29 shots, which is not bad against one of the better teams in Division III.” Aidan Pendergast's shorthanded goal would put the game away for the visitors with only a few minutes left to play in the game. It was the second shorthanded goal of the game for the Villa Novans/Spartans.
Centracchio was happy with his defense. He said, “Zach Morin and Andrew Costa were excellent on defense. It was more than I expected in the first game of the year. Amara Gibau played smart and tough just like her brother John did for us in the past. These kids worked for their rookie goaltender by blocking shots.” Centracchio thought that even though Woonsocket/Scituate was bigger and stronger, his team was able to counteract the Villa Novans/Spartans’ size with their speed. JNP will play Woonsocket/Scituate two more times this season, Feb. 3 and Feb. 25. The Panthers/Cougars will be back in action this Saturday night when they host West Warwick/EWG co-op at the Rhode Island Sports Center. The Wizards eliminated JNP from the playoffs last season in two games. The puck drops at 7:05 p.m.
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