Four times in its first seven games, the Johnston/North Providence co-op hockey team found itself matched up with Division II powerhouses Cumberland and Lincoln, who now own a combined record of 23-1. For a young team still adjusting to life in D-II, it was a difficult road – and the other teams on the early-season schedule didn’t make it easier. JNP’s first seven opponents also included 8-4 Providence Country Day and 7-4-1 Middletown.
“They threw us against Lincoln and Cumberland four out of our first six or seven games,” said JNP co-head coach Fred Morrison. “Powerhouse teams, and it really knocked down our guys, especially our younger kids. It took the wind out of our sails. Just like winning, losing can be contagious.”
But the last few weeks, JNP has had a chance to settle in.
And the Cougars are making the most of it.
On the strength of big performances in net by Joe Peters and an improving offensive attack, JNP beat Portsmouth 2-1 last Friday and knocked off Pilgrim 4-2 on Saturday.
JNP is now 3-10, and while the D-II slate will remain difficult, that’s a pretty good place to be for a team that didn’t win a game last season.
The weekend sweep was a high point.
“Big weekend for us,” Morrison said. “I think we’re realizing that we can play with this division and win some games.”
On Friday, the Cougars handled 2-9 Portsmouth, picking up their first win since a victory over Mt. Hope on Jan. 4. The Cougars trailed 1-0 against Portsmouth but came back strong.
“Joe stood on his head in net and we really battled through it,” Morrison said. “The kids fought through a lot. We don’t have pure goal-scorers. Everything we do is hard work. We’re grinding.”
It was a grind again Saturday. Pilgrim has also struggled this season but was coming off a decent showing against Lincoln the night before. The Patriots built on that with two first-period goals.
And then the Cougars fought back.
JNP scored four unanswered goals – all on power plays – en route to the 4-2 victory. Pilgrim dropped to 1-10-1.
“They don’t get much more frustrating than that,” said Pilgrim head coach Chad Tvenstrup. “We started to build last night. We played a really good team, and the scoreboard doesn’t reflect how the game went. We played them pretty even. I was expecting tonight to come out strong like we did but to play a complete game that way. Like all the coaches said in the locker room, it was just not a complete game for us.”
The start was strong for Pilgrim. Just 53 seconds in, freshman Patrick Reilly got loose on the left wing and slipped a shot past Peters for the 1-0 lead. Dean Russo and Ronald Minear assisted.
Just over seven minutes later, the Pats struck again on a goal by Minear. Joe Paliotte carried the puck into the zone and ripped a shot on net. Minear was there for the rebound.
“Last night we were down 1-0 right away too,” Morrison said. “That can be contagious – here we go again. But we kept the same attitude – battle back, pressure them.”
And Pilgrim opened the door. Twenty-two seconds after the goal made it 2-0, Pilgrim picked up a penalty. Just 12 seconds into the power play, Sam DaCosta scored for the Cougars to cut the lead in half. Jacob McCullough and Nicholas Threshier assisted.
In the second period, the Cougars again took advantage of a power play – and again wasted no time. With 14:14 left, the Pats went to the box. Just five seconds later, Stephen Morrison tied the game on a slap shot from the blue line that slipped into the net.
“They had a pretty good power play,” Tvenstrup said. “They set it up well, they were getting guys open, making passes. But our penalty kill traditionally is much better than that. More aggressive, better covering the lanes. I’m disappointed in the penalty kill tonight for at least half the time. The other half, we probably did what we usually do.”
Unfortunately for Pilgrim, JNP wasn’t done with the power play. With 4:46 left in the second period, Russo picked up a 10-minute major, plus a five-minute minor for a hit against the boards. That gave JNP a power play for five minutes, and the Cougars eventually took advantage. With 1:37 left in the period, Justin Harvey sent a pass from behind the net to Joseph McDonald on the left post. He slipped it across the crease to John Gesualdi, who punched it in for the 3-2 lead.
“Our power play, they’re finally learning to spread out and use each other,” Morrison said. “They’re just playing with more confidence.”
Nursing the 3-2 lead, JNP went to the box with 8:29 left in the third period. Finally on the offensive, the Pats got four good looks but Peters made three saves and Stephen Morrison made a diving block of another shot. To make matters worse for the Pats, JNP cleared the puck after each chance.
Pilgrim came up empty.
“They did a pretty good job clearing the puck,” Tvenstrup said. “We’ve had trouble getting anything going on our power play all year. We did all right with it last night actually. We had two power plays. Before that, I can’t remember the last time we had a power play goal.”
And one more time, JNP showed that it didn’t have the same problem. With 5:10 left in the game, Justin Gomes scored a power-play goal for the Cougars to make it 4-2.
JNP did pick up a penalty with 34 seconds left, but even with a 6-on-4 advantage after pulling the goalie, the Pats could get nothing.
Peters finished with 22 saves, and the defense led by Stephen Morrison and Antonio Manzotti – a duo that plays most of every game – had a strong game.
“Joe has stepped it up,” Fred Morrison said. “This is only his third year as a goalie and I think he’s turned a corner. Stephen and Antonio pretty much play the whole game. They did a great job.”
It’s safe to say that the whole team has turned a corner.
“It’s a totally different feeling,” said co-head coach Stephen Morrison. “It’s not all about winning – it’s about being in the games, being involved and having a chance. The kids are having fun and it really shows.”
JNP will get another tough test this weekend with a Saturday game against North Smithfield at the R.I. Sports Center at 7 p.m. While it’ll be a return to the challenging slate, the Cougars are just happy to be on the right track.
“The kids are really supporting each other,” Fred Morrison said. “We’ve worked through some adversity. They’ve come together as a unit. We just want to finish the year out strong and keep this program going.”
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