Sports Insider by Frank Coppola: Upset bid falls short for PHS hockey

February 16, 2008

Upset bid falls short for PHS hockey

By Dan Doyon
EXETER — Already eliminated from Division III playoff contention, the Portsmouth High School hockey team hoped to close out the final week of the season on a strong note, beginning with Saturday’s game against Moultonborough/Inter-Lakes.

The Clippers also had the opportunity to play the role of spoiler, as Moultonborough entered the weekend within reach of the sixth and final playoff spot.

After a strong second period for Portsmouth tied the game at 3-3, Moultonborough made sure its path toward the tournament remained clear.

Moultonborough exploded for three goals in the third period to come away with a 6-3 win over the Clippers inside the Exeter Ice House. Keeler Lapham, who is among the top 10 scorers in Division III, added to his strong season with four goals and two assists for Moultonborough (6-8).

“We’re trying to get a playoff spot, so this was a big win for us,” Moultonborough coach Kevin Campbell said. “It was huge.”

The teams combined for 21 penalties and six power-play goals. Portsmouth coach Fred Rancourt said the penalties took away from his team’s flow, especially in the third period.

“There were a lot of penalties, but overall it was a pretty evenly matched game,” Rancourt said. “When you boil it down, we missed some opportunities early to score some goals, and that came back to hurt us later in the game.”

Portsmouth (2-11-1) had three power-play chances early in the second period and cashed in on one of them. Senior Will Evans buried a shot between the legs of Moultonborough goaltender Curt Casey (22 saves) to tie the score at 2-2.

Lapham poked his second goal past Portsmouth goalie Will Buntrock (32 saves) after five minutes of constant pressure. Buntrock played well in the period, stopping 13 of 14 shots.

The Clippers were presented with another power play late in the second, and Evans banked in his second goal to tie the score at 3-3 with 3:22 left in the period. Evans, primarily a defenseman, was moved up to forward on special teams due to injuries.

“Evans really stepped up, he played great defense and scored two goals for us,” Rancourt said. “He’s been playing defense all year, but we had him everywhere tonight and he played great.”

Moultonborough came out flying in the third and recorded the first seven shots of the period, with Jared Donahue (two goals) making it 4-3 on a power-play goal at 2:42. Lapham scored on a backhanded shot four minutes later and closed the scoring with his fourth goal late in the game.

“In the third period we tried to change up our strategy on (Buntrock),” Campbell said. “Instead of firing right at him, we tried to go upstairs on him and go side-to-side.”

“It’s hard to generate offense when you have to scramble all game,” Rancourt said. “Our penalty kill guys are also the guys who score a lot of goals for us, so they’re tired by the time we have an even-man rush.”

Portsmouth seniors Buntrock, Evans, Richie Cady, Nate Doskocil, Shawn Heiman and Oliver Jenkins where honored in a pre-game ceremony.

Posted by Frank Coppola at February 16, 2008 09:41 PM

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