On the heels of a rough stretch, the Cranston West hockey team turned in a strong effort this past weekend.

And it may have saved the Falcons’ season.

The weekend before, the Falcons dropped three straight games, culminating in a disappointing loss to Lincoln that put West’s playoff chances in serious doubt. But with their backs against the wall, the Falcons scored a crucial 4-1 victory over Smithfield on Friday then pushed Burrillville to overtime on Saturday before losing. Those performances gave the Falcons three points – and new life.

West is now 5-10-2 with 13 points, which is good for third place in Division I-Eccleston. With one game to play, the Falcons have a one-point edge on Lincoln and a two-point advantage over Smithfield. West, Lincoln and Smithfield are fighting for the final two playoff spots, and without their performance this weekend, the Falcons would have been dangerously close to falling out of the race.

“It’s in our control now and the only reason we’re in that position is what we were able to do this weekend,” said head coach Mike Boyajian. “The kids knew what they had to do. I’m proud of them.”

West’s playoff fate now hinges on the results of this weekend’s games. The Falcons have one game left against Barrington, which is set for Friday at Portsmouth Abbey. Smithfield and Lincoln each have two games remaining, including one against each other.

If the Falcons win Friday, they’ll be in very good shape. If they lose, they’ll have to sweat but they’ll still have a shot. However it all shakes out, the Falcons are just happy to be in the conversation.

“We came into this weekend needing three points and we got it,” Boyajian said. “It’s in our hands now.”

It’s been a strange last few weeks for the Falcons, who had 17 days off before they played La Salle on Feb. 10. The long layoff probably had something to with the ensuing rough weekend – the Falcons lost to La Salle 8-0, played well in a 2-1 loss to Burrillville, but then took another step back with the 4-1 loss to Lincoln on Feb. 13.

“That kind of layoff is unheard of in high-school hockey,” Boyajian said. “You lose some of that intensity. We didn’t play well against La Salle, we played well against Burrillville and then we came back and had a real bad game against Lincoln. We didn’t come out the way we needed to.”

That game against Lincoln was a key one in the playoff race, which made the poor effort that much harder to swallow.

On Friday, the Falcons made sure it didn’t happen again. Anthony Simeone scored two first-period goals, and West never looked back. Simeone added another goal in the second period for the hat trick, and Anthony Rodi had the other West goal. Ryan O’Neill, Adam Turenne, Rudy Branca, Alex Nyzio and Kyle Sedgley had assists for the Falcons.

In net, Derek Hagopian bounced back from a tough night against Lincoln to save 37 of the 38 shots he saw from the Sentinels.

“We came back hard against Smithfield,” Boyajian said. “It was a very good game, from the goalie out. Simeone came up big with a hat trick. Hagopian played very well, and all five defensemen were outstanding.”

On Saturday, the Falcons traveled to Burrillville, the Division I-Eccleston leader. It was senior night for the Broncos, who came in with a 10-5 record.

West didn’t back down. Rodi gave West a lead in the second period with an assist from Nyzio. After Burrillville jumped in front 2-1 late in the third, West pulled the goalie for an extra skater and the move paid off. Sedgley scored the game-tying goal with 26 seconds left.

Once in overtime, Burrillville broke through on a goal by Chad Stone, but the Falcons had already grabbed the point they were hoping for.

“It’s a sign of a team that’s maturing, to go on the road and get three points in two hostile environments,” Boyajian said. “We’re growing and we’re getting better.”

The Falcons hope the progression continues this weekend. Friday’s game against Barrington is set for 7:30 p.m. at Portsmouth Abbey. West beat Barrington in the first meeting between the teams, and they played to a tie in the second meeting. The Eagles currently own a 7-7-2 record.

“Hopefully, it’ll come together this weekend and we can finish it off,” Boyajian said. “We’ll be ready to go.”