The Cranston boys hockey co-op stayed hot in Division II by beating visiting North Kingstown 4-2 on Monday afternoon and extending its win streak to three games to climb back above .500. The Skippers …
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The Cranston boys hockey co-op stayed hot in Division II by beating visiting North Kingstown 4-2 on Monday afternoon and extending its win streak to three games to climb back above .500.
The Skippers jumped ahead 1-0 late in the first period, but Cranston got a quick response as Thomas Slater scored the tying goal less than two minutes later to knot the score heading into the second.
It was all Falcons from there, as Jacob Bovay and Brady Scanlon added to the lead in the second period before Aidan Fowler made it 4-1 in the third to run away with the win. The Falcons controlled the pace in the final two periods, with NK’s second goal coming with 15 seconds remaining in regulation.
“We came in here knowing it wasn’t going to be easy and it wasn’t. We have to come in here, work hard and keep grinding. We can’t give up after one goal. You’ve got to come back firing,” said Cranston’s leading scorer Devin DeAngelis, who recorded three assists in the win.
Cranston captain Jack Fontaine was also proud of the team’s resilience and has noticed a different mentality with this year’s group.
“That’s one thing that’s fueled us this year. Last year when teams would get a goal or two on us, we’d cave in a little. We’ve used that to fuel our fire and to get us going again,” Fontaine said.
The Cranston offense has surged in the streak, scoring a combined 15 goals in its last three games. The team’s penalty kill was also busy as it had to stave off three power-plays against NK. Luckily for the Falcons, the special team unit went a perfect 3-for-3.
“I feel confident in our (penalty kill). It’s not always going to go our way but I trust the system. We just have to go out there and block the shot,” DeAngelis said.
After winning the season opener in December, the Falcons went on to drop three straight games. Since then, the co-op has rebounded by rattling off three wins and reinserting itself in the Division II playoff race.
Tougher practices and greater focus has led to the recent turnaround, according to Fontaine.
“We took three tough losses and we knew that was something we had to take advantage of and learn from. We had to push each other hard at practice, we’re all teammates and pushing each other hard makes us better,” said Fontaine. “It’s nice to know that we have everyone buying in and going in one direction. Past years we’d only have that with one or two guys, but this year we have that with everyone. Everyone wants to win.”
What has also aided the cause has been freshman goalie Bryce Crance’s breakout in net.
“It’s important for us to get freshmen to step up and play as well as he’s playing. He’s kept us in a lot of games,” DeAngelis said.
The Falcons were also excited to get a statement win over the Skippers. NK made the move down from Division I this winter and Cranston felt it had something to prove on Monday.
“What fueled us today was that they came down thinking they were just going to work everyone in Division II, but we were thinking that we would just play our game and see what happens. We feel that we are one of those top teams,” Fontaine said.
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