Intensity and hard-hitting defined the hockey match between East Providence and North Providence Saturday afternoon.
The teams faced off at the pre-season Injury Fund Tournament at the Rhode Island Sports Center in North Smithfield. Both the Townies and the Cougars fought hard the entire game. The two teams were evenly matched, so it was fitting that the game ended in a 2-2 tie.
During the first period, the Townies had more possession of the puck. East Providence was able to get many shots on net, but couldn't put one past Christopher Casto, North Providence's senior netminder.
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With just under five minutes left in the first period, the Townies were able to light the lamp. Alec D'Amico fired home the shot off a pass from Keith Marquis, giving East Providence a 1-0 lead.
The Cougars came out strong in the second period, proving that they wouldn't go down without a fight. Just 45 seconds into the period, senior Damon Ascenzi streaked down the ice on a breakaway. He flipped it top shelf, over the goalie's shoulder, to even the score at one apiece.
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Both teams were aggressive and checked the opponent often. The hard hits came in bunches, but were clean. With just under nine minutes left in the game, East Providence took the lead again. James Hall slid the puck to teammate Harrison Jones, who fired a slap shot from the blue line. The laser found the back of the net and the Townies led 2-1.
North Providence featured an offense with quick-strike ability. Only 45 seconds later, junior Mackenzie Olink and Ascenzi hooked up to tie the game at two. Olink dribbled the puck down the right wing and zipped it over to a wide open Ascenzi, who blasted it into the back of the net. The Cougars had a few more scoring chances to take the lead, but were unable to capitalize. When the final whistle blew, the score was 2-2.
Dave Accetturo, the Cougars' head coach, was impressed with the Townies and described the game as fast-paced.
"This was a battle of two of the top teams in the league," he said, "two evenly competitive teams."
The Townies' head coach, Gregg Amore, was pleased with his team's performance. "The effort was good," he said, "we moved the puck well."
However, he feels two areas need improvement. "We took too many penalties and need to work on conditioning," he said.
Both teams have a good outlook for the season. Regular season will begin play next week.
