THE REVERE ADVOCATE – Friday, February 7, 2020 Page 15 Patriots hockey team battles Everett to scoreless tie By Greg Phipps E ntering last week’s play, the Revere/Malden/Matignon Patriots still had a realistic chance of making the postseason. But a tough 3-1 loss to Medford last Wednesday and a disappointing 0-0 tie at Everett last Saturday put the Patriots in a diffi cult situation. Sitting at 4-8-3 entering this week, the Pats would need to basically go undefeated the rest of the way to earn a playoff bid. The deadlock at Everett was a well-played contest by both teams. Revere’s freshman goalie Cam Wickens was solid in net, and the defense played strong in front of him. Unfortunately, the off ense couldn’t muster s a goal against an Everett squad that is on the verge of earning its fi rst playoff appearance in fi ve years. “We beat them 5-0 early in the season so it was disappointing not to score against them this time,” said Patriots head coach Joe Ciccarello. “We are having a hard time scoring.” Over their last fi ve games, two of them wins, the Patriots have dented the net just six times, and three of those goals came in a 3-0 win over Nashoba. In the loss to Medford, Cory Rufo tallied to tie the contest at 1-1 midway through the second period. That would be all the scoring the Patriots would enjoy as Medford retook the lead, 2-1, in the third. A tough tripping call with two minutes to go left Revere shorthanded, and it seriously impaired any chance of adding an extra attacker to notch the equalizer. Medford ended up scoring on that power play and icing the contest. “We played a real tough defensive game with [Wickens] making 51 saves,” said Ciccarello. Defensively, the Patriots have been very eff ective, allowing only six goals in that same fi ve-game span. Patriots goalie Cam Wickens and defenseman Jared McNamara work to get back in position after an Everett scoring bid during fi rst-period action last Saturday. Patriots defenseman Eric Platcow looks to move the puck up ice against the forecheck of Everett’s David Saia in last Saturday’s contest. (Advocate Photos by Greg Phipps)
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