Fontaine, Howard lead ’Canes back into win column

Posted 2/25/14

With one of the youngest teams in the league, the Warwick Vets hockey team has faced an uphill battle against almost every team in Division III. On Thursday, the Hurricanes matched up with Woonsocket …

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Fontaine, Howard lead ’Canes back into win column

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With one of the youngest teams in the league, the Warwick Vets hockey team has faced an uphill battle against almost every team in Division III. On Thursday, the Hurricanes matched up with Woonsocket – a more comparable team with whom they had split two previous meetings – and seized the day in emphatic fashion.

Freshman Greg Fontaine scored two goals and first-year goalie Colby Howard delivered his first career shutout as Vets stormed to a 5-0 victory over the Novans. The win moved Vets to 2-14 and out of last place.

“The kids played well, played with some urgency,” said head coach Mike Boyajian. “We didn’t want to finish in the basement and there’s the possibility of a playoff spot. The kids went out and did what they needed to do. It was one of those games that was a complete team effort. They all came to play. It was really nice to see.”

The ’Canes beat Woonsocket 3-2 on Dec. 13 but that remained their only win until last week. On Jan. 24, Woonsocket beat Vets 4-2.

The rubber match belonged to the ’Canes from the get-go. Senior captain Kyle Veyera gave them an early lead that they ultimately never lost.

“You saw it in their eyes – they weren’t going to quit,” Boyajian said. “We had a couple of kids missing that day, but a lot of guys stepped up. One of our kids, Jake Pelletier, it was basically his first game as a forward playing a regular shift and he had a great game. Our young guys stepped up and our captain Kyle Veyera set the tone right away. He was flying around and he scored a nice goal to give us the lead.”

The quick start was nice – but a strong finish was even better. Leading 1-0 after two, the ’Canes came out of the locker room and made it 2-0 less than a minute in on a one-timer by Fontaine.

That was just the beginning. Jacob Mitchell scored on a penalty shot and Fontaine and David Kowalik added one goal each as Vets delivered its best period of the season.

“The kids found their legs,” Boyajian said. “We capitalized on our scoring chances. Fontaine came out and blasted one from the point literally 20 seconds in. That opened the floodgates.”

As good as the offensive burst was, Boyajian was most impressed by what happened at the other end of the ice. Howard, a junior who has only been a goalie for a few months, finished off the shutout.

“Our goalie, Colby, has had an up-and-down season,” Boyajian said. “He’s been working with a goalie coach recently and it’s paying dividends. This is the first shutout of his career. For him to come out and shut them out was what we were most impressed by. I think that’ll give him a little bit of confidence.”

For all the ’Canes, confidence has been an issue this season, but Boyajian hopes that’s changing. While they were no match for first-place West Warwick/EWG the day after the win, the ’Canes hung tough on Saturday against a solid East Providence team. They trailed just 2-1 after two periods before losing 4-1.

“Going 2-1 into the third period, we had a power play and unfortunately we couldn’t capitalize,” Boyajian said. “But I told the guys, ‘Just think about this. The last two times we played them, we’ve been down 5-0 and 7-0 going into the third period.’ To be down 2-1 to a team like that, we can’t hang our heads. The final score doesn’t indicate what kind of game it was. It was our third game in a row and they battled. They had a great game.”

The ’Canes have two games remaining in the regular season, both against 14-2 Narragansett, but the playoffs are a possibility. The D-III landscape has changed every year for the past few years, calling the postseason setup into question, but the division typically puts six teams into the postseason. The Vets staff is awaiting word on whether that format remains. If it does, Vets will be in line for the sixth spot.

“We’re waiting to find out, but we’re hoping to get in,” Boyajian said. “The kids needed to come out, beat Woonsocket and that’s exactly what we did. If we do make it, the team we played Saturday (East Providence) is the team we would play. I think we set the tone that it won’t be a light series.”

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