Onto the next round

Lincoln’s hockey team completes a sweep of Portsmouth

PORTSMOUTH — It was a roller coaster series for the No. 2 Lincoln hockey team, but the Lions found a way past No. 7 Portsmouth, 4-3, in overtime Saturday afternoon at Portsmouth Abbey to advance to the Division II semifinals for the first time since 2014.

“We went through a lot of adversity and there was a lot of ups and downs in this series,” Lincoln coach Mike Forrest said. “This wasn't the same Portsmouth team we played in the regular season. They played really well for both games. It was a back-and-forth battle and we just found a way to win.”

Lincoln, which will take on the winner of the series between No. 3 South Kingstown and No. 6 PSW, led by a goal going into the third period.

For the second time in as many days, the Lions threw away a lead in the final period. This time, the Patriots took advantage of a major penalty to square the game.

Both teams had chances to win the game in regulation, but the game-winning goal didn't come until the first four-on-four overtime session when Portsmouth goalie Sam Stamoulis (34 saves) couldn't cleanly glove a Colby Acciardo shot. Fellow senior Spencer Smith was on hand to tap in the loose puck to secure the series sweep.

“We talked before the season about how reaching the playoffs was the first step and winning the quarterfinal series was the second step,” Forrest said. “Now, we're on to the third step and that's the semifinals next week.”

One night after jumping out to a two-goal advantage, the Lions found themselves trailing by two goals. Lincoln roared back behind junior Kyle Costa, who scored a pair of goals for the second straight game, and Kevin Degnan, who added a goal. Acciardo finished the afternoon with three assists. Junior goalie Nate Beals made 20 saves.