Seeing Sparks

Warwick, RI – The current of Rhode Island waters can be strong, but the Devils Peewee Red team generated a current of the shocking variety Saturday night at Warburton Arena behind the electric play of aptly named goaltender Owen Sparks to keep the Warwick Wave at bay.

Sparks was constantly under fire and made 45 saves to salvage a 1-1 tie against a Wave squad that capitalized on Devils puck possession struggles throughout the contest.

In early first period action, Sparks charged up the crowd with a lightning quick glove save on a high wrister from the slot. The Devils went shorthanded (5:01, high-sticking) and survived a scare as a loose rebound sat in the crease until back-checking winger Nate Kelly swept the doorstep to keep the Wave off the board. Warwick’s frustration was evident in a show of some physical play, which was quickly answered by the human freight train that is Devils wing Brady McSweeney. McSweeney’s thunderous presence at the blue line let the Wave know that Devils don’t get pushed around.

In the second period, Kelly gave the Devils the lead and their first point (unassisted, 3:13) of the season, disrupting a D-to-D pass in the defensive zone and charging up the middle of the ice with a skater on his tail to fire a hard wrist shot off the blocker and stuff in his own rebound through the five-hole. The rough extracurricular activities continued as the teams drew matching slashing penalties (5:19). Warwick knotted the game at 1 on a roofed shot from the bottom of the right circle as Sparks was laid out in the opposite direction on the preceding scoring attempt. Devils forward Colin Sullivan led the counterattack with several sweet setup passes that ultimately came up empty in the point column.

Sparks remained wired in during the final period, making yet another spectacular glove save on an early Wave attack. Devils centerman Adam Racine was fired up and flying on the ice, and was absolutely robbed by a blurring glove save by the Warwick netminder on a nearly fortuitous breakaway. In the waning minutes, a clearly agitated referee called an unusual penalty (8:55, unsportsmanlike conduct) on the Wave to give the Devils a golden power play opportunity, upon which they could not cash in.
 
Quick Hits

• It sounds like all of the Devils had a great start to the school year!
• The Devils have their first home game on Saturday, September 16 at 11:30 AM against the NRI Vikings.
• Celebrity Sighting: Longtime Devils dad and New Bedford great Paul Racine, angrily muttering under his breath about “uniform violations”…