The Toll Gate boys’ hockey team let a two-goal lead slip away on Friday evening, as upset-minded Lincoln/East Providence Co-op stormed back with three unanswered goals to down the Titans, 3-2, in overtime.

The Lions came into Friday with just a pair of wins in league play, with their most recent win coming back on Jan. 14.

And it looked as though Toll Gate had the game under control with a 2-0 lead early in the second period. But tremendous team defense and goaltending from senior captain Daniel Fraser helped the Lions claw their way back in the game.

They ultimately were able to force the overtime period at 2-2, and a power play goal from Brenden Gannon 33 seconds into the extra frame would clinch two points for his team.

“They were relentless the entire game,” Toll Gate head coach Mike Champagne said of the opposition. “They were relentless in their own end. We knew coming in that they were going to work hard. Nothing said it more than when they were under siege, and they were just flying out and blocking everything. It was impressive. We’ve seen it from [Lincoln] all year. They don’t have a great record, but they’re in every game and they showed us why.”

The Titans struck early on home ice.

Connor Sullivan got the puck in the neutral zone and chipped a pass behind the defense for Jacob Mitchell, who skated in, deked and scored to give Toll Gate a 1-0 lead.

For the remainder of the period, both goaltenders were unflappable.

Fraser shrugged away a high shot from Camden Palumbo on a power play late in the first, before Titans’ sophomore netminder Austin Sequeira made back-to-back pad saves on Jack Halloran to keep the margin at one after the first 15 minutes.

Less than a minute into the second period, however, Lincoln’s Dylan Anderson was sent to the penalty box for interference, allowing Toll Gate’s skilled power play unit to take the ice.

Exactly a minute into the man advantage, Palumbo took a pass in the middle of the ice at the point and wristed a shot through traffic and into the back of the cage to up the lead to 2-0.

All the momentum was trending in Toll Gate’s direction, but a power play goal for Lincoln less than three minutes later would give it a spark.

Toll Gate sophomore defenseman Ryan Sabol was sent off for a minor penalty at 3:17 of the period, and one minute, 25 seconds later, Noah Duquette finished off a pass in front from Gannon to cut the Lions’ deficit in half, 2-1.

After that, Lincoln displayed a different level of confidence. It wasn’t able to tie the score before the second period ended, but it had plenty of chances, with Halloran tipping a pass far side just north of the crossbar at the nine-minute mark.

Toll Gate would come out with a jump in its step to start the third period, but Fraser stood on his head to keep his club in it.

Jack Dean had a chance out front at 8:30 of the third, but Fraser denied him with the paddle.

And, less than a minute later, it was 2-2, as Colby Acciardo tipped a point shot from Gannon by Sequeira for the equalizer.

Toll Gate pressed to answer, and the chances were there, but Fraser robbed Dean again on a sprawling save, before flashing the glove on D.J. Kowalik on a quick release from the slot to keep the game knotted.

Lincoln then got a call to go its way on a hit by Teagan Stringfellow in the neutral zone. He received a roughing penalty on the hit with just 11 seconds left in regulation, allowing the Lions to carry over one minute, 49 seconds of power play time into the extra period.

It didn’t take long for them to convert. Gannon received the puck at the middle of the ice at the point, picked his head up and fired a shot by Sequeira to give Lincoln the 3-2 win.

The matchup between Toll Gate and Lincoln was the back end of a doubleheader for the Andrew J. Gauthier Scholarship Games.

Gauthier, who laced up his skates for Toll Gate, tragically passed away after a long battle with leukemia in 2007.

Every year since, a hockey festival has been held in his honor, and Champagne was grateful that his team was able to take the ice for it once again this year.

“I’m really proud of it,” Champagne said of the annual festival. “I’m proud of the legacy having known Andy growing up. He was close friends with my cousin and family. Knowing the kid he was, and knowing his brother Bobby and the man he is now, it’s just humbling to be a part of it. To play a small piece of it, it’s a great thing.”

Toll Gate was looking to bounce back on Saturday, but fell to a tough Barrington team on the road, 4-2.

The Titans will try to avoid a third straight loss on Saturday when they travel to the West Warwick Civic Center to take on Coventry at 9 p.m.

Gaining momentum once again will be key for Toll Gate in the coming weeks, as it has just five regular season games remaining before playoffs.

“Tonight we got punched in the mouth, and we didn’t react tough enough,” Champagne said.