The Pilgrim Patriots went to Boss Ice Arena at the University of Rhode Island on Monday night and took down the Narragansett/Chariho co-op in Division III boys hockey.

Pilgrim senior Jack Clements scored a hat trick, sophomore Sean Noel added two scores and Collin Driscoll, a junior, chipped in a goal and two assists.

“Games like this we focus on just doing all the right little things right,” Pilgrim head coach Mike Boyajian Jr. said. “And, that was our message, especially in the third period. Don’t get lazy. Because they have some good players and the game can turn on a dime. So, luckily the kids were focused and did their jobs.”

Narragansett/Chariho’s lone goal came from Coco Keegan, a freshman.

“We ask a lot from him,” Narragansett/Chariho head coach Ryan Meade said. “We think he’s got great potential and future for the program. He’s getting a lot of minutes as a young man and he’s producing a lot of goals, which is what we want from young guys. He’s playing great and it’s starting to become a habit where he’s an offensive weapon for us and we just keep looking for more and more of that every game.”

Pilgrim took a 1-0 advantage with 4:44 remaining in the opening period when Noel lit the lamp on a rebound attempt, following assists from Driscoll and Dylan Gallagher.

The Pats added to their buffer with three goals in the second period before Narragansett/Chariho got on the scoreboard later in the frame.

The first tally of that period came when Driscoll drove to the net with 7:38 remaining and fired a blast past Jacob Natalizia, the Narragansett/Chariho goaltender, for an unassisted powerplay goal, which put the Pats up 2-0.

Next, Chris Quirk, a junior, rifled in an unassisted slap shot from just in front of the blue line for another power play goal and that extended the Pilgrim lead to 3-0 with five minutes remaining in the second frame.

Thirty seconds after that, Noel got his second tally after assists from Driscoll and Gallagher, which upped the Pats advantage to 4-0.

Then with 2:48 left in the period, Narragansett/Chariho got on the scoreboard when Keegan skated down on a fast break and ripped a shot past Dylan Cunetta, Pilgrim’s freshman goaltender, while pulling Narragansett/Chariho within 4-1. That score came during a powerplay following assists from Jay Derosiers and Charles Ruth.

In the third period, the Pats added five more goals to their cushion.

With 12:19 remaining in the period, Matt Pacheco scored while on the doorstep after an assist from AJ Sherlock, a junior, and that increased the Pats lead to 5-1.

Two minutes later, Pacheco passed to Clements for his first goal of the contest, making it 6-1.

Clements struck again seven minutes later and put the Pats up 7-1, with a shorthanded, unassisted tally.

Then, with 13 seconds remaining in the contest, Clements scored his third goal in a row, an unassisted tally, and extended the Pilgrim edge to 8-1.

Seven seconds after that, Pilgrim won the ensuing face-off at center ice and Charles Dale raced down and fire a wrister past Natalizia and upped the Pilgrim lead to 9-1.

Cunetta finished with nine saves in net for the Pats.

“Dylan’s been playing well for us lately,” Boyajian said. “He’s starting to come into his own. He’s getting more comfortable in the net. He’s a first year goalie, so everything’s been pretty new to him. So, he’s been adjusting. You’re starting to see him kind of get a little more comfortable. In the Woonsocket game and again tonight, he’s seeing pucks a little bit better in traffic and he’s getting a little bit more aggressive, which is what we need from him.”

Natalizia had a busy night in net for Narragansett/Chariho, finishing with 49 stops.

“Our first time we played them, they had over 50 shots,” Meade explained. “Tonight, they had just under 50. So, in two games they’ve had 100 shots on us, which is just ridiculous. So, I think we came out with a game plan to try to limit that. And, it started off okay. Going into the third, they had 30 shots. That’s better than where we’ve been. But then, in the third period, they just kept coming at us and we weren’t ready to respond.”

“So, that’s what happens to him,” Meade said. “But, he stood. He saw 50 shots and let up nine goals. You can only do so much in situations like that when you’re getting bombarded with five-man breaks. Guys that can pick whatever corner they want. He’s doing his job and it’s not on him at all.”

With the victory, Pilgrim stays atop first place with a record of 7-2. The defending champions have now won five in a row since falling to Johnston/North Providence/Tiverton back on December 28.

“It took a little time,” Boyajian said. “The young goaltenders, it’s a learning curve for them. And, the rest of the team, in how to play in front of them, too. And, I think that was the big thing. We’re trying to find our identity more so than we were in years past when we had a large senior presence. This year, we don’t, and it took a couple extra games for the kids to figure out what type of team we have. But, things are starting to come together nicely at the right time.”

Narragansett/Chariho Co-op drops to 2-6-1. They have lost five in a row.

Pilgrim hosts West Warwick/EWG Co-op next on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. at Thayer Arena.