All-Conference honors for PSU Men’s Hockey players, coach

Astedt, Greco, Zobak, Russell receive MASCAC season honors

            PLYMOUTH, N.H. – Four members of the Plymouth State University men's ice hockey program were honored Monday with the release of the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) All-Conference team for 2011-12.

            Three Panther juniors, forward Kyle Greco, defenseman Richie Zobak, and goaltender Jack Astedt were all named to the All-MASCAC First Team.  It is the third straight First Team honor for Zobak, while Astedt is recognized for the second straight season as he was a Second Team pick in 2010-11. The All-MASCAC team is selected by the league's head coaches.

	Greco	Zobak
	Astedt	Russell

            In addition, PSU head coach Craig Russell was voted by his peers as the MASCAC Coach of the Year.  Now is his second year as head coach, Russell led the Panthers to the MASCAC regular season title, the first conference championship in the 40-year history of the program.  PSU finished in third place in the MASCAC last season and was picked to finished fourth in this year's preseason coaches' poll.

            A 6'0", 190-pound forward, Greco leads the Panthers and is tied for third in the MASCAC in scoring with 13 goals, a conference-leading 19 assists for 32 points in 23 games.  He has tallied a team-leading six power play goals and a MASCAC-leading five game-winning goals, and is a semifinalist for the Joe Concannon Award for the top American-born Division II/III college hockey player in New England.

            A 5'10", 190-pound defenseman, Zobak has continued to excel both offensively and defensively for the Panthers.  He is ranked third in the MASCAC among scoring by defensemen, with three goals and 16 assists in 24 games, one point behind the leaders, and he anchors a blue-line unit that leads the MASCAC in scoring defense (2.38 per game).

            A 6'1", 175-pound goalie, Astedt in having another outstanding season between the pipes.  He currently leads the MASCAC with a 2.32 goals against average and a .700 winning percentage (13-5-2).  Astedt is also ranked second nationally with four shutouts.

            Plymouth State, 15-6-3 overall and regular season champions in the MASCAC with a 12-3-3 mark, will host fifth-seeded Worcester State University in a MASCAC semifinal game at Hanaway Rink this Tuesday, Feb. 28, at 6:00 p.m. 

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