(Box Score) 

         WATERVILLE VALLEY, N.H. - Senior Chris Chambers (Crofton, Md.) scored three goals Thursday evening to lead Plymouth State University to a 7-3 victory over Westfield State College in a Massachusetts State College Athletic Conference (MASCAC) men's ice hockey game at Waterville Valley Arena.

         The visiting Owls came from behind to score the first two goals of the third period to deadlock the score at 3-3, but PSU regained the lead 10 seconds later and added three more unanswered goals to win going away.  Chambers (right) sealed the win with a pair of goals in the final two minutes, finishing off his first hat trick of the season and third of his career.

         Plymouth State won for the sixth time in its last seven games, improving to 12-7-0 overall and 8-4-0 in the MASCAC and moving into a tie for third in the MASCAC with the Owls, who have dropped three of four to fall to 10-7-2 and 7-3-2.  PSU's 12 victories are the most in a season since winning 16 games in 2005-06.

         The Panthers outscored the Owls 3-1 in the first period, with Chambers, freshman Chad Wilhelm (Plymouth, Mich.) and sophomore Bryan Kriner (Newport, R.I.) scoring for PSU and sophomore Pat Nelson (Cary, N.C.) countering for WSC.  After a scoreless middle frame, Westfield State came alive with back-to-back goals to open the third period.  Sophomore Dave Ciminelli (Coppell, Texas) notched his first goal of the season and Nelson followed with his second of the contest to even the game at 3-3 with 12:22 remaining.

         Freshman Tim Visich (Mt. Pleasant, Mich.) needed just 10 seconds to give PSU the lead back and stop the Westfield momentum.  Classmate Sean Foley (Weymouth, Mass.) made it a two-goal game with eight minutes to play, and Chambers rounded out the scoring in the final two minutes.

         PSU freshman goalie Jack Astedt (Angelholm, Sweden) made 24 saves to earn the victory, while Westfield State sophomore Ian Wilson (Tulsa, Ok.) finished with 29 saves as PSU outshot the visitors, 36-27.

         Both teams return to the ice this Saturday with MASCAC road games, Plymouth State traveling to Worcester State for a 4:30 p.m. face-off and Westfield State visiting Framingham State for a 4:40 p.m. tilt. 

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