Panthers rally with four third period goals

            WESTFIELD, Mass. – Junior Chris Zuccaro (Hudson, N.H.) scored back-to-back goals in the third period to help the Plymouth State University men's ice hockey team rally from deficits of 2-0 and 3-2 to best Westfield State University, 6-3, in a Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) game at Amelia Park Ice Arena on Saturday evening.

            Zuccaro tied the game at 3-3 with 6:04 remaining in regulation when he redirected a shot from senior Ian McGilvrey (Omaha, Neb.) from the top of the right circle.  He added what proved to be the game-winner less than two minutes later – a short-handed wrist shot from the blue line that trickled past the WSU goalie.  Zuccaro added a pair of helpers to his tally, giving him four points on the night.

            Senior Michael Economos (Crystal Lake, Ill.) also scored twice and added three assists in the win.  Trailing 2-0 in the second period, Economos found the net twice in a span of three minutes to tie the game at 2-2.  The Panthers added a pair of empty net goals late in the third period to secure the win.

THE BASICS

  Amelia Park Ice Arena, Westfield, Mass. – Sat., Dec. 3, 2016

  Plymouth State 6, Westfield State 3

  Records:

  Plymouth State 6-3-0 (5-1-0 MASCAC); Westfield State 6-4-0 (3-3-0 MASCAC)

HIGHLIGHTS

  * Westfield State took a 1-0 lead midway through the first period when Josh Delezenne (Coral Springs, Fla.) scored with assists from Jackson Leef (Fort Wayne, Ind.) and F.X. Girard (St. Lazare, Quebec).

  * The Owls went up 2-0 less than three minutes into the second period, with Garard tallying with assists from Lenny Coglignone (Matawan, N.J.) and Leef.

  * Economos put the Panthers on the board at 4:34 of the second period, with Zuccaro and McGilvrey recording the assists.

  * Economos struck again less than three minutes later to knot the game at 2-2 with Zuccaro and senior Tommy Dowell (Olathe, Kan.) setting him up.

  * Westfield grabbed the lead again late in the second period when junior Donovan Gardiner (Sterling Heights, Mich.) scored an unassisted goal.

  * Zuccaro tied the score at 3-3, then put the Panthers ahead for good with his shorthanded goal at 15:55 in the third period.  His first strike was set up by McGilvrey and Economos, with Economos getting the lone assist on Zuccaro's second goal.

  * McGilvrey potted an empty net goal at 18:57 to give the Panthers some breathing room with Economos assisting again.

  * Sophomore Ludvig Steenberg (Stockholm, Sweden) capped the scoring with an empty-netter of his own with 26 seconds remaining.  Sophomore Matt Volonnino (Hackettstown, N.J.) and classmate Ryan Stevens (Colleyville, Texas) assisted on the score.

  * Freshman Thierry Messervier (Montreal, Que.) made 22 saves in the win to improve to 4-1-0.

  * PSU peppered Owls' goalie Kameron Limburg (Howell, Mich.) with 34 shots, and outshot WSU 36-25 for the game.

NEXT UP

  * Plymouth State wraps up the fall semester with a pair of non-conference home games next week.  The Panthers host the University of New England on Thurs., Dec. 8 (6:00 p.m.), before facing Castleton University on Teddy Bear Toss night on Sat., Dec. 10 (6:00 p.m.).

  * Westfield State hosts Nichols College on Thurs., Dec. 8 (7:35 p.m.).

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