Plymouth State University

PLYMOUTH, N.H. – Plymouth State University scored three times in the second period to build a 3-1 lead over Westfield State University, but the Owls rallied with a pair of unanswered goals in the third as the teams settled for a 3-3 tie in the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) opener for both schools during PSU's annual Salute the Troops game at Hanaway Rink on Thursday night.
 
Plymouth State dominated play through the first period but was unable to solve Westfield State goaltender Valtteri Valtonen (Helsinki, Finland) and the visitors struck first six minutes into the middle stanza. Plymouth State roared back to tie the game just over a minute later, then added goals from juniors Niks Krollis (Riga, Latvia) and Myles Abbate (Norwell, Mass.) to build a 3-1 lead heading into the third.
 
The Owls rallied, cashing in on a pair of scoring chances to draw even. PSU had multiple high-quality chances in the final minutes of regulation and throughout the overtime period, but the Valtonen held on to preserve the tie.
 
Prior to the game Plymouth State honored veterans with a ceremonial puck drop, a special performance of the National Anthem sung by Mixed Emotions, PSU's treble acapella group, and the presentation of colors by US Army Retired Sergeant Major and Plymouth State alumni Jim Goss '68.
 
Plymouth State goes to 2-1-1 (0-0-1 MASCAC), while Westfield State ends the night at 1-2-1 (0-0-1 MASCAC).
 
The Basics:

• Plymouth State 3, Westfield State 3
  • Plymouth State (2-1-1, 0-0-1 MASCAC)
  • Westfield State (1-2-1, 0-0-1 MASCAC)

How it Happened:

• Plymouth State dominated zone time during the first period, putting 18 shots on goal while not allowing the Owls a single attempt on target, but Valtonen was up to the challenge as the first period ended without a goal.
• The Owls jumped ahead at 5:56 of the second when John-Michael DiGregorio (Montreal, Quebec) collected the rebound of his own shot and fired a quick pass through the crease to Chuck Costello (Philadelphia, Pa.) for the 1-0 lead.
• PSU drew even at 7:15 when graduate student Peter Laviolette (Longboat Key, Fla.) put home the rebound off a low angle shot from junior Marcus Seidl (Stockholm, Sweden).
• The Panthers pulled ahead with a power play strike with just 2:15 left in the second. Freshman Ethan Stuckless (Conception Bay South, Newfoundland) won the draw in the offensive zone and flipped a pass back to Krollis, whose wrister from blue line found the back of the net.
• Plymouth State extended the lead with 33 seconds left in the frame when Abbate tipped in a shot from senior Simon Besner (North Lancaster, Ontario) from just inside the blue line on far side.
• Westfield started the comeback at 8:44 of the third when Mathieu Jones (Gatineau, Quebec) stole the puck at the blue line and fed Jake Ratcliffe (Aukland, New Zealand) in front to make it 3-2.
• The Owls drew even with 4:13 remaining when Paul Frys (Portland, Ore.) skated in on a breakaway on the near side, faked a shot, then found Costello on the weak side for a one-timer.
• PSU had multiple chances in the 3-on-3 overtime, aided by a pair of power plays, but Valtonen made seven saves as the game ended in a tie.

By the Numbers:

• Sophomore goaltender Kalle Andersson (Taby, Sweden) finished with 13 saves, while Valtonen stopped 53 shots for the Owls.
• PSU outshot Westfield State by a 56-16 margin, including 18 in the first period and 20 in the second.
• The Panthers went just 1-of-9 on the power play. The Owls were scoreless in the man-advantage opportunities.
• Plymouth State won 48-of-80 faceoffs (60%). Senior Mike McPherson (Somerville, Mass.) won 17-of-26 alone.

 
Up Next:

• Plymouth State visits University of Massachusetts Dartmouth for another league game on Saturday. The game will be played at the Falmouth Ice Arena with a 6:00 p.m. start time.