BOSTON, Mass. – Graduate student JR Barone (West Chester, Pa.) continued his recent goal-scoring streak and Plymouth State University won its sixth straight game as the Panthers rallied past the University of Massachusetts Boston, 4-1, in a non-conference men's ice hockey game at Edward T. Barry Ice Rink on Tuesday night.
 
The hosts took a lead midway through the opening period, but PSU rallied to tie the score at the 7:30 mark of the middle stanza. Barone, who now has eight goals in his last four games, put the Panthers in front with what proved to be the game winner early in the third period and Plymouth State tacked on a pair of empty net scores to put the game away in the final minute.
 
Plymouth State has won six in a row and is unbeaten in its last eight games (7-0-1) to improve to 8-1-1 on the year. UMass Boston slips to 6-5-1.
 
The Basics:

• Plymouth State 4, UMass Boston 1
  • Plymouth State (8-1-1)
  • UMass Boston (6-5-1)

How it Happened:

• The Beacons came out in attack mode, outshooting PSU by a 23-12 margin in the opening frame and the hosts scored the game's first goal at 11:41 of the period.
• Sophomore goaltender Kalle Andersson (Taby, Sweden) made 11 stops in the frame to keep the Panthers close.
• Plymouth State flipped the script in the second period. PSU fired 30 shots in the middle stanza and junior Niks Krollis (Riga, Latvia) pulled the Panthers even with his third of the year at the 7:30 mark.
• Barone came up huge again for the green and white, lighting the lamp just over two minutes into the third period to give Plymouth State a lead it would not relinquish.
• Andersson made the advantage hold and sophomore Jeromey Rancourt (Lewiston, Maine) and graduate student Peter Laviolette (Longboat Key, Fla.) put the game away with a pair of empty netters in the final minute.

By the Numbers:

• Barone has been on fire of late, tallying 13 points in his last eight games, including a remarkable eight goals over the last four. He leads the team with three game-winning goals on the season.
• Laviolette extended his points streak to eight straight games with his empty net tally, while junior Myles Abbate (Norwell, Mass.) picked up his ninth assist of the year.
• Seniors Mike McPherson (Somerville, Mass.) and Colin Stevens (Concord, N.H.) and freshman Dylan Castello (Palm Coast, Fla.) also recorded assists.
• Andersson finished with 28 saves.
• Both teams went 0-for-5 on the power play.
• This was just the third meeting between the two teams, with the most recent contest taking place in November of 2003. UMB had won both prior meetings.

 
Up Next:

• Plymouth State hosts Wesleyan University for the team's annual Teddy Bear Toss game on Friday (Dec. 10). Teddy bears will be available at the arena for fans to throw onto the ice following the Panthers' first goal. Following the game, they will be collected and donated to the Children's Hospital at Dartmouth.