FITCHBURG, Mass. – Junior
Jeromey Rancourt (Lewiston, Maine) scored with just over two minutes remaining in the third period to lead Plymouth State University to a 5-4 win over Fitchburg State University in the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) opener for both teams at Wallace Civic Center on Thursday night.
Fitchburg State tallied the lone goal of the first period before PSU's offense got firing in the middle stanza. Plymouth State outscored the Falcons by a 4-1 margin in the middle stanza to take a 4-2 lead into the third. The hosts rallied to pull even less than five minutes into the third period, but Rancourt buried a wrist shot in the slot with 2:04 left on the clock to secure the win.
All five of Plymouth State's goals were scored on the power play as the Panthers went 5-of-7 with the man advantage.
Plymouth State picks up its first win of the season to move to 1-1-1 (1-0-0 MASCAC), while the Falcons go to 1-1-0 (0-1-0 MASCAC).
The Basics:
- Plymouth State 5, Fitchburg State 4
- Plymouth State (1-1-1, 1-0-0 MASCAC)
- Fitchburg State (1-1-0, 0-1-0 MASCAC)
How it Happened:
- The Falcons took a 1-0 lead late in the first period.
- Graduate student Colin Stevens (Concord, N.H.) fired a shot from the point that was deflected behind the Fitchburg State goal and off the end boards to junior Carson Lanceleve (Stewiacke, Nova Scotia), who deposited it into the back of the net to tie the game at 1-1 just 2:40 into the second.
- Fitchburg State converted a power play chance at the 10:33 mark to regain the lead, 2-1.
- PSU knotted the game at 2-2 when sophomore Ethan Stuckless (Conception Bay South, Newfoundland) redirected a shot off the stick of senior Niks Krollis (Riga, Latvia) during a 5-on-3 at the 12:18 mark.
- The Panthers cashed in during another two-man advantage to pull ahead, 3-2, when Rancourt buried a low angle shot at 14:06.
- PSU extended the margin just 42 seconds later when Rancourt's wrist shot from the top of the left faceoff circle beat the Fitchburg goaltender to the glove side.
- The hosts scored twice in the opening five minutes of the third period to pull even and the score would remain deadlocked at 4-4 for the next 12 minutes.
- Rancourt sent the Panthers home victorious when he collected a rebound in the slot and whipped a wrist shot into the back of the net with just over two minutes remaining.
By the Numbers:
- In addition to his two goals, Rancourt went 21-of-28 in the faceoff circle.
- Lanceleve has one point in every game thus far, including goals in each of the last two games.
- Stuckless also has at least a point in every game and now leads the team with four points on the young season.
- Senior Brendahn Brawley (Morton, Pa.) made 25 saves in net to pick up the win.
- PSU won 44-of-66 faceoffs and went five-of-seven on the power play. Fitchburg was two-for-nine with the man advantage.
- Close games with the Falcons are nothing new, as seven of the last ten meetings have ended in a tie or been decided by a single goal.
Up Next:
- Plymouth State visits Anna Maria for non-conference action on Saturday (Nov. 5). Puck drop is set for 5:40 p.m.
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