WESTFIELD, Mass. – Graduate student
JR Barone (West Chester, Pa.) once again tore up the ice as he potted another score in a 4-2 setback to Westfield State University in a Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) men's ice hockey matchup at Amelia Park Ice Arena on Tuesday afternoon.
Despite an aggressive offensive first period for the Panthers, Westfield State put up three straight scores in the first 8:30 of the second period. Junior
Jacob Laurin (Stockholm, Sweden) answered less than 30 seconds later to get Plymouth State on the board and Barone's power play goal early in the third made it a one-goal game, 3-2, but the Owls put in one final score to seal the win.
Plymouth State's seven game winning streak comes to an end as the Panthers fall to 15-5-2 and 12-2-2 in the MASCAC. PSU drops into a tie with Fitchburg State for the top spot in the MASCAC, though the Panthers own the tiebreaker over the Falcons thanks to a 2-1-0 record in head-to-head matchups this winter. Westfield State moves to 12-9-2 and 7-7-2 in the MASCAC.
The Basics:
- Plymouth State 2, Westfield State 4
- Plymouth State (15-5-2, 12-2-2 MASCAC)
- Westfield State (12-9-2, 7-7-2 MASCAC)
How it Happened:
- The Panthers put offensive pressure on Westfield State as the peppered the home goaltender with 18 shots on goal. Laurin led the charge with three, while graduate student Peter Laviolette (Longboat Key, Fla.) and junior Ted Austin (Sylvania, Ohio) blasted two apiece, but neither team was able to open the scoring in the first period.
- Westfield State jumped ahead 42 seconds into the second and used the momentum to add a power play goal at the 7:22 mark for a 2-0 lead.
- Laurin cut the deficit in half at the 8:52 mark after converting a feed from sophomore Anton Nasstrom (Ornskoldsvik, Sweden), but the Owls came through with another power play strike to push the margin to 3-1 heading into the final period.
- Westfield State pushed the margin to 4-1 three minutes into the final stanza, but Barone punched in the Panthers' second goal 30 seconds later to make it 4-2.
- The Panthers pulled the goaltender in the final two minutes, but the hosts came up big on the defensive end to preserve the win.
By the Numbers:
- PSU outshot Westfield State by a 41-23 margin.
- Sophomore Kalle Andersson (Taby, Sweden) made 19 saves in the losing effort.
- Barone now leads the MASCAC with 25 goals. He ranks fourth in the league in points.
- The two teams went 1-1-1 against each other this season. Westfield is the only league opponent to be .500 or better against the Panthers in head-to-head matchups this year.
Up Next:
- The Panthers return home to face Framingham State University in another MASCAC tilt on Thursday (Feb. 17) at 6:00 p.m.
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