PLYMOUTH, N.H. – Junior
Brendahn Brawley (Morton, Pa.) posted his second shutout of the season and sophomore
Anton Nasstrom (Ornskoldsvik, Sweden) and graduate student
Peter Laviolette (Longboat Key, Fla.) each scored twice as Plymouth State University blasted Framingham State University, 7-0, in a Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) men's ice hockey contest Thursday night at Hanaway Rink.
Brawley posted 17 saves in a one-sided affair as the Panthers dominated from start to finish. PSU launched 80 shots on goal to the Rams' 17 and poured in four goals in the first ten minutes of action to put the game out of reach early.
Senior
Mike McPherson (Somerville, Mass.) began the eruption with a score 3:45 into the contest, with Nasstrom scoring twice and Laviolette also getting into the action for a 4-0 lead after 10:06 of game time.
Junior
Myles Abbate (Norwell, Mass.), the team-leader in points, punched in a goal with Laviolette adding his second as the Panthers pushed the lead to 6-0 heading into the final period. Sophomore
Whim Stalberg (Gotenburg, Sweden) added insult to injury when he stuffed the puck into the net early in the third to account for the final score.
Plymouth State emphatically bounced back from Tuesday's setback to improve to 16-5-2 overall and 13-2-2 in MASCAC play. Framingham State dropped to 2-18-1 and 1-14-1 in league play. The Panthers look to lock up their ninth MASCAC regular season title against Salem State University on Saturday (Feb. 19).
The Basics:
- Plymouth State 7, Framingham State 0
- Plymouth State (16-5-2, 13-2-2 MASCAC)
- Framingham State (2-18-1, 1-14-1 MASCAC)
How it Happened:
- McPherson sparked an offensive explosion in the first period with a rebound shot to the back of the net with assists from Abbate and graduate student JR Barone (West Chester, Pa.), who was honored during a pregame ceremony to celebrate his 100th career point recorded on the road last week.
- Nasstrom chipped in the next goal to the weak side after a feed from sophomore Colin Tracy (Bow, N.H.) to put the Panthers up two scores just six minutes into the game.
- Laviolette stuffed one past the goaltender to balloon the lead to 3-0 on a power play try and Nasstrom capitalized on a two-man advantage with a wide shot to make it 4-0 going into the middle stanza.
- Abbate pushed through two defenders with some nifty stick work for a highlight reel goal 4:07 into the second period.
- Laviolette put in his second of the night getting it over the goaltender at the top of the net to widen the margin to 6-0 with 4:23 left in the frame.
- Stalberg opened the third with another power play score after poking the puck loose to make it 7-0.
By the Numbers:
- Plymouth State's 80 shots were the most in at least the last 13 years. PSU blasted 76 shots against the Rams back on Dec. 2.
- Brawley posted his second shutout of the season with his 17-save effort. He ranks second in all of NCAA Division III with a .948 save percentage and sixth in the nation with a 1.55 goals against average.
- Nasstrom (two goals), Abbate (one goal, two assists) and McPherson (one goal, two assists) all recorded three points in the contest. Laviolette (two goals) and junior Ted Austin (Sylvania, Ohio) also had multipoint games, with Austin chipping in a pair of assists.
- Plymouth State went 3-for-7 on the power play while limiting Framingham to 0-for-2. The Rams racked up 15 penalties for 78 minutes in the contest.
- The Panthers have won 16 straight against Framingham State and are 22-0-1 since the start of 2014.
Up Next:
- Plymouth State celebrates Senior Night and Alumni Night in the regular season finale against Salem State on Saturday. Puck drop at Hanaway Rink is at 6:00 p.m.
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