PLYMOUTH, N.H. – Sophomore
Will Redick (Collingwood, Ontario) potted his second career hat trick and senior
Kalle Andersson (Taby, Sweden) made 31 saves as #12 Plymouth State University soared past #5 University of New England, 5-1, in the season opener for both teams at Hanaway Rink on Friday night.
Plymouth State took the lead midway through the opening period when sophomore
Payton Schaly (Orillia, Ontario) got the Panthers on the board and the one-goal advantage would remain into the first intermission. In an interesting twist of fate, junior
Donte' DiPonio (Trenton, Mich.), who transferred from UNE, would knock in the game winner early in the second period.
The Nor'easters cut the deficit in half with a power play tally just over two minutes later, but Redick took over from there. He buried a pair of power play goals as the hosts carried a 4-1 advantage into the third period.
Redick closed out the scoring with his third of the evening 7:25 into the final stanza for his second career hat trick.
The two teams met in the first round of the NCAA Tournament each of the last two years, with UNE advancing both times.
Plymouth State opens the year with a 1-0 mark, while UNE is 0-1.
The Basics:
- #12 Plymouth State 5, #5 UNE 1
- Plymouth State (1-0)
- UNE (0-1)
How it Happened:
- The Panthers' penalty kill unit was tested right off the bat as a pregame procedural penalty gave UNE a skater advantage at the opening puck drop, but Plymouth State was up to the challenge.
- Plymouth State got on the board with just over seven minutes left in the frame. Senior Brett Lockhart (Braintree, Mass.) fired a long pass up ice to Schaly, who skated in from the right side and slipped a shot through the UNE goaltender for a 1-0 lead.
- PSU doubled the advantage during 4-on-4 action early in the second period. Senior Anton Jellvik (Taby, Sweden) left the puck for DiPonio at the bottom of the left circle and his one-timer beat the Nor'easters goalie to the glove side at the 4:46 mark of the period.
- UNE pulled to within 2-1 with a power play goal on a redirect at the 7:11 marker, but Plymouth State came right back just 2:37 later on Redick's first of the evening.
- The Nor'easters cleared the puck down ice during a penalty kill and Andersson made a quick pass to sophomore Rider McCallum (Langley, British Columbia). McCallum whipped a pass through the neutral zone to junior Ethan Stuckless (Conception Bay South, Newfoundland), who left it for Redick. Redick made a move around the goalie and tucked a backhand inside the near post to restore the two-goal lead.
- Redick struck again with four minutes left in the middle frame when he banged home a rebound during another power play chance to extend the margin to 4-1.
- UNE picked up the offensive pressure in the third period, but Andersson did spectacular work between the pipes to keep the Nor'easters from pulling any closer.
- Freshman Will Pray (Wheaton, Ill.) flew down the left side on a breakaway seven minutes into the third period but was denied on the doorstep. Junior Connor Tait (Boyds, Md.) picked up the rebound and gave it back to Pray on the goal line, who whipped a pass across the crease to Redick, who was all alone on the weakside for the easy goal to account for the final score.
By the Numbers:
- Redick finished with three goals on four shots. His other hat trick came last February in a 5-1 home win over Worcester State.
- Schaly notched a goal and an assist, while DiPonio potted the game winner against his former team.
- Stuckless had a pair of assists in the win.
- Andersson posted 31 saves, including 15 in the third period alone.
- PSU outshot the Nor'easters by a 39-32 margin.
- Plymouth State finished 2-for-6 on the power play, while the Panthers' penalty kill unit limited UNE to just one goal in eight chances.
- Plymouth State moves to 2-4-1 against the Nor'easters, with both wins coming at Hanaway Rink.
Up Next:
- The Panthers open Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) play on Thursday (Nov. 2) with a 5:50 p.m. game at Worcester State, a rematch of last year's MASCAC Tournament finals.
– 30 –
