WESTFIELD, Mass. – Junior
Connor Tait (Boyds, Md.) and sophomore
Will Redick (Collingwood, Ontario) both scored to lead #6 Plymouth State University to a 2-2 tie with Westfield State University in a Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) men's ice hockey game at Amelia Park Ice Arena on Thursday night.
Plymouth State could not bust through the Westfield State defense despite outshooting the Owls by a 33-12 margin through the first two periods until late in the second. The Panthers finally got on the board when a shot by Tait went wide but Redick circled behind the goal to poke it back in front and Tait punched it past the goalie's glove for the 1-0 lead.
Westfield responded in the third period with a pair of goals just 92 seconds apart to take the lead. Redick and Tait teamed up once more during a 4-on-4 after Tait gave a feed from freshman
Eddie Mulligan (Lincoln, R.I.) for Redick to snipe a shot from the right faceoff circle to send the game to overtime.
Neither team could net the game-winner during the extra session as time expired with the final score of 2-2.
Plymouth State moves to 3-1-1 (1-0-1 MASCAC), while Westfield State goes to 2-1-1 and 0-1-1 in MASCAC action.
The Basics:
- #6 Plymouth State 2, Westfield State 2
- Plymouth State (3-1-1, 1-0-1 MASCAC)
- Westfield State (2-1-1, 0-1-1 MASCAC)
How it Happened:
- The two teams were at a stalemate in the opening frame. Plymouth State charge in with a barrage of shots in the final minute, led by freshman Andrew Stuckless (Conception Bay South, Newfoundland), followed by junior Josh Kagan (Winnipeg, Manotiba) and back-to-back shots from senior Colin Tracy (Concord, N.H.), but the Owls' goaltender preserved the scoreless game.
- PSU finally found some space in the final minutes of the second period when Redick slid a wide shot back to Tait, who snuck it past the goaltender for the 1-0 lead.
- The Owls tied the game just 1:36 into the third period, then jumped ahead just over a minute later.
- PSU was able to tie it back up after Redick fired a long shot to the back of the net to force overtime with the score tied at 2-2.
- Both defenses were stout in the extra session. PSU's best chance for the winner came when sophomore Rider McCallum (Langley, British Columbia) took a slapshot towards goal, but it was blocked away.
By the Numbers:
- PSU outshot the Owls by a 52-23 margin.
- Neither team was successful on the power play. Plymouth State was 0-for-1, while the Owls were 0-for-4.
- Sophomore Brandon Shantz (San Antonio, Texas) recorded 21 saves in his season debut in goal.
- Redick leads the team with six goals and six assists for 12 points in the early going.
- Westfield State had 15 blocked shots to the Panthers' seven.
- It was just the second tie between the two teams dating back to the 2008-09 season.
Up Next:
- PSU closes out its busy week with another league game on Saturday (Nov. 11). The Panthers square off against MCLA in a game played at Williams College's Lansing Chapman Rink with puck drop set for 7:00 p.m.
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