PLYMOUTH, N.H. – Powered by hat tricks from juniors
Dante Moretti (Powell, Ohio) and
Connor Tait (Boyds, Md.), Plymouth State University blasted the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts, 10-2, in a Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) men's ice hockey game at Hanaway Rink on Thursday evening.
Moretti notched his first goal of the year less than three minutes into the game and the Panthers tacked on two more for a 3-0 lead after the first period.
It was Moretti who started the second period scoring as well as PSU extended the lead to 5-0 before the Trailblazers got on the board in the final minute of the stanza. Tait scored twice in a 14-second span to push the lead to 7-1 heading to the second intermission.
Moretti cashed in a power play strike midway through the third to complete his hat trick and Tait followed with his third of the game just over a minute later.
Senior
Nick Poirier (Blainville, Quebec), in his first action of the year, contributed his first career goal and a pair of assists, with freshman
Patrick O'Connell (West Chester, Pa.) also posted a goal and two assists.
Sophomore
Will Redick (Collingwood, Ontario), who leads the nation in goals and points, added a power play goal, his 16th of the season, and three assists in the lopsided win.
Plymouth State improves to 11-1-2 (8-0-2 MASCAC) while MCLA falls to 2-11-1 and 0-9-1 in league play.
The Basics:
- Plymouth State 10, MCLA 2
- Plymouth State (11-1-2, 8-0-2 MASCAC)
- MCLA (2-11-1, 0-9-1 MASCAC)
How it Happened:
- Moretti got the scoring started at the 2:43 mark of the first when he banged home a rebound for his first of the season.
- Junior Brady Morrison (Chliliwack, British Columbia) blasted a one-timer from the blue line during a power play and Redick knocked in the rebound for his 16th goal of the year with 7:30 left in the period.
- Junior Donte' DiPonio (Trenton, Mich.) made it 3-0 when his shot from the left side deflected off the MCLA goaltender's stick into a defenseman and back into the net at 15:08.
- Moretti struck again four minutes into the second. Poirier fired a long pass to sophomore Payton Schaly (Orillia, Ontario) for a 2-on-0 break and Schaly hit Moretti, who flipped the puck into the top right corner to extend the lead to 4-0.
- Poirier fired a shot from the blue line that was blocked in front and O'Connell collected and hit the open net as the margin ballooned to 5-0 with 3:45 left in the period.
- The visitors got on the board when a long pass led to a breakaway with just under a minute in the period, but Tait answered right back with two goals just 14 seconds apart to make it 7-1 heading to the third.
- Moretti completed the hat trick with a one-timer blast from the left circle in the final seconds of a power play 11:36 into the third, and Tait followed suit when he took a feed from Redick in front and scored 1:18 later.
- Poirier made it 10-1 when his wrister from the blue line made its way through traffic and snuck past the goalie with 5:14 to play.
- MCLA tacked on a power play goal with 3:31 remaining to account for the final score.
By the Numbers:
- Redick's 16 goals lead the nation by three, while his 29 points are two more than the next closest player.
- Thirteen different players recorded points for the Panthers.
- Redick and Tait notched four points apiece, while Moretti, Poirier and O'Connell each finished with three.
- MCLA blocked 27 shots.
- The Panthers went 45-24 in the faceoff circle, with senior Jeromey Rancourt (Lewiston, Maine) winning 16-of-18.
- Plymouth State held a 56-10 advantage in shots.
- PSU finished 2-for-5 on the power play, while the Trailblazers were 1-for-2.
Up Next:
- The Panthers head to Fitchburg State on Saturday (Jan. 13) for a 4:00 p.m. game with the Falcons.
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