PLYMOUTH, N.H. – Sophomore
Will Redick (Collingwood, Ontario) and junior
Ethan Stuckless (Conception Bay South, Newfoundland) tallied a goal and an assist apiece to help Plymouth State University hold off Salem State University, 4-3, in a Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) men's ice hockey game at Hanaway Rink during
NH Broadband Night on Thursday.
The Vikings jumped out to an early lead in the opening seconds, but Plymouth State scored three straight goals to take a 3-1 lead into the final period. Salem State cut the deficit to 3-2 just over a minute into the third, but senior
Anton Jellvik (Taby, Sweden) answered back four minutes later with what would prove to be the game winner.
Salem State made things interesting with a goal with 1:09 remaining in regulation and the Vikings pulled the goalie for the final 42 seconds, but Plymouth State's defense and senior goaltender
Kalle Andersson (Taby, Sweden) held on to preserve the win.
Plymouth State extends its unbeaten streak to 14 straight games and wins its 11th in a row to improve to 15-1-2 (12-0-2 MASCAC), while Salem State slides to 5-13-0 and 5-9-0 in MASCAC play.
The Basics:
- Plymouth State 4, Salem State 3
- Plymouth State (15-1-2, 12-0-2 MASCAC)
- Salem State (5-13-0, 5-9-0 MASCAC)
How it Happened:
- Salem State forced a turnover in the Panthers' defensive zone right off the faceoff, creating a 2-on-1 break to take the 1-0 lead just nine seconds into the game.
- The Panthers pulled even at the 13:52 mark. Junior Connor Tait (Boyds, Md.) fired a shot from the high slot that whistled wide of the goal and Redick snagged the puck off the end boards and tucked a wraparound inside the far post.
- Freshman Severi Sulonen (Turku, Finland) had a pair of chances in the final minute when he received a diagonal pass at the right faceoff dot, but the Salem State goaltender blocked down the first attempt and recovered to deny the rebound bid as the game went into the first intermission deadlocked at 1-1.
- Plymouth State pulled ahead at the 7:34 mark of the second when freshman Patrick O'Connell (West Chester, Pa.) corralled the puck in the bottom right corner after a blocked shot and sniped a wrist shot to the far post to make it 2-1.
- PSU extended the margin with a power play strike with 7:06 remaining in the period when Stuckless tapped in a pass from sophomore Rider McCallum (Langley, British Columbia) at the near post.
- The Panthers nearly added another in the waning seconds of the period when junior Cam Patton (Truro, Nova Scotia) skated in alone for a short-handed bid, but his blast rang the pipe.
- Salem State cut into the margin 1:14 into the third period on a one-timer off a cross-ice pass, but PSU answered back less than four minutes later when Jellvik entered the zone on the left side and fired a missile to the top left corner to make it 4-2.
- The Vikings made things interesting with a goal with just over a minute left in regulation. Salem State went to the extra skater for the final 42 seconds, but the Panthers were able to hold on for the win.
By the Numbers:
- Redick continues to lead the nation in both goals (18) and points (39).
- Stuckless scored for the second straight game and has seven goals and eight assists on the season.
- McCallum also had a multi-point game with a pair of assists.
- Jellvik's tally was his fifth of the year.
- Plymouth State went 1-for-3 on the power play, while holding the Vikings scoreless in three chances.
- Andersson finished with 18 saves.
- The Panthers outshot Salem State by a 52-21 margin.
- PSU controlled the faceoff circle, winning 63.9% of the draws. Patton led the team with a game-high 11 wins.
- Plymouth State has won the last nine meetings and owns a 32-12-5 mark against the Vikings since joining the MASCAC in 2008-09.
Up Next:
- Plymouth State visits Worcester State for a league game on Saturday (Jan. 27) at 3:20 p.m.
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