PLYMOUTH, N.H. – Junior
Ethan Stuckless (Conception Bay South, Newfoundland) redirected a shot from the point early in the third period to lift Plymouth State University to a 3-2 win over Westfield State University in a Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) men's ice hockey game at Hanaway Rink on Saturday afternoon.
In a back-and-forth affair, Plymouth State twice rallied from one-goal deficits before Stuckless sent the came away with the winner, extending the Panthers' unbeaten streak to nine straight games.
Westfield State scored with less than eight seconds remaining in the opening period, but sophomore
Will Pray (Wheaton, Ill.) answered for the Panthers ten seconds into the second. The Owls retook the lead three minutes later, but PSU countered once again when sophomore
Rider McCallum (Langley, British Columbia) received a pass alone in the slot and went top shelf with 5:54 left in the middle stanza.
Stuckless redirected a McCallum shot from the point during a Plymouth State power play early in the third and the Panthers' defense held the lead.
Plymouth State improves to 10-1-2 (7-0-2 MASCAC) while Westfield State goes to 8-4-1 (5-3-1 MASCAC).
The Basics:
- Plymouth State 3, Westfield State 2
- Plymouth State (10-1-2, 7-0-2 MASCAC)
- Westfield State (8-4-1, 5-3-1 MASCAC)
How it Happened:
- Plymouth State had an early chance just over two minutes in when junior Donte' DiPonio (Trenton, Mich.) stole the puck in the neutral zone and skated in. He weaved around a defender and got to the net but his bid to the stick side was blockered away.
- Westfield State's first opportunity came at the six-minute mark during a 2-on-1, but senior Kalle Andersson (Taby, Sweden) was up to the task.
- The Owls struck in the final seconds when a long pass up the left side led to a breakaway and a shot from the left circle snuck under Andersson's glove with just 7.3 seconds left on the clock.
- The Panthers answered right back ten seconds into the second when sophomore Will Redick (Collingwood, Ontario) found Pray in front and his backhanded shot found the top right corner to tie the game at 1-1.
- Westfield State responded three minutes later when a Panthers' turnover resulted in a 2-on-1 and an Owls' skater was able to tap home a shot on the far post for a 2-1 advantage.
- Plymouth State successfully killed off a penalty with just over six minutes left in the middle stanza. McCallum jumped onto the ice and streaked toward the net, receiving a pass from junior Cam Patton (Truro, Nova Scotia) in the slot before going top shelf to retie the game.
- The Panthers converted on a power play chance 2:43 into the third to take the lead. McCallum fired a shot from the point that was tipped in by Stuckless for what would prove to be the game winner.
By the Numbers:
- McCallum finished with a goal and an assist.
- Pray tallied his fifth goal of the season, while Stuckless' tally was his fourth of the year.
- Redick, Patton, and seniors Anton Jellvik (Taby, Sweden) and Jeromey Rancourt (Lewiston, Maine) all recorded assists in the win.
- Plymouth State held a 37-16 advantage in shots.
- Andersson posted 14 saves to improve to 9-1-1 on the year.
- PSU was 1-for-5 on the power play, while the Panthers held Westfield State scoreless in seven chances.
- Plymouth State improves to 35-10-2 against the Owls since the 2008-09 season.
Up Next:
- The Panthers stay in league play on Thursday (Jan. 11) when they host MCLA for a 6:00 p.m. game.
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