BIDDEFORD, Maine – The University of New England got out to a hot start to spoil the season opener for #11 Plymouth State University in a 5-0 win over the Panthers in non-conference men's ice hockey action at Harold Alfond Forum on Friday night.
The Nor'easters opened the scoring at the 9:45 mark of the first and added a second tally late in the frame for a 2-0 lead after one. UNE scored twice in less than three minutes early in the second period and added a third tally midway through the frame to put the game out of reach.
PSU's last shutout loss also came at the hands of UNE, a 2-0 setback in the first round of the 2022-23 NCAA Tournament.
Plymouth State (0-1-0) looks to rebound when the Panthers visit Babson College on Saturday (Nov. 2), while the Nor'easters start the year at 1-0-0.
The Basics:
- #11 Plymouth State 0, UNE 5
- Plymouth State (0-1-0)
- UNE (1-0-0)
How it Happened:
- UNE got on the board first midway through the first period when a shot on a two-on-one break snuck through.
- The Nor'easters doubled the margin late in the frame when a close-range shot found the back of the net with 2:25 left before intermission.
- A steal in the defensive zone led to a three-on-one breakout for the hosts, who converted for the 3-0 advantage just over five minutes into the second period.
- UNE used a power play strike later in the frame to stretch the lead and a rebound goal made it 5-0 with 9:44 left in the period.
- Plymouth State was unable to push anything past the UNE goalkeeper despite blasting over 70 shots in the contest.
By the Numbers:
- Junior Rider McCallum (Langley, British Columbia) fired a team-high 11 shots.
- Sophomore Eddie Mulligan (Lincoln, R.I.) blocked three shots while senior Ethan Stuckless (Conception Bay South, Newfoundland) went 7-2 in the faceoff circle.
- Plymouth State outshot the Nor'easters by a 73-46 margin, including 39-31 in shots on goal.
- UNE's penalty kill was solid, holding the Panthers scoreless in three chances. UNE went 1-for-3 on the power play.
- The Nor'easters own a 5-2-1 edge in the head-to-head series.
Up Next:
- Plymouth State heads to Babson College on Saturday (Nov. 2) for a 4:00 p.m. clash with the Beavers.
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