PLYMOUTH, N.H. – Senior
Connor Tait (Boyds, Md.) netted his second career hat trick and Plymouth State University rallied from a one-goal deficit three different times as the Panthers outlasted #8 Plattsburgh State University, 5-3, in a non-conference men's ice hockey game on
Salute the Troops night at Hanaway Rink on Friday evening.
Plymouth State erased deficits of 1-0, 2-1 and 3-2, with Tait burying the equalizer each time. His third goal of the evening knotted the score at 3-3 midway through the third period, and freshman
Luca Rea (Burlington, Ontario) potted his first collegiate goal to give the Panthers their first lead of the night with 4:19 left to play. Senior
Ethan Stuckless (Conception Bay South, Newfoundland) capped the win with an empty netter in the final seconds.
Prior to the game Plymouth State recognized the local military community and several special guests, while a Plymouth State Air Force veteran and current Army National Guardsman conducted a ceremonial puck drop.
Plymouth State improves to 1-2-0, while the Cardinals slip to 1-1-0.
The Basics:
- Plymouth State 5, #8 Plattsburgh State 3
- Plymouth State (1-2-0)
- Plattsburgh State (1-1-0)
How it Happened:
- Sophomore goaltender Connor Strobel (Butler, Pa.) was tested five minutes in as a long outlet pass led to a 3-on-2 chance for the Cardinals, but he gloved the shot down and the Panthers' defense cleared the rebound out of harm's way.
- Plattsburgh State struck first at the 9:26 mark of the period when a wrister from just inside the blue line on the right side found its way through traffic and into the top corner.
- Junior Will Redick (Collingwood, Ontario) had a chance with eight minutes left in the frame when he rifled a shot from the right circle after a steal in the neutral zone, but the Plattsburgh State goalie was up to the challenge and the visitors would carry the 1-0 lead into intermission.
- Plymouth State pulled even just 1:37 into the middle stanza when Redick took a feed in the neutral zone and streaked up the right side. His initial shot was turned aside, but Tait was there to bury the rebound.
- Senior Donte' DiPonio (Trenton, Mich.) made a great play to break up a Plattsburgh State breakaway with seven minutes left in the period. With the Cardinals skating in for a 4-on-1 break, DiPonio recovered to disrupt a pass to the trailer and Plattsburgh State was unable to get a shot off.
- The Cardinals regained the lead at the 13:58 mark on a rebound goal, but Plymouth State would answer right back. Sophomore Eddie Mulligan (Lincoln, R.I.) played the puck up the right sidewall and Redick slipped a pass to Tait, who beat the goalie to tie the game at 2-2 just 49 seconds later.
- The visitors see-sawed back into the lead at the 3:37 mark of the third when a shot from the right circle tucked inside the far post.
- Plymouth State countered yet again as Tait collected a loose puck in front of the goal and flipped it to Redick. Redick's shot bounced off the crossbar, but once again Tait was there to bang it home, squaring the game at 3-3 with 11:59 left to play.
- The Panthers took the lead for the first time with 4:19 remaining when sophomore Andrew Stuckless (Conception Bay South, Newfoundland) snagged the puck in the neutral zone and skated down the left side. He dropped the puck for Rea, who blasted a shot to the top left corner for the game-winner.
- The Cardinals pulled the goalie for the final 1:51 and E. Stuckless sent the puck from the circle in the defensive end all the way down the ice and into the open goal to provide an insurance tally.
By the Numbers:
- Tait's hat trick was the second of his career. He poured in three goals and an assist in a 10-2 thumping of MCLA last January.
- Redick matched a career high with three assists.
- Strobel finished with 28 saves to pick up the win.
- Senior Cam Patton (Bible Hill, Nova Scotia) won 16-of-22 faceoffs.
- PSU held a 40-31 advantage in shots.
- Neither team was successful on the power play. The Panthers finished 0-for-1, while Plattsburgh State was scoreless in two chances.
- This was just the fourth meeting between the two teams. Plattsburgh State won the initial meeting in 2006, but the Panthers skated to a 3-2 win in 2021. The teams tied, 2-2, in the only other game at Hanaway Rink in 2022.
- Plymouth State is unbeaten in its last 30 regular season games at Hanaway Rink (28-0-2).
Up Next:
- The Panthers head to New England College on Saturday (Nov. 9) for a 7:00 p.m. clash with the Pilgrims.
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