WESTFIELD, Mass. – #15 Plymouth State University nearly rallied from a three-goal deficit, but Westfield State University was able to hold on for a 3-2 win over the Panthers in a Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) men's ice hockey game at Amelia Park Ice Arena on Thursday night.
The Owls exploded out of the gates for three goals in less than five minutes to take a commanding 3-0 lead. Plymouth State rallied with a pair of power play goals in the late stages of the middle period, but Westfield State was able to hold on for the win despite being outshot by a heavy margin.
Plymouth State hadn't lost to a MASCAC team since Feb. 15, 2022 – a run of 35-straight regular season games and 39 total games including MASCAC Tournament play.
Plymouth State slips to 16-2-2 (13-1-2 MASCAC), while Westfield State moves to 12-7-1 and 9-6-1 in MASCAC play.
The Basics:
- #15 Plymouth State 2, Westfield State 3
- #15 Plymouth State (16-2-2, 13-1-2 MASCAC)
- Westfield State (12-7-1, 9-6-1 MASCAC)
How it Happened:
- Westfield State wasted little time with three goals in the first five minutes of action. The Owls scored on a breakaway at the 2:42 mark, potted a wrist shot in transition at 3:43 and converted on a 2-on-1 break at 4:41 to build an early lead.
- Plymouth State put heavy pressure during a power play chance early in the second period, but the Panthers were unable to solve the Westfield State goaltender.
- Sophomore Will Redick (Collingwood, Ontario) appeared to get the Panthers on the board with a breakaway opportunity midway through the frame. His wrister went off the cross bar and was trickling into the goal but the net was jarred loose by a Westfield State skater before the puck crossed the goal line.
- PSU finally broke the ice with a power play goal with 4:06 left in the period. Redick made a pass from the near side through traffic to junior Connor Tait (Boyds, Md.), who redirected the puck to junior Ethan Stuckless (Conception Bay South, Newfoundland) on the near post for the easy goal to cut the deficit to 3-1.
- Plymouth State kept the pressure on as the Panthers went right back on the power play. Stuckless attempted a wraparound that was kicked out to sophomore Rider McCallum (Langley, British Columbia) at the left circle. McCallum made a quick pass to Redick at the right dot and he fired a wrister into the net to make it 3-2 heading into the final period.
- Senior Kalle Andersson (Taby, Sweden) made a big save with the left pad to deny the Owls during a 2-on-1 in the opening minutes of the third.
- Plymouth State went to the extra skater for the final 1:45 and put several shots on goal in the final seconds but was not able to come away with the equalizer.
By the Numbers:
- Redick and Stuckless continued their hot streaks. Stuckless has five goals and seven points over his last four games, while Redick has recorded multiple points in 16-of-19 games this season, including six goals and 19 points in his last seven games.
- PSU went 2-for-3 on the power play while holding the Owls scoreless in two chances.
- The Panthers held a 40-14 advantage in shots, including a 28-8 edge after the first period.
- Plymouth State moves to 35-11-2 against the Owls since joining the MASCAC.
- The Panthers had been unbeaten in 35-straight regular season conference games. PSU's last MASCAC loss came at Westfield State on Feb. 15, 2022.
Up Next:
- The Panthers head to MCLA on Saturday (Feb. 3) for a 7:00 p.m. clash with the Trailblazers.
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