NEW BEDFORD, Mass. – Freshman
David Matousek (West Chester, Pa.) tallied the game-winning goal as #14 Plymouth State University sank the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, 6-2, in Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) men's ice hockey action at Hetland Arena on Thursday night.
After a scoreless first period, Plymouth State got right to work in the middle stanza as sophomore
Will Redick (Collingwood, Ontario) fortified his grasp on the national scoring title with yet another goal just 1:04 into the frame. Junior
Connor Tait (Boyds, Md.) converted midway through the frame, with Redick setting up the tally, but the Corsairs made it 2-1 just a minute later.
Matousek received a long pass from senior
Colin Tracy (Concord, N.H.) late in the stanza, then tucked a shot inside the post for a 3-1 advantage heading into the third period.
PSU tacked on two more before UMass Dartmouth attempted a late rally by scoring with 2:50 left to play. Plymouth State quickly put the comeback bid to rest, though, as freshman
Will Pray (Wheaton, Ill.) potted an empty netter to account for the final score.
Plymouth State jumps to 20-2-2 (17-1-2 MASCAC), topping the 20-win threshold for the second straight season. UMass Dartmouth dips to 14-10-0 (12-8-0 MASCAC).
The Basics:
- #14 Plymouth State 6, UMass Dartmouth 2
- #14 Plymouth State (20-2-2, 17-1-2 MASCAC)
- UMass Dartmouth (14-10-0, 12-8-0 MASCAC)
How it Happened:
- Plymouth State outshot the Corsairs by a 12-6 margin in the opening frame, but both goalies stood tall to keep the game scoreless.
- PSU wasted little time getting onto the board in the second, though, as freshman Severi Sulonen (Turku, Finland) fired a pass through the neutral zone to Redick, who split a pair of defenders before potting his nation-leading 26th goal of the season just 1:04 into the period.
- The Panthers doubled the margin at the midpoint of the period. Tait dumped the puck into the zone where Pray played it behind the goal. Redick collected and whipped a quick pass back to Tait in the slot, who deposited it to the back of the net at the 10:33 mark.
- UMass Dartmouth came right back just over a minute later to pull within 2-1.
- Plymouth State killed off a Corsairs' power play late in the frame, then used the momentum to restore the two-goal lead. Senior Kalle Andersson (Taby, Sweden) made a save on a challenging shot from the right circle and the puck deflected to Tracy, who gloved it down before sending a long pass to Matousek up the right side. Matousek skated through the slot before whipping a shot inside the left post to make it 3-1 with 2:04 left in the period.
- The Panthers struck again in the opening minutes of the third. Junior Donte' DiPonio (Trenton, Mich.) flipped a pass to freshman Patrick O'Connell (West Chester, Pa.) along the half wall. O'Connell hit junior Cam Patton (Truro, Nova Scotia) in stride, and Patton's wrister from the left circle found the top right corner of the goal as the lead expanded to 4-1.
- Sophomore Payton Schaly (Orillia, Ontario) fought off two defenders to win the puck in the corner before finding junior Ethan Stuckless (Conception Bay South, Newfoundland) at the left faceoff dot. Stuckless snuck a wrist shot inside the near post to make it 5-1 with 7:46 to play.
- The Corsairs answered back to cut the margin to 5-2 with 2:50 remaining.
- UMD pulled the goalie with 1:30 to go and Pray closed out the scoring with an empty-netter just nine seconds later.
By the Numbers:
- Redick finished with a goal and two assists, bumping his season points total to 53. It was his 11th game of three or more points on the season.
- Redick's 26 goals are the second-most in a season in program history, while his 53 points rank fourth.
- Patton and Pray each tallied a goal and an assist in the win.
- Tait's goal was his 15th of the year, while Stuckless potted his 11th.
- Plymouth State held a 43-25 advantage in shots.
- The Panthers' penalty kill unit held UMass Dartmouth scoreless in four chances. PSU finished 0-for-2 on the power play.
- Andersson recorded 23 saves to bump his record to 17-2-1.
- PSU controlled the faceoff dot, winning 42-of-68 (61.8%). Senior Jeromy Rancourt (Lewiston, Maine) went 13-5, while Redick was 12-6 on the draw.
Up Next:
- Plymouth State closes out the regular season at Salem State on Saturday (Feb. 17). Puck drop is set for 2:00 p.m.
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