PLYMOUTH, N.H. – Sophomore
Payton Schaly (Orillia, Ontario) notched a goal and two assists and junior
Connor Tait (Boyds, Md.) also recorded a three-point game as top-seeded and #13 Plymouth State University skated past fourth-seeded Westfield State University, 5-1, in the semifinals of the 2024 Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) Men's Ice Hockey Tournament at Hanaway Rink on Saturday evening.
Plymouth State advances to the championship game and will look for a fifth straight title and trip to the NCAA Tournament next Saturday (Mar. 2). The Panthers (22-2-2) will host second-seeded Fitchburg State University at 6:00 p.m. The Falcons outlasted third-seeded UMass Dartmouth in overtime in the evening's other semifinal.
Plymouth State scored three times in less than five minutes in the opening period to set an early tone and chase the Westfield State goaltender. The Owls had a chance to bite into the lead after scoring in the opening minute of the second and immediately going on a power play, but PSU's penalty kill unit was up to the task, and the Panthers put the game out of reach with a pair of power play tallies in the third period.
The Basics:
- #13 Plymouth State 5, Westfield State 1
- #13 Plymouth State (22-2-2)
- Westfield State (13-12-2)
How it Happened:
- Plymouth State opened the scoring at the 10:41 mark of the first when junior Donte' DiPonio (Trenton, Mich.) fired a diagonal pass through the neutral zone to freshman Patrick O'Connell (West Chester, Pa.), whose blast from the right circle got under the glove of the Westfield State goaltender to make it 1-0.
- PSU doubled the margin with 4:48 left in the period during the game's first power play opportunity. Schaly snapped a wrister from the top of the right circle to beat the goalie to the stick side for a 2-0 lead.
- The Panthers struck again just 18 seconds later as junior Ethan Stuckless (Conception Bay South, Newfoundland) played the puck out of the corner to senior Anton Jellvik (Taby, Sweden), who was alone in the slot. Jellvik collected and fired to the top left corner to make it 3-0 and force the Owls into a goalie change.
- Westfield State built momentum to open the second period, lighting the lamp less than 30 seconds in when a skater got free on the back post for a tap in to pull within 3-1.
- The Owls went on the power play just a minute later with a golden chance to cut further into the deficit, but the Panthers' penalty kill unit was up to the task.
- Westfield State had another power play chance late in the period, but senior goalie Kalle Andersson (Taby, Sweden) made a pair of stops and the Panthers blocked three shots to carry the 3-1 advantage into the third period.
- Plymouth State restored the three-goal margin with another power play goal 6:50 into the third as sophomore Rider McCallum (Langley, British Columbia) fired a shot from the blue line that found the back of the net to make it 4-1.
- The Panthers converted on the power play yet again just under six minutes later when sophomore Will Redick (Collingwood, Ontario) hit Stuckless with a pass through the crease for an easy goal to extend the lead to 5-1.
By the Numbers:
- Schaly's three points were a career high.
- Tait picked up three assists to give him 19 helpers on the year.
- Stuckless (one goal, one assist) and sophomore Will Redick (two assists) also posted multi-points games.
- Redick leads the nation with 55 points, which are tied for the third-most in a season in program history.
- Andersson made 35 saves to improve to 19-2-1 on the year. His 19 wins are the second most in a season in school history.
- Plymouth State went 3-for-5 on the power play, while holding the Owls scoreless in three chances.
- PSU will play for its seventh MASCAC crown next Saturday. The Panthers won the MASCAC Tournament in 2011-12, 2014-15 and every year since 2018-19 (excluding the canceled 2020-21 season).
Up Next:
- Top-seeded Plymouth State hosts second-seeded Fitchburg State for the league's automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament next Saturday (Mar. 2) at 6:00 p.m.
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