PLYMOUTH, N.H. – Sophomore
Will Redick (Collingwood, Ontario) and freshman
Patrick O'Connell (West Chester, Pa.) each scored twice as Plymouth State University soared past Fitchburg State University, 7-2, in a Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) men's ice hockey game at Hanaway Rink on Thursday night.
After freshman
David Matousek (West Chester, Pa.) gave the Panthers the lead late in the first, Redick doubled the margin with a power play strike just under three minutes later. The Falcons got on the board with 1:23 left in the first to keep things close heading into intermission.
PSU burst out of the locker room with two goals in less than four minutes, including Redick's second power play tally of the evening, and junior
Cam Patton (Truro, Nova Scotia) got into the action to make it 5-1 midway through the second.
Fitchburg State converted a power play goal of its own late in the frame before O'Connell potted a pair of third period snipes to the top right corner to account for the final score.
Plymouth State improves to 18-2-2 (15-1-2 MASCAC), while Fitchburg State dips to 11-9-2 and 10-6-2 in league play.
The Basics:
- Plymouth State 7, Fitchburg State 2
- Plymouth State (18-2-2, 15-1-2 MASCAC)
- Fitchburg State (11-9-2, 10-6-2 MASCAC)
How it Happened:
- Plymouth State opened the game with steady zone time.
- The Falcons had a rare breakout opportunity, but freshman Severi Sulonen (Turku, Sweden) recovered and knocked the puck loose.
- Junior Ethan Stuckless (Conception Bay South, Newfoundland) just missed an open net eight minutes in and freshman Patrick O'Connell (West Chester, Pa.) dangled around a defender but had his shot saved moments later.
- The Panthers broke through at the 15:26 mark of the frame. O'Connell whipped a shot from the high slot that Matousek tipped past the goaltender to open the scoring.
- PSU doubled its lead during a 4-on-3 power play just under three minutes later when sophomore Rider McCallum (Langley, British Columbia) slipped a pass to Redick for a one-timer from his patented spot at the bottom of the right circle.
- The Falcons answered right back 21 seconds later during a 3-on-2 break to make it 2-1 heading into the intermission.
- Junior Connor Tait (Boyds, Md.) and freshman Will Pray (Wheaton, Ill.), fresh off being named semifinalists for the Joe Concannon Award this afternoon, teamed up to restore the two-goal advantage in the opening minute of the second. Pray worked the puck behind the goal and dumped it into the slot where Tait banged it home just 25 seconds into the frame.
- Redick potted his second of the night three minutes later when he tipped in Tait's shot from the left circle at the 3:41 mark during another PSU power play.
- Plymouth State tacked on another one with 9:10 left in the period when Patton knocked in the rebound off a shot from senior Brett Lockhart (Braintree, Mass.) to extend the lead to 5-1.
- The Falcons got one back with a power play tally just over two minutes later as PSU carried a 5-2 advantage into the final period.
- O'Connell sniped an absolute rocket to the top right corner from the left faceoff dot as PSU expanded the lead to 6-2 8:42 into the third.
- O'Connell buried his second during 4-on-4 action with another wrister from nearly the same spot to account for the 7-2 final score.
By the Numbers:
- With his two goals and an assist, Redick now has 50 points on 25 goals and 25 assists for the year. His 25 goals are tied for the second-most in a season in program history, just four of the all-time leader, while his 50 points are tied for the fourth-most in a season.
- O'Connell added a pair of assists to his two goals, making him the sixth player to record 20+ points on the year.
- Tait (one goal, two assists), Matousek (one goal, one assist), Patton (one goal, one assist) and McCallum (two assists) also had multi-point games.
- Plymouth State held a 58-30 advantage in shots.
- PSU went 2-for-6 on the power play, while the Falcons were 1-for-5.
- The Panthers controlled the faceoff circle, winning 38-of-66 (58%). Patton and senior Jeromey Rancourt (Lewiston, Maine) each won 11 draws.
- Senior Kalle Andersson (Taby, Sweden) finished with 28 saves in net.
Up Next:
- Plymouth State welcomes Framingham State for a Senior Day matchup on Saturday (Feb. 10) at 6:00 p.m.
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