PLYMOUTH, N.H. – Senior
Jameson Bourque (Weare, N.H.) made 16 saves to pick up the win in his first career start as Plymouth State University handled the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts, 3-1, in a Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) men's ice hockey game at Hanaway Rink on Saturday night.
After a scoreless opening period, sophomore
David Matousek (Karlovy Vary, Czech Republic) and junior
Brendan Doyle (Stratham, N.H.) scored twice in a 3:30 span to open the second. Bourque came up big as the Trailblazers stormed in on an odd-man rush later in the frame, and graduate student
Colin Tracy (Bow, N.H.) added an insurance tally less than two minutes into the third period. MCLA spoiled the shutout bid with a power play goal 4:18 into the third, but that was all Bourque and the Panthers' defense would allow.
Plymouth State improves to 12-4-0 (9-0-0 MASCAC), while MCLA drops to 2-13-0 and 2-6-0 in league play.
The Basics:
- Plymouth State 3, MCLA 1
- Plymouth State (12-4-0, 9-0-0 MASCAC)
- MCLA (2-13-0, 2-6-0 MASCAC)
How it Happened:
- The physical first period featured six penalties, but neither team was able to generate much offense as the game went into the first intermission deadlocked at 0-0.
- Sophomore Severi Sulonen (Turku, Finland) nearly broke the ice during a wraparound power play in the opening minute of the second, but his blast from the right side found the crossbar.
- Plymouth State got on the board at the 2:15 mark of the period as junior Will Redick (Collingwood, Ontario) cycled around the offensive zone before feeding Matousek at the edge of the left circle. Matousek's one-timer beat the MCLA goalie low to the glove side for the 1-0 lead.
- PSU doubled the lead just 3:30 later when Doyle took a pass in the defensive zone and went the length of the ice, slipping a backhanded shot into the back of the net.
- MCLA missed a golden opportunity to get back into the game during a two-minute 5-on-3, but PSU's penalty kill was up to the task.
- Bourque was tested during a 2-on-1 breakaway with five minutes left in the stanza, but he calmly sticked the puck aside and PSU would maintain the 2-0 lead into the final period.
- Tracy sniped a rebound to the top left corner 1:48 into the third to pad the Panthers' lead.
- MCLA spoiled the shutout with a power play goal with 15:48 left on the clock.
- The Trailblazers attempted to chip away further, but Bourque made another pair of big saves midway through the period to preserve the two-goal margin and Plymouth State would hold on for the league win.
By the Numbers:
- Senior Donte' DiPonio (Trenton, Mich.) registered a pair of assists and has four points over the last two games.
- Doyle's game-winner was his sixth goal of the season, fourth-most on the team.
- Eight different Panthers notched points in the win.
- PSU went 0-for-5 on the power play, while the Trailblazers were 1-for-4, but squandered a 5-on-3 opportunity.
- Plymouth State owned a 46-17 advantage in shots. MCLA finished with 26 blocked shots.
- Sophomore Koby Howat (Honey Brook, Pa.) won 11-of-15 faceoffs.
- Plymouth State moves to 5-1 against MCLA all time.
Up Next:
- Plymouth State visits Anna Maria for a league game on Thursday (Jan. 23) at 5:40 p.m.
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