PLYMOUTH, N.H. – Freshman
Kim Hilmersson (Uppsala, Sweden) scored his second goal of the night with just 14 seconds remaining to lift Plymouth State University to a 3-2 win over the University of Massachusetts Boston in a Little East Conference (LEC) men's ice hockey game at Hanaway Rink on Saturday afternoon.
As part of the annual
Salute the Troops contest, Plymouth State held a pregame ceremony honoring veterans for their service, including a ceremonial puck drop performed by administrators from Swim With a Mission – a New Hampshire-based nonprofit dedicated to supporting veterans through fundraising, awareness, and community events.
Additionally, the Plymouth State Office of Military Services announced the establishment of the Sargeant Major James E. Goss Prize, recognizing the 1968 Plymouth State graduate's decades of service to the university.
The Beacons held leads of 1-0 and 2-1, but Plymouth State answered with power-play goals each time. Freshman
Tucker Shedd (Holt, Mich.) tied the game at 1-1 late in the first period, and Hilmersson redirected a shot from the slot midway through the third to knot the score at 2-2.
Plymouth State went back on the power play with 1:22 left in regulation, and Hilmersson cleaned up a rebound in the slot in the final seconds to seal the victory.
PSU improves to 3-3-0 (3-1-0 LEC), while UMass Boston falls to 2-2-0 (1-1-0 LEC).
The Basics:
- Plymouth State 3, UMass Boston 2
- Plymouth State (3-3-0, 3-1-0 LEC)
- UMass Boston (2-2-0, 1-1-0 LEC)
How it Happened:
- The Beacons struck first 2:57 into the game when a shot ricocheted off the end boards and was punched in at the far post.
- Both goalies made huge saves on breakout chances later in the period. Junior Patrick O'Connell (West Chester, Pa.) had a 1-on-1 at 7:15, and graduate student Brandon Shantz (San Antonio, Texas) denied a UMB breakaway just 10 seconds later.
- Plymouth State capitalized on a power-play opportunity with 4:43 left in the first to tie it. Junior Severi Sulonen (Turku, Finland) hit Shedd in the high slot, and the freshman ripped a shot to the top-right corner to make it 1-1 after one.
- The second period featured back-and-forth action, with both goaltenders making key stops to keep the game tied.
- Shantz made a flurry of outstanding saves early in the third before the Beacons finished a give-and-go to retake a 2-1 lead at 6:45.
- The Panthers responded with another power-play goal less than four minutes later. Freshman Étienne Tremblay-Mathieu (Québec City, Québec) found Hilmersson in the slot for the redirect, evening the score with 9:20 remaining.
- Another UMass Boston penalty with 1:22 left gave PSU its sixth power play. Senior Payton Schaly (Orillia, Ontario) fired a shot from the low slot, and Hilmersson buried the rebound for the game-winner.
By the Numbers:
- Hilmersson recorded his first multi-point game with two goals.
- Tremblay-Mathieu continued his strong weekend with two assists. He has one goal and five assists over the last two games.
- Shedd's goal was his second of the season. He has recorded a point in each of the last four games.
- Shantz finished with 38 saves, including 23 in the second period alone.
- All three PSU goals came on the power play, as the Panthers went 3-for-6 with the man advantage. UMass Boston was 0-for-2.
- The Beacons held a slight 40-33 edge in shots on goal.
- The contest marked just the third meeting between the two programs; the teams had split the previous two matchups.
Up Next:
- Plymouth State remains home to face Keene State on Friday (Nov. 21) at 6 p.m.
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