WESTFIELD, Mass. – Seniors
Dante Moretti (Columbus, Ohio) and
Cam Patton (Bible Hill, Nova Scotia) recorded a goal and an assist apiece, and junior
Brandon Shantz (San Antonio, Texas) stopped all 23 shots he faced as Plymouth State University blanked Westfield State University, 3-0, in a Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) men's ice hockey game at Amelia Park Ice Arena on Thursday night.
PSU jumped out to an early lead with a power play goal in the opening four minutes when Patton banged home a rebound in the slot. Despite Plymouth State controlling play and outshooting the Owls by a 34-16 margin, it remained a one-goal game into the third period.
Moretti stuffed home a loose puck in the crease during another power play less than 90 seconds into the final stanza, and junior
Will Redick (Collingwood, Ontario) potted his team-leading 15th goal of the year four minutes later to give the Panthers a cushion.
That would prove to be plenty, as Shantz was on top of his game to earn his second shutout of the season – both coming against Westfield State.
The Panthers improve to 16-5-0 (13-1-0 MASCAC), while Westfield State falls to 10-10-0 and 6-7-0 in conference play.
The Basics:
- Plymouth State 3, Westfield State 0
- Plymouth State (16-5-0, 13-1-0 MASCAC)
- Westfield State (10-10-0, 6-7-0 MASCAC)
How it Happened:
- Plymouth State took the early lead with a power play goal just under four minutes into the contest. Junior Brendan Doyle (Stratham, N.H.) whipped a pass from the right circle to Moretti on the left side. His quick shot went off the goalie's pads, but Patton was there to tap in the rebound.
- PSU would maintain the one-goal lead into the second period.
- Sophomore David Matousek (Karlovy Vary, Czech Republic) poked the puck free at the offensive blue line, setting up freshman Luca Rea (Burlington, Ontario) and Redick for a 2-on-1 chance seven minutes into the second. The Owls' goalkeeper blocked down Redick's initial shot, though, and the rebound slipped under Matousek's stick.
- Senior Ethan Stuckless (Conception Bay South, Newfoundland) rifled a wrister from the left side during a power play chance moments later, but the blast rang the pipe.
- Despite controlling the pace of play, PSU could not add to its advantage as the game remained 1-0 heading to the second intermission.
- Junior Lucas Jones (Calgary, Alberta) whipped a shot from the blue line during tail end of a power play to open the third. His shot was gloved down, but the puck came loose and Moretti was able to stuff it past the goaltender to make it 2-0 just 1:15 into the frame.
- A good forecheck by freshman Matt Hale (Center Harbor, N.H.) led to a Westfield State turnover at the blue line. Redick snared the loose puck, slid into the slot and sniped a shot just inside the right post for a 3-0 lead with 14:20 left on the clock, and that would prove more than enough for the Panthers.
- PSU's defense and junior goaltender Brandon Shantz (San Antonio, Texas) killed off a pair of late penalties to preserve the shutout win.
By the Numbers:
- Redick leads the team with 15 goals and 32 points and is riding a seven-game points streak.
- Moretti picked up his first multipoint game since scoring twice against Worcester State on Nov. 15.
- Patton registered his eighth multipoint game of the year.
- Shantz made 23 saves in his shutout of the Owls in December, as well. That one came with an extra 24 seconds of ice time, as the Panthers scored early in overtime.
- PSU leads the series by a 38-11-2 mark, though the Owls have been a tough out at home. The win was just the Panthers' third at Amelia Park Ice Arena since 2019.
Up Next:
- Plymouth State returns home to host Rivier in a league game on Saturday (Feb. 8) at 6:00 p.m.
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