PLYMOUTH, N.H. – Senior
Payton Schaly (Orillia, Ontario) continued his remarkable run, scoring for an eighth straight game, and freshman
Étienne Tremblay-Mathieu (Québec City, Québec) potted the game-winner just over a minute into overtime as Plymouth State University outlasted Vermont State University Castleton, 5-4, in a key Little East Conference (LEC) men's ice hockey game at Hanaway Rink on Friday evening.
In a back-and-forth contest, Schaly scored his 10th goal of the year early in the second period to erase a 1-0 deficit. PSU went ahead with a short-handed tally late in the stanza, but the Spartans converted on the power play less than a minute later to send the game to the third period deadlocked at 2-2.
The third period opened with frantic action as the teams combined for four goals in less than six minutes. Freshman
Tucker Shedd (Hoyt, Mich.) and senior
Will Redick (Collingwood, Ontario) gave PSU a 4-2 lead in the opening 90 seconds, but Castleton rallied with consecutive goals to square the game at 4-4 with 14 minutes left in regulation.
Just over a minute into overtime, Tremblay-Mathieu gained the zone and cut around a defender and toward the middle before tucking a shot just inside the left post to secure the win.
Plymouth State improves to 9-8-0 (6-4-0 LEC), while VTSU Castleton slides to 9-7-1 (5-5-0 LEC).
The Basics:
- Plymouth State 5, VTSU Castleton 4 (OT)
- Plymouth State (9-8-0, 6-4-0 LEC)
- VTSU Castleton (9-7-1, 5-5-0 LEC)
How it Happened:
- The Spartans opened the scoring late in the first period during a 5-on-3 power play with a one-timer from the bottom of the left circle and carried a 1-0 lead into intermission.
- Redick won an offensive-zone faceoff straight to Schaly, who whipped a wrister into the top left corner to tie the game at 5:44 of the second period.
- Junior David Matousek (Karlovy Vary, Czechia) gave the Panthers a 2-1 lead with 1:41 remaining in the period on a short-handed tally inside the left post, but Castleton answered with a power-play goal with just 51 seconds left to send the game into the third period even at 2-2.
- The third period opened with a flurry. Shedd snuck a wrist shot from the blue line past the goalie 1:17 into the frame, and Redick won the ensuing faceoff and beat the netminder to the glove side five seconds later to make it 4-2.
- The Spartans responded 26 seconds later with slapshot from the left circle before tying the game with a power-play strike from the same spot at the 5:58 mark.
- Senior Brandon Shantz (San Antonio, Texas) made several clutch stops over the final 14 minutes of regulation to send the game to overtime.
- Just over a minute into the extra session, Tremblay-Mathieu skated up the left side, cut around a defender, and fired just inside the left post to earn the key conference victory.
By the Numbers:
- Schaly's 10 goals this season lead the team and match his career high. He has nine goals and three assists during his eight-game scoring streak.
- Redick, Schaly, and Tremblay-Mathieu each notched a goal and an assist.
- Shantz finished with 27 saves.
- Plymouth State owned a 37-31 shot advantage.
- The Spartans went 3-for-6 on the power play, while PSU was 0-for-3.
- Plymouth State skated to a 4-2 win when the teams met in November.
- Castleton leads the all-time series, 11-5-1, but the Panthers are 4-2-1 since the 2015-16 season.
Up Next:
- Plymouth State remains home to face Norwich on Saturday (Jan. 24) at 6 p.m. The Cadets are receiving votes in this week's USCHO.com poll.
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