PLYMOUTH, N.H. – Eleven different players registered a point, and Plymouth State University used a four-goal second period to get past Skidmore College, 5-3, in a non-conference men's ice hockey game at Hanaway Rink on Saturday night.
After a scoreless first period, junior
Will Pray (Prague, Czechia) scored on a breakaway early in the second. Sophomore
Luca Rea (Burlington, Ontario) and senior
Will Redick (Collingwood, Ontario) then added special teams goals just over a minute apart to extend the margin to 3-0. Skidmore cut into the deficit with just under four minutes left in the stanza, but senior
Byron Hartley (Philadelphia, Pa.) responded in the final 30 seconds with his first goal in a PSU sweater to make it 4-1 after two periods.
The Thoroughbreds attempted to rally in the third, scoring twice to pull to within 4-3 with four minutes remaining, but senior
Brandon Shantz (San Antonio, Texas) came up with a flurry of big saves, and classmate
Payton Schaly (Orillia, Ontario) potted an empty-netter to seal the 5-3 victory.
Plymouth State improves to 8-5-0, while Skidmore slips to 5-6-2.
The Basics:
- Plymouth State 5, Skidmore 3
- Plymouth State (8-5-0)
- Skidmore (5-6-2)
How it Happened:
- Both teams had opportunities in the opening period, but Shantz and his counterpart were stellar. Shantz made a pair of huge stops near the seven-minute mark – first during a 1-on-1, then on a 4-on-2 break – while the Skidmore goalie got his glove on a turnaround blast from freshman Kim Hilmersson (Upsalla, Sweden) with five minutes left to keep it scoreless.
- Plymouth State broke the stalemate 2:41 into the second, shortly after a successful penalty kill, when senior Lucas Jones (Calgary, Alberta) cleared the zone and hit Pray for a breakout chance. Pray deked the goalie and flipped the puck into the top-right corner for a 1-0 lead.
- PSU's special teams came up big again five minutes later when junior Patrick O'Connell (West Chester, Pa.) connected with Rea for a shorthanded breakaway goal to make it 2-0.
- Senior Rider McCallum (Langley, British Columbia) won a battle along the end boards and found Redick in the high slot to make it 3-0 at the 8:48 mark of the frame during 4-on-4 play.
- Skidmore got on the board with a power-play goal with 3:49 left in the period to close the gap to 3-1.
- Hartley took a pass at center ice, flew down the right side, and sniped a shot inside the left post to restore the three-goal margin in the final minute of the frame.
- Skidmore continued to push in the third, scoring in the opening five minutes to pull within 4-2 and nearly adding another a minute later, but Shantz held strong at the goal line to keep the puck out.
- The Thoroughbreds pulled to within one with an extra skater with just over four minutes left.
- Shantz made a flurry of key stops in the closing minutes, and Schaly sealed the win with a long empty-net goal to account for the final score.
By the Numbers:
- Redick's tally was the 63rd of his career, the second most in program history. He leads the team with eight goals and 17 points.
- Pray's marker was his first of the year, while Hartley's was his first as a Panther in just his second game since transferring from St. Norbert College during the semester break.
- Rea scored for the second straight night and has five points over his last four games.
- Schaly has a goal in each of his last four games.
- Shantz posted 35 saves to pick up the win.
- Plymouth State went 0-for-4 on the power play and added a shorthanded tally, while Skidmore finished 1-for-5.
- The Thoroughbreds held a narrow 38-34 edge in shots on goal.
- Plymouth State leads the all-time series, 7-5, though this was the first meeting since the 1996-97 season.
Up Next:
- The Panthers return to Little East Conference (LEC) action on Friday (Jan. 9) with a trip to Babson College. Puck drop is set for 7 p.m.
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