KEENE, N.H. – Senior
Payton Schaly (Orillia, Ontario) scored again and Plymouth State University converted a pair of power-play chances in the second period to get past Keene State College, 4-3, in a Little East Conference (LEC) men's ice hockey game at Keene ICE on Saturday evening.
Plymouth State wasted little time getting on the board as junior
Patrick O'Connell (West Chester, Pa.) scored the lone goal of the first period just 1:32 into the game. The teams traded blows throughout the middle stanza. PSU doubled the margin on the power play as Schaly notched his 11th goal in his last 11 games early in the frame, but Keene State responded midway through the period to make it 2-1.
Another power-play tally, this time from freshman
Tucker Shedd (Holt, Mich.), temporarily restored the two-goal margin, but the Owls struck back just 21 seconds later to pull within 3-2. Senior
Brendan Doyle (Stratham, N.H.) scored what would prove to be the game-winner with four minutes left in the frame to give the Panthers a 4-2 cushion heading to the third.
Keene State struck midway through the final period, but junior goalie
Brandon Shantz (San Antonio, Texas) stood tall down the stretch to preserve the victory.
Plymouth State improves to 11-8-1 (8-4-1 LEC), while the Owls drop to 5-14-0 (1-12-0 LEC).
The Basics:
- Plymouth State 4, Keene State 3
- Plymouth State (11-8-1, 8-4-1 LEC)
- Keene State (5-14-0, 1-12-0 LEC)
How it Happened:
- O'Connell cleaned up the rebound in the crease to give the Panthers the lead just 1:32 into the contest and Plymouth State would maintain the 1-0 advantage into the first intermission.
- Schaly doubled the margin with a snipe from the right circle to extend to 2-0 roughly four minutes into the second.
- A misplay gave the Owls an open net midway through the period as Keene State cut the lead in half, 2-1.
- Shedd restored the two-goal margin with a nifty toe-drag and wrister to the top left corner during a power play with 7:13 left in the second, but the hosts answered back just 21 seconds later.
- Shedd sent a long pass from behind the PSU goal to Doyle in the neutral zone to catch Keene State in a line change. Doyle slipped past a defender and beat the Keene State goalie to the stick side to make it 4-2 heading to the third.
- The Owls again pulled within one, 4-3, scoring during an odd-man rush with 12:50 remaining, but Shantz stopped all seven shots the rest of the way to secure the victory.
By the Numbers:
- Schaly extended his incredible run with his 11th goal in 11 games.
- Shedd posted a multi-point game with a goal and an assist.
- Senior Will Redick (Collingwood, Ontario) registered his team-leading 17th assist of the year, while freshman Étienne Tremblay-Mathieu (Québec City, Québec) recorded his 15th.
- Shantz finished with 25 saves to earn the win.
- Redick won 14-of-18 faceoffs.
- Plymouth State held a 41-28 advantage in shots.
- The Panthers finished 2-for-4 on the power play, while holding Keene State scoreless in six chances.
- Plymouth State secured the season sweep with the win.
Up Next:
- The Panthers visit UMass Boston on Friday (Feb. 6) for a 7 p.m. matchup with the Beacons.
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