Plymouth State Scores Three in the Third to Defeat Ice Hockey 8-5
Framingham, Mass. - The Plymouth State University ice hockey team scored three goals in final period to defeat the Framingham State Rams 8-5 on the road tonight at Loring Arena in Massachusetts State College Athletic Conference (MASCAC) ice hockey action. With the win, the Panthers improve to 11-4-1 in the MASCAC and 15-7-1 overall, while the Rams fall to 2-19-2 overall and 2-14-1 in the MASCAC.
Freshman forward Alex Cottle (Westchester, PA) and senior forward Chris Chambers (Crofton, MD) led the Panthers offense with five points apiece in the game. Cottle scored three goals with two assists, while Chambers picked up two goals and three assists.
Senior forward Joe Hurley (Charlestown, Mass.) led the Rams with a goal and three assists for four points on the night.
Plymouth State came out of the locker room hot and took a 2-0 lead in the opening minutes of the game. Cottle scored his first of the night at 5:32 of the first and Richie Zobak (Evergreen Park, IL) added a power play goal at 6:09. Framingham State cut the deficit back to one goal (2-1) late in the period as senior Brett Casavant (Gardner, Mass.) scored a power play goal at 15:09.
The Rams tied the game just 31 seconds into the second on senior Matt Lally's (Natick, Mass.) eighth goal of the season. The tie would not last long as just 27 seconds later Cottle scored his second of the game to put the Panthers back up 3-2.
Framingham State tied the score once again at 4:02 of the second on a power play goal from Eric Walsh (Haverhill, Mass.), but once again the Panthers broke the tie 31 seconds later on a Chris Zaremba (Colorado Springs, CO) goal. Chambers would add his first of the game at 12:48 to give the Panthers a 5-3 lead that they took into the second intermission.
Framingham State scored two goals in the first 3:21 of the third period to knot the game at 5-5. Hurley scored an unassisted goal, his team leading 14th of the season, 1:33 into the period and senior Trevor Johnson scored a shorthanded goal at 3:21.
Sean Buckley would give the Panthers the lead for good just over a minute later as he scored what proved to be the game winner. Cottle completed the hat trick at 6:41 of the third with his seventh of the season that put the Panthers up 7-5 and Chambers added an empty net goal in the final minute to reach the final score.
The Panthers outshot the Rams 40-28 in the game as freshman Jack Astedt (Angelholm, Sweden) made 23 saves en route to the win. Framingham State goalie Terence Sullivan (Shirley, Mass.) made 32 saves on the night in a losing effort.
In a game that saw 16 penalties called, both teams were successful several times on the power play as the Rams converted two of four with the man advantage and Plymouth State converted three of eight power play chances. Framingham State also picked up a shorthanded goal in the game.
Both teams continue with MASCAC action next Thursday as the Rams travel to UMass Dartmouth at 7:30 p.m., and the Panthers host Fitchburg State at 6 p.m.