Ice Hockey Ties Conference Leader Plymouth State 3-3
Framingham, Mass. – Sophomore goaltender Nick Cafrelli (San Jose, CA) made 38 saves as the Framingham State University ice hockey team battled conference leader Plymouth State University to a 3-3 overtime draw this evening in Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) men's ice hockey action at Framingham's Loring Arena.
With the tie, the Ram move to 1-8-3 on the season and 1-5-2 in the MASCAC, while the Panthers are now 9-4-1 overall and 6-1-1 in the conference which still places them atop the current standings.
Cafrelli was outstanding in net all game for the Rams turning away 38 of the 41 shots that Plymouth sent his way, while his Panther counterpart Jack Astedt (Angelholm, Sweden) was equally impressive making 25 saves and earning the draw.
The Rams jumped out to a 2-0 lead midway through the first period. Freshman Ryan McDonald (Anchorage, AK) sent a shot on net that was deflected and classmate Brendan McCarron (Millbury, Mass.) was there to scoop up the loose puck and find the back of the net for his first collegiate goal at 8:49. Sophomores Daniel Miressi (Monroe, Conn.) and Bo Driscoll (Chelmsford, Mass.) set up Jay Nicholls (Middleton, Mass.) for his first tally of the season at 10:17 and the two goal lead.
Plymouth State would cut the Rams lead in half with 4:10 remaining in the first as sophomore Travis Stevens (Montclair, CA) carried the puck into the offensive zone and sent a centering pass to junior Kyle Weiland (Hamden, ME). Weiland made a nice move and connected for his fifth of the season sending the game into the first intermission with the Rams leading 2-1.
The Rams were called for a pair of penalties in the closing minutes of the first period giving the Panthers a 5 on 3 for a minute to start the second period. The Rams were able to kill off most of the first penalty, but with eight seconds remaining on the two man advantage for the Panthers senior Chris Zaremba (Colorado Springs, CO) tallied the game tying goal.
The game would remain tied at two until the closing seconds of the second period when Miressi carried the puck down the left side and hit junior Ben Pacific (Marlborough, Mass.) with a pass in the middle. Pacific placed a shot just under the crossbar with 12 seconds on the clock putting the Rams back in front 3-2.
Plymouth State tied the score with 6:57 remaining in regulation on a power play goal from Phil Arnone (Litchfield, Mass.). Arnone took a feed from Weiland across the front of the net and was able to beat Cafrelli on his glove side for the equalizer.
Plymouth State had a golden opportunity to score the game winner in the final 3:04 of regulation as the Rams were called for a major penalty for a hit from behind. However, Cafrelli turned aside everything the Panthers sent his was in the closing minutes of regulation forcing overtime.
The Panthers started the overtime on the power play for the first 1:56 and the Rams were able to kill off the penalty as Cafrelli turned aside all five shots the Panthers sent his way. The Rams had one shot on goal midway through in the overtime, but Astedt made the save to preserve the draw.
The Rams were 0-for-4 on the power play in the game, while the Panthers were 2-of-7. Plymouth outshot the Rams 41-28 in the game.
The Rams return to action on Thursday evening when they host Worcester State University at 7:20 p.m., while the Panthers host Salem State University on Thursday at 6 p.m.