Plymouth State 7, Worcester State 3
Waterville Valley, NH --- Senior forward Chris Chambers
(Crofton, MD) and freshman defenseman Richie Zobak (Evergreen Park,
IL) registered a goal and two assists apiece Tuesday evening as
third-seeded Plymouth State University defeated sixth-seeded
Worcester State College, 7-3, in the opening round of the
Massachusetts State College Athletic Conference (MASCAC)
men’s ice hockey tournament at Waterville Valley Arena.
The Panthers, 17-8-1 overall, move on to the semifinal round and
will travel to second-seeded Salem State College on Thursday for a
7:00 PM face-off. The Lancers complete their season at 5-18-2.
A pair of freshmen gave Plymouth State a 2-0 lead as Matt Aponte
(Plano, TX) opening the scoring five minutes into the game and Alex
Cottle (West Chester, PA) followed with a power play goal at
13:50.
The Panthers took control of the contest with four unanswered
goals to start the middle frame, including two more by freshmen.
Chambers made it 3-0 with a backhander at 4:36, and freshman Sean
Foley (Weymouth, MA.) added an unassisted short-handed goal at
7:10. Freshman Seth Phelan (Bristol, CT) scored less than a minute
later and junior Andrew Stewart (O’Leary, PEI) made it 6-0 at
the 9:47 mark.
Junior Chris Wallin (Avon, Conn.) put the Lancers
on the board with a power play goal with just over a minute to play
in the second period. Senior Mark Rintel (Oakland
Gardens, NY) and sophomore Nick Asterito
(Philadelphia, PA) added third-period goals for the visitors, and
Zobak scored a power play goal for PSU to round out the
scoring.
Plymouth State finished with a 47-22 advantage in shots on goal.
PSU senior goaltender Aaron Runner (Alpharetta, GA) made 19 saves
to record the victory.
Senior Andrew Evans (Cromwell, CT) and freshman Zach Hansen (Dexter, MI) combined for 40 stops between the pipes in the setback.
The contest was a physical one as the two squads amassed 21 penalties.
Major Portions of Release Courtesy of Plymouth State Sports Information