PLYMOUTH, N.H. – Plymouth State University's junior defenseman, Erik Strom (Gothenburg, Sweden) scored the game-winning goal on a power play with nine minutes remaining Thursday evening as Plymouth State held on for a 2-1 victory over Worcester State University in a Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) men's ice hockey play at Hanaway Rink.

Junior Ian McGilvrey (Omaha, Neb.) tallied a goal and an assist to lead the Plymouth State offense, and senior goalie Gordon Ceasar (Oak Park, Calif.) made 26 saves for the victory. The league-leading Panthers improve to 14-3-1 overall and 9-1-1 in the conference, while the Lancers drop to 4-12-1 overall and 1-9-1 in the MASCAC.

After a scoreless first period, McGilvery opened the scoring for Plymouth State at 11:32 of the second period, finishing off a nice pass from sophomore Riley Flanagan (Weymouth, Mass.) Plymouth State had an 18-13 shot advantage through two periods but led just 1-0.

The Lancers tied the score at 3:43 of the third period when freshman Marcus Mazur (Beverly Hills, Mich.) snapped a shot from the right circle off Ceasar's shoulder and into the top left corner of the net. Mazur's fourth goal of the season was assisted by Jim LeNoir (Exton, Pa.) and Alex Pommerville (Macedon, NY).

The Panthers notched the eventual game-winner at 9:15 when Strom took a pass at the right point and fired a shot through traffic into the back of the net.

Worcester State had a 14-7 shot advantage in the third period and had a 27-25 margin for the game but couldn't put another one past Ceasar. Plymouth State was 1-of-4 on the power play while Worcester State came up empty on seven tries with the man advantage, including one on Plymouth State's major penalty.

Freshman Max Kirkwood (Brunswick, Ohio) made for 23 saves in the Lancers net.

Both teams are back on the ice Saturday with MASCAC games as Plymouth State visits Westfield State University (5:35 p.m.) and Worcester State returns home to host Salem State University (7:00 p.m.).

Release Courtesy of Plymouth State Sports Information