PSU Men’s Ice Hockey Takes Down FPC on the Road, 4-2

Winchendon, MA – On Wednesday, Feb 16, the Plymouth State University men’s ice hockey team paid a visit to the Franklin Pierce Ravens at the Robinson – Broadhurst Arena, and came out victorious with a final score of 4-2. The PSU Panthers entered the game with .500 play at 9-9-2 on the season, while the Ravens were searching for just their sixth win of the season with a 5-12-2 record. Both teams gave a solid effort in the first period of play resulting in a scoreless tie at the end of the 20 minute mark. It wasn’t until 8:37 into the second frame that the first tally was put on the board, which came from PSU freshman Chris Cadieux who found the back of the net. Freshman Bobby Dashner and Deni Bojadzic collected assists on the play. Just twenty-three seconds after, sophomore Jay Londer contributed with an unassisted goal to give PSU a 2-0 advantage. Then around 15:18 in the second period, with PSU shorthanded, Cadieux netted another goal with the aid of Bojadzic to give the Panthers a 3-0 lead, and a decent cushion going into the third and final period. The last period proved to be more intense and dramatic as the Ravens chipped away in an attempt at a late game comeback. FPC put their first mark on the board about half way through the final period with a C.J. Demmons (sophomore) goal, who was helped by Mark Gibbons. Gibbons then took his own turn at slimming the PSU advantage by scoring with 4:21 remaining in the game, and making it a tight 3-2 Plymouth lead. Gibbons was assisted by teammate Joseph Fields on the play. PSU was forced to hold their breath in the remaining four minutes, until a two minute slashing penalty was called on FPC with under a minute to play. This opened the gates of opportunity for PSU, which was soon capitalized on by Bojadzic who scored a powerplay goal to put the game away with a final of 4-2. Bojadzic’s goal was assisted by senior Mike Bodnar and Cadieux. One of the biggest strengths of the game was possibly Plymouth’s ability to get shots on net. The Panthers tallied 49 shots on goal for the entire game in comparison to the Ravens’ 34 attempts. Karl “Sunshine” Helgesson played excellent in goal with 32 saves, and just two goals allowed. PSU sophomore Goose LaCroix commented on the solid win: “Overall “Sunshine” played excellent. It was a real chippy hard fought battle and it was great to get a big win on the road. It helped that the “superfans” made the venture down. It always helps to have great support.” The victory improved PSU’s record to 10-9-2 overall on the season, while FPC dropped to 5-13-2. With the PSU 10-9-2 record, the ice cats have propelled themselves right into the ECAC Northeast Conference tournament for the first time in three years. Even with two games remaining on the regular season, PSU can finish anywhere between fourth and seventh in the conference. The ten Panther wins are also the most wins since the 1998-99 team that finished with a 13-12-0 record. The Panthers play their first round ECAC Conference tournament game on Saturday, Feb 26, at 7:30 pm at the Waterville Valley Ice Arena.