The atmosphere at Hanaway Rink on Sat., Feb. 18 was one of excitement as
Plymouth State’s men’s hockey team was looking to clinch their very first Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (or MASCAC) championship, as they hosted rival UMASS-Dartmouth, who came in with the third best record in conference play.
The Panthers definitely didn’t disappoint.
The first period saw both teams unable to find the back of the net, sending it tied into the first intermission. The second period saw both teams playing impressive defensive, as they both combined for only nine shots on goal in the period. Junior Kyle Greco (Hillside, IL) finally broke the stalemate at 18:37 into the second period. First year student Zach Sarig (Reading, PA) brought the puck along the boards, passing to fellow first year Panther player Mike Freitag (Westmont, Ill.). Freitage was then able to find Greco wide-open. The Panthers leading scorer continued his exceptional season, as he drilled home his 13th goal (five of which have ended up being the game winning goal).
The third period was a continued show of the defense and goalies. With only one minute to go, the Corsairs of Dartmouth pulled their goalie for the extra skater. This would ultimately cost them the game, as Matt Aponte (Plano, TX) was able to break free and score the empty net goal for his third goal of the season to seal the victory for the Panthers.
PSU wrapped up their regular season on Tues., Feb. 21, as they traveled to
Fitchburg State. This game resulted in a 4-4 tie for the Panthers, as sophomore goalie Tyler Ingerson (Concord, NH) had 21 saves to bring his record to 2-1-1 on the season.
The MASCAC Tournament play begins on Sat., Feb. 25. PSU fans will have to wait, as PSU has secured a first round bye as the number one ranked seed in the tournament.
The Clock would like to recognize Bryan Kriner (Newport, RI), Brian Johnson (East Bridgewater, Mass.), Chris Mohar (Broomfield, CT), and assistant captain Chris Zaremba (Colorado Springs, CO) for their play over the past 4 years here at PSU. These four will be moving on in the spring, and we wish them all the best in their future endeavors!
Junior Jack Astedt (Angelholm, Sweden) has also been named the MASCAC goalie of the week. This is the fourth time that Astedt has landed the honor. He has been a key member in the Panther’s clinching the 2011-12 MASCAC regular season championship. Congratulations, Jack!