With a trip to the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference title game on the line, the top-seeded PSU Panthers hosted fifth-seeded Worcester State Tuesday (Feb 28th) night at Hanaway Rink.
Plymouth State didn’t waste any time as junior Tim Visich (Mount Pleasand, MI) drilled a shot from the left side boards to make it 1-0 early. Not to be outdone, sophomore Phil Arnone (Litchfield, NH) made it 2-0 when he deflected a shot by first-year student-athlete Zach Sariq (Reading, PA). The visiting Lancers made it close when they scored late in the first period to make it 2-1 going into the first intermission.
PSU came out swinging during the 2nd period, as they posted three goals. Junior Alex Cottle (West Chester, PA) scored at 6:45 to make it 3-1. The Panthers didn’t have to wait long for another goal, as they were able to post two goals in 57 seconds. Junior Kyle Greco (Hillside, IL) posted his team-leading 14th goal of the season at 16:47 to make it 4-1. This was followed up seconds later as sophomore Travis Stevens (Montclair, CA) intercepted a pass and brought it through traffic for the unassisted goal to make it 5-1 going into the third period.
Plymouth State wasn’t done with the scoring barrage, as they scored two more to secure the right to play in the final game tomorrow night. Chris Zaremba (Colorado Springs, CO) went on a scoring frenzy, netting two goals in the period to make the final score 7-1.
Plymouth State, 16-6-3, will now host second-seeded Salem State University, 15-8-3, this Saturday at 6PM in the MASCAC title game at Hanaway Rink. The winner of this game will receive a berth into the NCAA Division III Championship Tournament. Given the types of games these two teams have had earlier this year, this game will sure to be fantastic.