Since Hanaway Rink Opened up a few years ago, it has been notoriously tough for opposing teams to come up to Plymouth and get the victory. The legend of Hanaway Rink continued, and while the crowd helped the Panthers to a couple of wins, a variety of goal scorers have allowed the Panthers to get on a roll.
PSU had a very interesting Winterim, as they had a number of extremely tough out-of-conference games on their schedule. In the early part of the break, nationally ranked teams such as Trinity College as well as Babson University made the trip up to Plymouth. The Panthers gave both teams all they had, but Trinity was able to comeback from a two-goal deficit to defeat PSU 5-4, while the game against Babson resulted in a 2-2 tie. The tie was the first game that Babson had not recorded a victory in for the 2014-2015 season.
This early season success appeared to give the Panthers some momentum, and it showed as Andrew Wigg (Lantz, Nova Scotia), Dan Dupell (Collegeville, PA) and Tommy Dowell (Olathe, KS) each scored goals in the second period to get ahead of Curry College 3-0. Unfortunately for PSU, Curry rallied, scoring four goals in the third to down Plymouth 4-3. Plymouth was able to bounce back from this tough loss, as they defeated in-conference rival Salem State 3-2 on goals by Ian McGilvrey (Omaha, NE), Chad Barthelmess (Norristown, PA) and Tord Thoresen (Oppegard, Norway).
The win allowed PSU to improve their conference record to 6-0-1, and they appeared to be on their way after a few tough games in January.
Unfortunately, this wasn’t the case.
Against Fitchburg State, the Panthers were able to get out to another lead, this time 3-2, but the Falcons were able to sneak away with a 5-3 win. Of the three goals, Wigg was able to score twice, while defensemen Erik Strom (Gothenburg, Sweden) scored as well.
In PSU’s next contest, they looked to rebound against Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) opponent UMass Dartmouth, but the Corsairs had different ideas, as they opened up the game scoring the first four goals. A Wigg goal brought the game to 4-1, but UMass Dartmouth ran away with the game 8-2.
This was the most lopsided conference loss for Plymouth State Men’s Hockey since a 6-0 loss against Curry College back on March 1st, 2006. The Panthers needed to look themselves in the mirror, and figure out what their identity is. Are they this team that just got stomped out by UMass Dartmouth, or are they the team that tied Babson, and rolled through their conference the first half of the season?
In PSU’s next game against Worcester State, Dupell was able to light the lamp, as he scored in the first period, while Thoresen and Josh Woody (Sunderland, MD) scored as well to propel Plymouth to a 3-2 win. This win got Plymouth’s overall record to .500 (7-7-2), and bumped their MASCAC record to 7-2-1.
Up to this point of the season, PSU hasn’t truly played a 60-minute game, as their biggest margin of victory was four goals against Worcester earlier in the season. With the student body back, the Panthers absolutely exploded, as they were ahead of Framingham State 7-1 after the first period. Six different Panthers had goals in the first, including Riley Flanagan (Weymouth, MA), Strom, Wigg (with two), Colt Smelstor (Fairfax, VT), Mike Economos (Crystal Lake, IL) and Chris Zuccaro (Hudson, N.H.). The second period was just like the first, as Mike Freitag (Westmont, IL) and Barthelmess joined the scoring party, while Economos and Zuccaro matches Wigg’s two goals. Wigg completed the hat trick in the third period, and Plymouth blew the doors off of the Rams with a 12-2 win.
While the 12-2 win over Framingham was great, the Rams are one of the worst teams within the MASCAC. PSU had to put that game behind them, as Westfield State came into Plymouth last Saturday, looking to draw closer to the Panthers in the MASCAC standings.
Prior to the game even starting, Plymouth had extra motivation, as this game was the annual Salute the Troops Night, in which PSU honored military members of now and the past. Former Plymouth State hockey player Chris Stuttard was honored prior to the start of the game, as he passed away unexpectedly last September.
With the extra motivation to get the win, Dupell and Barthelmess were able to give the Panthers a 3-0 lead in the first, and increased the lead to 5-1 with goals by Sarig and Wigg in the second period. Despite two third period goals by Westfield, Matt Vermillion (South Lyon, MI) was able to score his first career goal as a member of the Plymouth State hockey team to seal the deal on a 6-3 win.
When asked what has allowed the offense to click as of late, Mike Economos stated, “I would have to say being in front of the crowd again definitely helped spark it. We got back to the basics of having fun being a hockey player during the week of practice and it seemed to make us closer as a team over the last week,” Economos added. This fun included when the coaching staff decided to be nostalgic, and bring the team to a pond to practice. The relaxed atmosphere allowed the Panthers to appreciate each other, and really settle down.
Junior Tieg Alward (Vail, CO) agreed, saying that staying “over the night down at the lake all under one roof and really came together as a team. That has translated onto the ice, as we have showed great teamwork and willingness to sacrifice for the boys.”
Another factor that has helped PSU win their past three games (Note: PSU had a game on Thursday, Feb. 5th, which was unable for press time) was the return of key role players, like Dupell and Ryan Callahan (Londonderry, N.H.). Both players truly solidify the Panthers having the ability to score on any of their respective lines. Callahan is a crucial player especially on the penalty kill, while Dupell has found the net a few times since returning.
One player that appears to be on his way to at least a first team all-conference award is Andrew Wigg. Over the past 11 games, the junior has recorded at least a point in each game, and has been held pointless only twice this season. If Wigg is able to keep this streak up, look for him to potentially be named MASCAC Player of the Year.
With a 9-7-3 overall record heading into the last few weeks of the regular season, look for the Panthers to make sure that they will host the MASCAC post-season tournament.
PSU’s next home game will take place on Thursday, February 12th. For this game, fans/students/faculty/animals are encouraged to wear white to “white out” the stands, as the Panthers take on UMass Dartmouth.