The Plymouth State Men’s hockey team turned their two game winning streak into three by beating Framingham State College 4-2 on Saturday, December 5 at the Waterville Valley Arena.
This victory brings the Panthers overall record to 6-1 and 3-1 in the Massachusetts State College Athletic Conference (MASCAC) making the Panthers the number two seed in the conference.
PSU First-year Seth Phelan and junior Sean Buckley put points on the board early in the first period, but FSC answered back in the second period when senior Jason Anderson and sophomore Aran Ward scored two goals for the Rams to tie the game. “After the first two goals I felt like there was a lot of hockey left to play,” said PSU Captain senior Chris Chambers, “and I have seen plenty of teams come back from a 2 point deficit before. I knew we had to continue to play hard to get the victory.”Chambers would break the tie by scoring the game winner with seven minutes left in the middle period. Scoring ended until Chambers scored his team-leading seventh goal of the season on an empty net.
The loss drops Framingham State to 1-6-1 overall and 1-4-0 in conference play. They rest at the number six seed just above the 3-3-1 Corsairs of UMass-Dartmouth. Plymouth State would outshoot the FSC Rams 33 to 25.Taking over for PSU first-year Jack Astedt and junior Erik Shields, senior Aaron Runner made 23 saves in the Panther net to record his first victory and first appearance.”This was Runner’s game all the way,” commented Coach Brett Tryder. “He has been working very hard in practice and proven that he can play in conference play. We have three very good goaltenders. They are all very competitive but they are also enjoying each other’s success.” While FSC junior Terence Sullivan made 29 out of 32 saves while in the Rams’ net.Tomorrow, the Plymouth State men’s Ice Hockey team will play their final of the semester against Westfield State College. “Westfield State should be a great matchup,” says Coach Tryder. “Both teams will be looking to end the first semester on a good note. They are strong in all three zones and play a physical brand of hockey. I am expecting a hard fought game from both teams.5:35
If you happen to be in Westfield, Massachusetts tomorrow, you can catch the game at 5:35 PM. After that they will drop puck against the University of New England on January 2nd, followed by a two game stretch against the Leopards of Wentwoth on January 9th and 10th.