Men’s Hockey Claims Victory on Senior Night

Kendal Lariviere

For The Clock

klariviere@plymouth.edu

The Plymouth State Men’s Ice Hockey team defeated Worcester State University in a MASCAC matchup at Hanaway Rink on Saturday. In their last regular season home game, the Panthers toppled the Lancers with a final score of 5-2. Tensions ran high between the two teams throughout the game, as the game was riddled with a total of 39 penalties, six disqualifications, and 169 penalty minutes.

After 20 minutes of scoreless play, Worcester State struck first, scoring a goal off a power play just three minutes into the second period. PSU answered quickly, tying the score three minutes later with a goal from sophomore Quinn Carroll (Amherst, N.H.), assisted by classmate Ludvig Steenberg (Stockholm, Sweden) and senior Dan Dupell (Collegeville, P.A.). The Panthers racked up two more later in the period, as junior Chris Zuccaro connected with the back of the net at 11:48 and Steenberg smacked one in at 15:09. Both goals were scored on PSU power plays, and senior Ian McGilvrey (Omaha, Neb.) and freshman Victor Bergstrom (Angelholm, Sweden) chalked up assists on Zuccaro’s goal, while senior Tommy Dowell (Olathe, Kan.) and Dupell got the assists on Steenberg’s goal.

The Panthers secured the win with two additional goals early in the third period. Sophomore Ry an Stevens (Colleyville, Texas) slid the puck past the Lancer goalie at 2:05, assisted by Bergstrom and sophomore Cam Cundy (Portsmouth, N.H.). McGilvrey followed close behind, tacking on a goal of his own at 3:46. He was assisted by senior Michael Economos (Crystal Lake, Ill.) and Stevens. Worcester State made a final effort to close the gap on the scoreboard, scoring a goal in the last 90 seconds of the game, but it was not enough. The Panthers took the game 5-2, extending their unbeaten streak to 11 games (10-0-1). Sophomore Evan Morelli took the “W” in goal, racking up 22 saves.

The win brought the Panthers to an overall record of 17-5-2 (15-1-1 MASCAC).

The Panthers honored nine players in their pre-game Senior Night festivities. Matt Vermillion (South Lyon, Mich.), Baxter Strachan (Sioux City, Iowa), Tord Thoresen (Oppegard, Norway), Erik Strom (Gothenburg, Sweden), Ry an Callahan (Londonderry, N.H.), Dowell, Economos, Dupell, and McGilvrey were recognized as the conclusion of their final season on the ice playing for PSU approaches.

The Panthers were able to capture the regular season finale down at Westfield State this past Tuesday, securing a 3-1 victory and finishing at 16-1-1 in MASCAC play. Evan Morelli took the win in his final regular season game between the pipes, and will look to continue his strong performance into the playoffs. They will be taking the ice this Tuesday inside Hanaway Rink at 6 p.m. for the semifinal round of the MASCAC playoffs.