What You Missed (During Winter Break) for PSU Sports

            January was an action-packed month for Plymouth State Athletics. On Jan. 14, 2012, the Plymouth State University Men's Basketball team overcame the Little East Conference-leading Western Connecticut Colonials, 82-72. With a little under a minute and a half left in the game, Western Conn. closed the scoring gap to only five. In front of an excited audience in Foley Gymnasium, PSU responded with six unanswered points, sealing the win. The Panthers were led to this upset victory by sophomore Petey Skevas (Wethersfield, Conn.), whose performance resulted in a team-high 16 points and 11 assists. Following a Feb. 4, loss to the Colonials, PSU now holds a 7-13 record (2-8 in LEC).

            The PSU Wrestling team took 11^th place in the New England Wrestling Association (NEWA) Dual Meet Championships on Sunday, Jan. 22, 2012, at Springfield College. Anchored by four-victory performances by both senior 149-pounder Mike Willey (Tewksbury, Mass.) and junior 157-pounder Femi Wheeler (Mamaroneck, N.Y.), Plymouth State defeated both Coastguard (29-8) and WPI (22-21), while losing to the higher-seeded Roger Williams University (32-12) and Williams College (24-13). "When we wrestled well and did what we were trained to do, we won. It's as simple as that," said senior captain of the team, 184-pounder Robert Phillips (Brick, N.J.). "We have the talent, and I believe this group of guys can compete at a very high level. We've been battling injuries and other setbacks all season, and we haven't given up. I have a lot of confidence in this team." Phillips went 3-1 on the day.

            PSU Skiing returned to the slopes on Jan. 20, 2012,in the Eastern Intercollegiate Ski Association (EISA) at the Bates College Carnival at Sunday River Resort. Junior Chris Beadon (Ridgefield, Conn.) paved the way for the Panther's winter debut, tying for 18^th place (out of 93 men racers). In the women's division, sophomore Marley Pawlak (West Dover, V.T.) made her presence felt, finishing in 43^rd place out of 83 racers. 

            Plymouth State's Men's Ice Hockey team has also been proudly representing the green and white with a handful of players receiving weekly honors from the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) all throughout the winter break month. Sophomore forward Travis Stevens (Montclair, C.A.) received his first honors in early January for his assists and goals in a pair of losses for the Panthers. The next week, juniors Kyle Greco (Hillside, I.L.) and goalie Jack Astedt (Angelholm, Sweden) received the honors for their part in a PSU victory over Westfield State and a tie against Framingham State. On Jan. 30, 2012, Plymouth's backup goaltender, sophomore Tyler Ingerson (Concord, N.H.) was named to the weekly honor roll and given credit for his impressive goalkeeping in the team's 4-0 shutout of Fitchburg State. Ingerson finished the game with 29 saves.