#14 Panthers Ruins Salem State Senior Day 5-2

SALEM, Mass.- David Matousek (West Chester, Pa.)  scored twice giving #14 Plymouth State a 5-2 Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference victory (MASCAC) over Salem State on Saturday afternoon at Rockett Arena. The Panthers improve to 21-2-2, 18-1-2 while the Vikings drop to 6-18-1, 6-14-1. 

Before the game, Salem State honored seniors Aaron Mercer (Corner Brook, Newfoundland), Kevin Coyle (Weymouth, Mass.), Erik Larsson (Lake Tahoe, Calif.), Keagan O'Donoghue (Frisco, Texas), Dash Quartarolo (Sydney, Australia) and Evan Cronkhite (Aliso Viejo, Calif.) for their dedication and commitment to the program.  

After a scoreless first, the early minutes of the second period saw Salem State jump on top. Landyn Greatorex (Reading, Mass.) took a loose puck and managed to swiftly move from the left to right side and put the puck inside the net at the 1:54 mark of the period, with Carson Whitman (Boston, Mass.) credited with the assist.

The Panthers went on the power play, but the Vikings managed to kill it off. However, Salem State had their first power play of the game when Ethan Stuckless (Conception Bay South, Newfoundland)  went to the box for roughing at the 7:12 mark. During the power play, Salem State was taking full control, looking to add on some insurance, but unfortunately, the puck didn't go inside the net.

On the other end of the ice, the Panthers managed to even up the scoring at the 9:37 mark when Donte Diponio (Trenton, Mich.) scored between Aaron Mercer's (Corner Brook, Newfoundland) legs, with Anton Jellvik (Taby, Sweeden) credited with the assist. As the period progressed, Salem State was eager to take a 2-1 advantage. However, the Vikings had a five-on-four as they were back on the power play. Mercer made an unbelievable save as the Panthers were seeking a two-on-one shorthanded goal.

With 32 seconds remaining before the Vikings' power play, Carson James (Falmouth, Maine) and Cristopher Dowd (Danville, N.H.) was sent to the box. James had two minutes for roughing, while Dowd had a five-minute major for boarding, and Ethan Stuckless (Conception Bay South, Newfoundland) went also for roughing. Dowd's penalty would carry on for 2:05 of the third period.  

Late into the period, Cam Patton (Truro, Nova Scotia) scored from the left side of the net, a power-play goal with Patrick O'Connell (West Chester, Pa.) and Severi Sulonen (Turku, Finland) getting the assists at the 18:38 mark. Keagan O' Donoghue (Frisco, Texas)  was looking to make some noise when he was on a breakaway one-on-one with Andersson, but his shot was wide.

Throughout the first two periods, the Panthers had dominated the faceoffs, winning 25 faceoffs to the Vikings 18. Mercer saved 37 of 39 shots, while Andersson saved 18 of 19 shots heading into the final twenty minutes of regulation, with Salem State trailing 2-1.

In the early minutes of the period, the Panthers launched a fierce attack on the Vikings' zone and quickly found themselves in a favorable position to score. David  made a swift move towards the net and scored the third goal for Plymouth State and his second goal this afternoon at the 1:29 mark, with Sulonen and Patton being credited with the assist.

At the 8:33 mark, Stuckless scored a power-play goal from the left side of the net, with Tait and Jellvik being credited with the assists. This gave the Panthers a comfortable three-goal cushion, with the score now standing at 4-1.

Despite being down by three goals, the Vikings did not lose hope and continued to fight to get back into the game. Skylar Miller (Chandler, Arizona)   scored from 25 feet away from the net at the 13:03 mark, reducing the Panthers' lead to two. However, that was as close as the Vikings would get to a comeback, as Plymouth State sealed the game with one more goal on an empty netter, ending the game with a 5-2 victory.

Mercer made an impressive 54 saves out of 58 shots, while Andersson saved 25 out of 27 shots for the Vikings. Plymouth State dominated the faceoff circle, winning 41 faceoffs compared to Salem State's 24.

Salem State will now have to wait to see whether MCLA defeats Worcester State tonight. If MCLA wins, the Vikings will earn the sixth seed for the MASCAC quarterfinals playoff game, which will begin on Tuesday night.