Panthers Roll Past Vikings

PLYMOUTH, N.H. – Plymouth State scored three unanswered goals in the second period to help secure a 4-1 victory over the Salem State Vikings at Hanaway Rink on Senior Night on Friday evening.

Seniors Alexis Fagan (Burrillville, R.I.), Julie Nagel (Canton, Mass.), Eleanor Hudson (Baltimore, Md.) and Caitlin Connor (Bow, N.H.) each found the back of the net to account for the Plymouth State goals. Fagan potted her program record 18th of the year late in the first period, but senior Julia Dares (Hanover, Mass.) countered for the Vikings early in the second. The Panthers tallied three goals over a span of 14:32 to seize control and neither team would light the lamp in the third period.

Plymouth State got on the board at 17:36 in the first period when Nagel sent a low angle shot through the crease and Fagan poked it in on the back post.

The Vikings pulled even 6:32 into the second when sophomore Colleen McAnespie (Lowell, Mass.) stole the puck in the offensive zone and fed Dares, who skated in on the right side before sneaking a shot inside the near post. PSU came right back at the 8:08 mark as Nagel knocked the puck loose in the offensive zone before firing a shot to the top right corner. Hudson chipped in loose puck in traffic in front of the net with 5:40 left in the period and Connor added another tally to make it 4-1 just 20 seconds later.

With the victory Plymouth State improves to 7-14-2 and 5-8-2 in the NEHC and is locked into the #7 seed for the NEHC Tournament that begins Feb. 22. Salem State drops to 3-18-2 and 2-12-1 in conference play and will be the #8 seed.

Freshman Becca Bridge (Gadsby, Alberta) made 25 saves for the Panthers to improve to 6-11-1, while freshman Dana Smullen (Peabody, Mass.) turned aside 31 shots for Salem State but fell to 0-9-1 on the year.