We did not see the typical offensive firepower that the PSU Panthers have are known for in their final hurdle to the conference title. Certainly, they controlled possession, and turned that into 73 shot attempts and 41 shots on goal. However, the power play ended up being somewhat quiet tonight, despite a relative plethora of opportunities. They went just 1/5, with Payton Schaly tallying the sole PPG in the first period on an impressive one-timer. Their two remaining goals would be on 5v5, with Connor Tait and Jeromey Rancourt putting in the work on even strength (particularly the latter, as his was a result of hard work in front of the net to scoop up the rebound and put the garbage past Fitchburg State netminder Frederick Soderberg). While there was some decent work from the Fitchburg State Falcons’ penalty kill, it also put them on their heels, and the fact that PSU dictated the pace of play did not help matters. This ultimately culminated in a 3-0 victory for Plymouth State, as they captured their fifth consecutive MASCAC conference championship and punched their ticket in the NCAA Division III national tournament.

Payton Schaly was selected as the tournament’s MVP. In his on-ice interview, he seemed to indicate that head coach Craig Russell emphasized a defense-first game. If shot suppression was part of the plan, it certainly seemed to work well given the few shot attempts that Fitchburg State was able to get off. Even during times of sustained pressure, including on the power play, they just did not generate much offensive threatening, and the number of scoring chances the Panthers allowed them to create could be counted on one hand. The Falcons went into the third period with just 6 (!) shots on goal to their names. It is possible that the game that the Panthers played tonight was somewhat conservative by design. It certainly worked, and they have yet another trophy to show for it.

The Plymouth State Panthers have now climbed to 11th in the national polls and are tied with Utica for 4th in the Pairwise, while being fifth in RPI and second in win percentage behind only Hobart. This is an impressive positioning to be in as they begin their national title hunt next week. The bracket will be revealed in two days (Monday, March 4th) during a live stream hosted on ncaa.com. The Panthers are a consistent showing, with 11 appearances in 12 years to their names. However, they do enter this with chips on their shoulder, as they are not usually perceived of as a powerhouse such as the likes of Hobart or Adrian. Will this be the year they go on what could actually be considered a Cinderella run? They do have some impressive talent on this roster. While not in the most competitive conference, it does seem noteworthy that their roster includes the country’s most dominant scorer in Division III in the form of Will Redick. Will he, Schaly, and their teammates guide the program to further success?