PLYMOUTH, N.H. – The Vermont State University Castleton men's ice hockey team saw its efforts come undone in overtime, falling to Plymouth State University, 5-4, on Friday night.
The Basics
• Final Score: Plymouth State 5, Castleton 4 (OT)
• Location: Hanaway Rink – Plymouth, N.H.
• Records: Plymouth State 9-8-0 (6-4-0 LEC) | Castleton 9-7-1 (5-5-0 LEC)
How It Happened
Plymouth State won the opening faceoff and maintained possession for much of the opening period, though Castleton had stretches of offensive pressure. The Spartans finally caught a break in the 15th minute as
David Coyle continued to pressure the Panthers' netminder before the play was whistled dead and he was dragged down from behind.
Tyler Burke was also taken down by his facemask in the ensuing scrum. The sequence resulted in a game misconduct for Plymouth State and a five-minute 5-on-3 advantage for Castleton.
The visitors needed just 12 seconds on the two-man advantage, as
Josef Vyvial won the faceoff to
Logan Dapprich, who worked the puck with
Marcus Bellomo and
Cole Bowditch before ripping home a power-play goal. Castleton continued to apply pressure down the stretch and carried a 1-0 lead into the first intermission.
The second period was evenly played, with both teams generating solid scoring chances early, before Plymouth State tied the contest at 5:44. The Panthers grabbed control of the scoreboard at 18:18 with a shorthanded tally. Castleton answered late, capitalizing on the power play with 51 seconds remaining as Coyle found the back of the net.
Luke Chakrabarti and Dapprich picked up assists, sending the game into the third period tied at 2-2.
In a fast-paced third period, Plymouth State scored just 1:17 in to regain the lead and extended it five seconds later to take a 4-2 advantage. Castleton responded quickly, pulling within one at 1:48 as Bowditch added his name to the scoresheet. His even-strength goal, assisted by Coyle and Chakrabarti, made it 4-3.
The Spartans tied the game again at the 5:00 mark, as
Emmett McHardy netted a power-play goal with help from Coyle and Burke to knot the contest at 4-4. Plymouth State continued to push offensively, peppering the Castleton netminder, who stood tall and made nine key saves to force overtime.
Plymouth State won the opening faceoff of the extra session, but Castleton quickly gained possession as Dapprich fired a shot on goal. The Panthers regrouped and raced back down the ice, scoring the game-winner just 1:22 into the 3-on-3 overtime.
By the Numbers
• Rookie
David Coyle led Castleton offensively with three points on two goals and an assist.
• Dapprich, McHardy, and Bowditch also scored for the Spartans, while Dapprich and Bowditch each added an assist.
• Starting his third straight contest, LEC Rookie of the Week
Lukas Bukatovs made a career-best 32 saves.
• The contest was chippy, featuring 14 penalties for 39 minutes, with Plymouth State accounting for nine penalties for 29 minutes.
• Castleton held a 46-38 advantage in faceoff wins, led by McHardy, who went 16-10 at the dot.
• Castleton finished the night 3-for-6 on the power play.
Up Next
The Spartans remain on the road as they travel to Henniker, N.H. to take on the Pilgrims of New England College on Saturday, with puck drop set for 4 p.m.
