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| Sophomore Mike Manna had 26 saves in net for the Skyhawks |
Skyhawks Fall In Season Opener To Panthers
Foxboro, Mass. - Three answered goals by Plymouth State were the story as the Skyhawks let a 3-1 lead slip away in the final period. The Panthers also took advantage of Stonehill miscues on their way to 5-3 win in the Skyhawks first game at the Foxboro Sports Center on Thursday evening.
The first period saw the Skyhawks jump on the Panthers early, firing three quick shots before the opposition could get the puck into the Stonehill zone.
The Skyhawks were turned away and Plymouth State countered, forcing sophomore goalie Mike Manna (Framingham, Mass.) to make several saves.
Midway through the period a Stonehill penalty gave the Panthers a five on four, but they were unable to capitalize. The Skyhawks had two more penalties in the period, but Plymouth State was unable to put the puck in the net despite firing 16 first half shots on Manna.
The second period was a different story as David Schermerhorn (Norwich, Conn.) gave the Skyhawks the lead just 1:26 into the period on a shot near the front of the week.
Stonehill upped their lead less than 20 seconds later when Eric Scholl (Wilmington, Mass.) scored off the rebound of a Schermerhorn slapshort for the 2-0 score.
The Panthers responded just over a minute later with a Chris Chambers goal, but Stonehill countered as Paul Reissenfelder (Plymouth, Mass.) punched home a rebound right in front of the net 11:24 into the period.
Plymouth State inched closer with just over seven minutes remaining in the second when freshman Chris Zeremba scored on a pass right in front of the net, but the Panthers wouldn't tie it up before the end of the period.
Plymouth State continued their momentum into the final period as freshman Justin Phenney scored just 20 seconds in, to tie the contest at three.
The two teams traded shots for the next ten minutes, however it was the Panthers who would strike once again scoring 12:27 into the period.
Mike Manna had 26 saves for Stonehill in the loss as the Skyhawks fall to 0-1 on the season.
In the final minutes the Skyhawks were helped by two Plymouth State penalties but were unable to score. With just over a minute left poor puck handling led the final goal of the evening, a breakaway goal for Panther Chambers, who finished with two goals and an assist on the night.
Coach Garry Hebert was disappointed with the loss but was pleased with the effort his team gave. "By and large that was a great first game...the hits were big, I think our puck movement was great, it was a very exciting hockey game."
Stonehill returns to action next week when they travel to take on UMass-Dartmouth on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m.