PLYMOUTH, N.H. – Senior goaltender Brendahn Brawley (Morton, Pa.) made 23 saves but #10 University of New England broke a scoreless tie at the 7:38 mark of the third and an empty net tally in the final seconds gave the Nor'easters a 2-0 win over #8 Plymouth State University in the first round of the NCAA Division III Men's Ice Hockey Tournament at Hanaway Rink on Saturday night.
 
UNE advances to the quarterfinal round to face #1 Utica University next Saturday (Mar. 18), while the Panthers' historic season comes to a close. Plymouth State had been riding a program-record 19-game winning streak.
 
The game featured up-and-down action, several big hits and spectacular goaltending on both sides as neither team was able to find the back of the net through the first 47 minutes of action. UNE broke through just over eight minutes into the third when senior Jake Fuss (Fairfield, Conn.) skated behind the goal and found sophomore Ryan Kuzmich (Norton, Mass.) at the back door for the goal.
 
Plymouth State ramped up the pressure, peppering UNE netminder Billy Girard IV (Boca Raton, Fla.) with shots, but the junior stood his ground. With the game entering the final minute, PSU pulled Brawley for the extra attacker, but the Nor'easters defense came up with a pair of big blocked shots before coming away with a bouncing puck in the slot that led to an empty net tally to close out the game.
 
PSU ends its season with a 23-4-1 record. The Panthers set several program records on the season, including wins, a 19-game winning streak, an unbeaten run through the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC), a fourth-straight MASCAC Tournament title, while Brawley established program bests for goalie wins and shutouts in a season. Head coach Craig Russell won his 200th career game, then became the program's winningest coach, while senior Myles Abbate (Norwell, Mass.) topped the 100-career point threshold and ended the season tied for fifth on the all-time scoring leaders list.
  
The Basics:

• #8 Plymouth State 0, #10 UNE 2
  • Plymouth State (23-4-1)
  • UNE (20-6-2)

How it Happened:

• The first period featured back-and-forth action. UNE had a chance midway through the frame when graduate student Garrett Devine (Windsor, Colo.) teed up a slapshot from the right circle, but junior Jeromey Rancourt (Lewiston, Maine) went down to a knee to block the shot.
• Plymouth State had the two best scoring chances of the frame. Freshman Will Redick (Collingwood, Ontario) took a pass in the neutral zone and flew down the left side, but his big slapper was turned aside with 7:10 remaining.
• The Panthers had extended zone time during the period's lone power play chance with just over three minutes left in the frame, but Girard was up to the task with three big saves and the game remained scoreless into the first intermission.
• UNE controlled the pace over the first five minutes of the middle period. The Nor'easters had a golden opportunity less than three minutes in but a pass through the slot just missed Fuss' stick on the weakside.
• Brawley came up huge four minutes later as Kuzmich split the defense and flipped a backhanded shot on target, but the Panthers' netminder paddled the shot aside.
• The Nor'easters' best chance of the frame came with nine minutes left when freshman Mike Tersoni (Framingham, Mass.) was left alone in the slot but Brawley was up to the task once again.
• Plymouth State turned the tables late in the period. Abbate and sophomore Connor Tait (Boyds, Md.) crashed the net during a 2-on-1 with just over five minutes left in the stanza, but Girard held his ground. Moments later Abbate, Tait and Redick skated in on a 3-on-2, but Abbate's drive was just off the mark.
• PSU had another late power play chance but was unable to convert and UNE was held scoreless during an abbreviated man advantage over the final 38 seconds as the game remained scoreless into the second intermission.
• UNE opened the third on a back end of the wraparound power play but was unable to capitalize.
• Girard came up big to keep the game scoreless just over three minutes into the final stanza. Graduate student Colin Stevens (Concord, N.H.) flipped the puck on net from the blue line and Abbate, camped in the crease, attempted to redirect it, but Girard bodied the puck down and recovered in time to deny Tait on the rebound.
• The Nor'easters nearly put the game away with under six to play during 3-on-1, but Brawley made a phenomenal glove stop to keep it a 1-0 game.
• PSU's best chance to pull even came with three minutes to go on a backhander in the low slot from junior Carson Lanceleve (Stewiacke, Nova Scotia) but Girard got a pad on it and the rebound bounced over the stick of sophomore Ethan Stuckless (Conception Bay South, Newfoundland).
• The Panthers increased the pressure with the extra skater in the final minute, but UNE collected a loose puck in the slot and senior Chad Merrell (Boca Raton, Fla.) scored an empty netter to put the game away.

By the Numbers:

• Plymouth State held a 28-25 edge in shots.
• Both teams went 0-for-2 on the power play. Plymouth State had four shots during its first chance, while the Panthers' penalty kill limited UNE to just one shot in its two chances.
• Girard finished with 28 saves for his third shutout of the season, while Brawley turned aside 23 shots.
• Sophomore Anton Jellvik (Taby, Sweden) went 12-6 in the faceoff circle, while the Panthers won 32-of-56 draws as a team.
• UNE was making its fourth NCAA Tournament appearance, all coming since the 2017-18 season. The Nor'easters advanced to the Frozen Four a year ago, knocking off Plymouth State, 3-2, in double overtime and toppling Utica, 2-0, in the quarterfinal round.
• Plymouth State was playing its fifth NCAA Tournament game, while technically appearing for a sixth time as the 2019-20 tournament was canceled prior to first round games being played due to the pandemic.
• PSU was hosting an NCAA Tournament game for the second time in program history.

Release courtesy of Plymouth State Sports Information