College Hockey Stats Box Score

WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. – A four-goal second period by Williams College was the difference in the Plattsburgh State men's ice hockey team's 6-2 loss to the Ephs on Saturday evening at Lansing Chapman Rink in non-conference action.
 
While the Cardinals suffered the defeat, they outshot Williams by a 36-33 margin. Two of the Ephs' goals came with an empty net late in the third period, and Williams went 1-for-5 on the power play. The Cardinals were unable to convert on any of their six power-play chances.
 
Plattsburgh State falls to 8-8-0 overall with the loss and will look to get back in the win column on Tuesday, Jan. 16, when it hosts non-conference Wesleyan University at 7 p.m. Williams rises to 10-4-0 overall with the win and visits Bowdoin College next on Friday, Jan. 19, at 7 p.m.
 
The Cardinals kicked off scoring 7:49 into the game shorthanded. Senior forward Matt Quilty (Midland, Ontario/Caledonia Corvairs) played the puck forward to junior forward Cam Owens (Wilmington, Mass./Islanders Hockey Club), who had only the goaltender to beat. Owens, who caught up to a puck that had pace on it just before it reached the goalie, took a shot that the Williams netminder turned aside with a pad save, but an Eph skater knocked the puck into the goal to give Plattsburgh State a 1-0 lead.
 
While the Cardinals entered the locker rooms at the first intermission with a 1-0 advantage, the Ephs struck early in the second period on the power play. Freshman defenseman Jack McCool sent a long pass to junior forward Roberto Cellini from the neutral zone, and Cellini found himself engaged in a one-on-one opportunity with the Cardinal goalie. Cellini ended up scoring five-hole with 2:22 elapsed in the period to knot the tally at 1-all.
 
With 6:23 gone in the second period, Williams took a lead it would not relinquish. Sophomore forward Wyatt Glover chipped a short pass to freshman forward Nick VanBelle, and VanBelle skated to the left side of the low slot. VanBelle crossed the slot with a pass to sophomore forward Will Somers, who beat a shifting goalie low glove side.
 
Exactly one minute later, the Ephs struck again. Junior defenseman Keanu Hilaire passed from the right face-off circle to Cellini inside the slot. Cellini then pinged a quick pass to senior forward David Italiano, who was right outside of the crease along the right post, and he scored a backhanded goal through the five-hole.
 
Williams' second-period surge concluded with a goal with 8:29 elapsed in the stanza. Junior forward Marcus Mollica skated along the left boards and bounced a pass off the boards to freshman forward Tyler Scott. Scott spun before unleashing a shot from the left face-off circle, and the puck deflected off the goalie's glove and into the goal.
 
Plattsburgh State decided to pull its goalie late in the third period to try to cut the deficit. After a defensive-zone face-off forced freshman goaltender Jimmy Poreda (Tonawanda, N.Y./Connecticut Jr. Rangers) back in goal, the Cardinals won the draw with four skaters on the ice for each side. With Poreda going back to the bench in favor of the extra attacker, sophomore defenseman Andrew Pizzo (Thorold, Ontario/Niagara University) passed to Owens in the neutral zone. Owens eluded a defender at the top of the right face-off circle before skating into the slot. He then sent a short pass to junior forward Cole Stallard (Atlanta, Ga./New Hampshire Jr. Monarchs), who was waiting just outside the crease in front of the left post, and Stallard scored to trim the gap to two with 16:30 gone in the third.
 
Williams put the game on ice with an empty-net goal at the 17:54 mark of the third period, as Mollica tallied on a pass from Scott. Plattsburgh State decided to pull its goalie again, and the Ephs added one more tally with 23 seconds left in the contest. VanBelle put the puck into the unmanned net, while senior forward Joe Welch earned the assist on the goal.
 
Freshman goaltender Lawson Fenton (Medina, N.Y./Coquitlam Express) made 17 stops in 27:23 before turning the reins over to Poreda, who allowed just one goal and made 10 saves in 30:03. Senior goaltender Stephen Morrissey made 34 saves in the win for Williams.