College Hockey Stats Box Score

PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. – The Plattsburgh State men's ice hockey team once again received a virtuoso performance from freshman goaltender Lawson Fenton (Medina, N.Y./Coquitlam Express), as the Cardinal netminder made 29 saves to help Plattsburgh State win the 2018 W.B. Mason Winter Classic title with a 4-1 victory over Babson College in the championship game on Saturday evening at the Ronald B. Stafford Ice Arena.
 
As a result of his performance over the weekend, Fenton was named the W.B. Mason Winter Classic Tournament MVP. Fenton posted a 25-save shutout in the Cardinals' 5-0 win over Tufts University on Friday evening and allowed just one goal all tournament.

Sophomore defenseman Andrew Pizzo (Thorold, Ontario/Niagara University) and junior forward Cole Stallard (Atlanta, Ga./New Hampshire Jr. Monarchs) also represented Plattsburgh State on the All-Tournament Team, while junior defenseman Logan Day from Endicott College and freshman forwards Patrick Flynn and Nick Rosa from Babson rounded out the remainder of the All-Tournament Team.
 
It marked Plattsburgh State's 21st Winter Classic title, dating back to the tournament's inception in 1982-83. The Cardinals also captured the PrimeLink Great Northern ShootOut championship back in November, which was their sixth PrimeLink Great Northern ShootOut title in program history.
 
Plattsburgh State rises to 7-7-0 overall with the win and will look to rise above .500 when it visits Middlebury College for a non-conference clash on Friday, Jan. 12, at 7 p.m. Babson drops to 7-5-2 overall with the loss and visits Hobart College next on Friday, Jan. 12, at 7 p.m.
 
Stallard opened scoring 11:17 into the first period, cashing in on a feed by freshman forward Mike Falanga (East Haven, Conn./Islanders Hockey Club). Falanga picked up the puck in the Cardinals' defensive zone and slid it to Stallard in the neutral zone. Stallard then deked out two Babson defenders and flicked a backhanded shot past the goalie.
 
Plattsburgh State netted the eventual game-winner with 18:19 elapsed in a hard-fought second period. Sophomore forward Antoine Desnoyers (Quebec City, Quebec/Cégep de Saint-Laurent) played the puck to freshman forward Rich McCartney (Hershey, Pa./Philadelphia Revolution) from the left face-off circle, and McCartney went five-hole in the slot to give the Cardinals a 2-0 advantage.
 
Just 7:46 into the third period, McCartney struck again with his team-leading 10th goal of the season. Desnoyers picked up the puck behind the net in the Cardinals' offensive zone and passed to sophomore defenseman Charles Barber (Queensbury, N.Y./New York Bobcats) at the blue line. Barber wristed a shot from the left point before McCartney poked the puck in right in front of the crease.
 
With a 5-on-4 advantage on the power play late in the third, Babson decided to pull its goaltender to gain an extra attacker beyond the one that is normally afforded and ultimately scored. Flynn took a pass at the top of the left face-off circle by senior forward Matt McMorrow and beat the Cardinal goalie glove side to erase the shutout bid and keep the Beavers in the game. Senior defenseman Joe DePietto also earned an assist on the play.
 
Finally, with 1:03 left in regulation after several tries at an empty net, the Cardinals put the game on ice. Freshman forward Greg Malafronte (Colts Neck, N.J./New Jersey Titans) intercepted a clearance attempt in Plattsburgh State's offensive zone and buried the puck into the back of the unmanned net for his first career goal.
 
Plattsburgh State finished with a slight 32-30 edge in shots on goal, and the Cardinals were held scoreless on four power-play opportunities. Babson, meanwhile, went 1-for-3 with the extra attacker and went 42-for-66 on face-offs.
 
Fenton moved to 5-3-0 overall on the season with the win and upped his save percentage to .910. Babson's junior goaltender Matt Pompa made 28 stops in the loss.
 
In the W.B. Mason Winter Classic consolation game, Endicott defeated Tufts, 8-1.