For Plymouth State sophomore forward Will Redick, the first ten games of the season have been a bonanza of points and statistical brilliance. Catapulting off his successful freshman season and playing on a line with last year’s MASCAC Player of the Year, Myles Abbate, Redick has shown maturity and poise beyond his years in helping the youthful Panthers continue their unbeaten ways in conference play.
“Will has had a sensational start to the season,” noted head coach Craig Russell. “He really learned a lot when he centered the line with Myles last season in the second half and that has translated to his early success this year. Will is an elite skater with a terrific hockey IQ and while he doesn’t necessarily impress you with his size, he is very solid and can be tough to play against. He had three goals against Salem State last weekend in what was probably not one of his better games, but he has had some good bounces with shots getting through and continues to work hard with a full 200-foot game that we expect from all our players.”
Through the first ten games of the season, Redick has recorded 14 goals and added nine assists for 23 points while posting a plus 16 rating. He has seven goals on the power play and has paired nicely with linemate Connor Tait (6-8-14, +15) in leading the Panthers in scoring through the first half with just one game remaining on the schedule this weekend.
“Will and Connor have been a great combination together,” said Russell. “It is always a good thing when you have two guys going together in the manner they play together so now we are looking for that third complimentary player on the left side of the line that could really make it a special group. We have tried some different players there and will continue to tweak our young lineup focused on being better in each game and at our best when it matters most early in 2024.”
This year’s edition of the reigning MASCAC champions features 15 new players on the roster and despite their 8-1-2 record overall and 6-0-2 record in league play, there is still much to be learned and developed with this roster through the balance of the schedule.
“We started out great with those big wins over UNE. Worcester State and Babson to start the season,” said Russell. “We were very focused on proving something after losing to UNE for a second straight year in the NCAA tournament and losing a game to Babson we thought we should have won last year. I think our youthfulness showed up a bit after that when we had 50-plus shots against Anna Maria and Westfield State and only scored three goals total in a loss and an overtime tie. We need to show that we can win low-scoring games without producing crooked numbers offensively and that is going to be key in our future success and our pursuit of another conference title and opportunity in the NCAA tournament. I think coming out of a challenging travel schedule before Thanksgiving, we have had an opportunity to rest and re-set and focus on what we need to prove to ourselves on the ice.”
The second half of the season features all MASCAC opponents as the Panthers look to extend their current 6-0-2 record on top of last year’s unbeaten campaign in conference play which is believed to continue to extend a record that is believed to be ongoing since the conference inception in 2010.
“Our goal is to win the conference,” stated Russell. “We want to get back to the NCAA tournament and build some success like we have seen a UNE team do after knocking us out the past couple of years. This is a different team this year and we are off to a good start, but we need to stay focused and continue to have players like Will, Connor, and our goaltender, Kalle Andersson build on their game craft and consistency along with the rest of the players so we can get to where to we want and need to be in the second half of the season. Right now, we are just focused on NEC this week knowing they are going to be fired up to play after a tough loss on Tuesday night.”
The Panthers closeout their first half with a non-conference game against in-state rival New England College in their annual Teddy Bear toss game on Friday night.
