{"id":142936,"date":"2023-10-27T13:00:15","date_gmt":"2023-10-27T18:00:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp-admin.uscho.com\/?p=142936"},"modified":"2023-10-26T17:12:15","modified_gmt":"2023-10-26T22:12:15","slug":"mascac-preview-panthers-targeting-an-extended-run-as-conference-champions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wp-admin.uscho.com\/2023\/10\/27\/mascac-preview-panthers-targeting-an-extended-run-as-conference-champions\/","title":{"rendered":"MASCAC Men’s Hockey Preview: Panthers targeting extended run as conference champions"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"
Plymouth State has had lots to celebrate in recent years and another MASCAC title is on their goal list for the 2023-24 season (Photo by PSU Athletics)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Plymouth State was one of only two teams that finished their conference schedule undefeated last year (Utica was the other) on the way to the MASCAC championship. The Panthers have dominated the conference in recent years and will be trying to extend their six-year title streak as Plymouth State and Massachusetts-Dartmouth will be departing in 2025-26 to join the new Little East Conference for hockey which will also include Southern Maine, Massachusetts-Boston, and VSU-Castleton from the NEHC and newcomer Keene State who will field a D-III program starting next.<\/p>\n

Another added team for this season sees the return of Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts (MCLA) to D-III hockey. The Trailblazers last played NCAA level hockey when the school was called North Adams State. The Mohawks played from 1972-2003 before disbanding due to budgetary considerations.<\/p>\n

Another significant change finds John MacInnis stepping into the head coaching role for Salem State following the retirement of long-time and legendary D-III coach Bill O\u2019Neill.<\/p>\n

The Favorites<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

The Panthers lose MASCAC Player of the Year Myles Abbate but return a strong core of players including the return of goaltender Kalle Andersson who was unable to return from Sweden during the pandemic. A strong group of forwards including Jeremy Rancourt, Anton Jelvik and Connor Tait will be supported by Colin Tracy and a solid defensive group. The Panthers have all the tools to win the conference again.<\/p>\n

Worcester State, changes bench leaders with Jay Punsky stepping in as head coach to continue the program build overseen by coach Bob Deraney in recent years. Goaltender Wyatt Friedlander will be an important piece of Lancer success in the goal while Shane Prifrel and Martin Dlugolinsky will be featured offensive players this season.<\/p>\n

The Dark Horses<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Fitchburg State enters head coach Dean Fuller\u2019s 40th season with the Falcons and a lot of new pieces to put together particularly offensively. Goaltender Max Macchioni returns along with his brother Michael and fellow forwards Cole Archambeault and Toivo Kramer to lead the offensive group with eight new players.<\/p>\n

Massachusetts-Dartmouth returns key leaders for each group of players starting with Daniel Davidson in goal, Jake Maynard on defense and Michael Perrone at forward. Coach Eric Noack always has competitive teams and will need see some more favorable results away from the friendly confines of their home rink.<\/p>\n

Players to watch<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Fitchburg State:\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Max Macchioni \u00a0\u2013 goaltender; Toivo Kramer – forward<\/p>\n

Framingham State:\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Ashton Collazo \u2013 forward; Blake Carlson – goaltender<\/p>\n

UMass \u2013 Dartmouth:\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Michael Perrone \u2013 forward; Jake Maynard \u2013 defense<\/p>\n

MCLA\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Jeremiah Ketts \u2013 coach; Charlie Addesa – forward<\/p>\n

Plymouth State:\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Jeremy Rancourt \u2013 forward; Kalle Andersson – goaltender<\/p>\n

Salem State:\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Chris MacInnis – coach; Erik Larsson – forward<\/p>\n

Westfield State:\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Cooper Board \u2013 forward; Valtteri Valtonen – goaltender<\/p>\n

Worcester State:\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Jay Punsky \u2013 head coach; Brigham Neuhold – forward<\/p>\n

USCHO Predicted finish<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Plymouth State<\/li>\n
  2. Worcester State<\/li>\n
  3. Fitchburg State<\/li>\n
  4. Massachusetts-Dartmouth<\/li>\n
  5. Westfield State<\/li>\n
  6. Salem State<\/li>\n
  7. Framingham State<\/li>\n
  8. MCLA<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Plymouth State will open the season with an NCAA first round re-match as they host the University of New England in a battle of Top 15 teams. Massachusetts-Dartmouth hosts long-time rivals Massachusetts-Boston to open their campaign while Fitchburg State travels to play New England College on Saturday. Worcester State will be part of the Worcester City Cup tournament and coach MacInnis and the Vikings will open on the road against Suffolk.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Plymouth State was one of only two teams that finished their conference schedule undefeated last year (Utica was the other) on the way to the MASCAC championship. The Panthers have dominated the conference in recent years and will be trying to extend their six-year title streak as Plymouth State and Massachusetts-Dartmouth will be departing in […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":20,"featured_media":137629,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[820],"coauthors":[822],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nMASCAC Men's Hockey Preview: Panthers targeting extended run as conference champions - College Hockey | USCHO.com<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Plymouth State was one of only two teams that finished their conference schedule undefeated last year (Utica was the other) on the way to the MASCAC\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.uscho.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/142936\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"MASCAC Men's Hockey Preview: Panthers targeting extended run as conference champions - College Hockey | USCHO.com\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Plymouth State was one of only two teams that finished their conference schedule undefeated last year (Utica was the other) on the way to the MASCAC\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.uscho.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/142936\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"College Hockey | USCHO.com\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/OfficialUSCHO\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:author\" content=\"Tim Costello\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2023-10-27T18:00:15+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2023-10-26T22:12:15+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/wp-admin.uscho.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/PSU-Teddy-Bear-Celly.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1078\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"606\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Tim Costello\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@d3pucks\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@USCHO\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Tim Costello\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/wp-admin.uscho.com\/2023\/10\/27\/mascac-preview-panthers-targeting-an-extended-run-as-conference-champions\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/wp-admin.uscho.com\/2023\/10\/27\/mascac-preview-panthers-targeting-an-extended-run-as-conference-champions\/\",\"name\":\"MASCAC Men's Hockey Preview: Panthers targeting extended run as conference champions - College Hockey | USCHO.com\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/wp-admin.uscho.com\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/wp-admin.uscho.com\/2023\/10\/27\/mascac-preview-panthers-targeting-an-extended-run-as-conference-champions\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/wp-admin.uscho.com\/2023\/10\/27\/mascac-preview-panthers-targeting-an-extended-run-as-conference-champions\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/wp-admin.uscho.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/PSU-Teddy-Bear-Celly.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2023-10-27T18:00:15+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-10-26T22:12:15+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/wp-admin.uscho.com\/#\/schema\/person\/1de4c45122ef23fe626ce6aa69ac2123\"},\"description\":\"Plymouth State was one of only two teams that finished their conference schedule undefeated last year (Utica was the other) on the way to the MASCAC\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/wp-admin.uscho.com\/2023\/10\/27\/mascac-preview-panthers-targeting-an-extended-run-as-conference-champions\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/wp-admin.uscho.com\/2023\/10\/27\/mascac-preview-panthers-targeting-an-extended-run-as-conference-champions\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/wp-admin.uscho.com\/2023\/10\/27\/mascac-preview-panthers-targeting-an-extended-run-as-conference-champions\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/wp-admin.uscho.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/PSU-Teddy-Bear-Celly.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/wp-admin.uscho.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/PSU-Teddy-Bear-Celly.jpg\",\"width\":1078,\"height\":606,\"caption\":\"Plymouth State has had lots to celebrate in recent years and another MASCAC title is on their goal list for the 2023-24 season (Photo by PSU Athletics)\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/wp-admin.uscho.com\/2023\/10\/27\/mascac-preview-panthers-targeting-an-extended-run-as-conference-champions\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/wp-admin.uscho.com\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"MASCAC Men’s Hockey Preview: Panthers targeting extended run as conference champions\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/wp-admin.uscho.com\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/wp-admin.uscho.com\/\",\"name\":\"College Hockey | USCHO.com\",\"description\":\"Men's and Women's D-I and D-III College Hockey News, Features, Scores, Statistics, Fan Forum, Blogs\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/wp-admin.uscho.com\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/wp-admin.uscho.com\/#\/schema\/person\/1de4c45122ef23fe626ce6aa69ac2123\",\"name\":\"Tim Costello\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/wp-admin.uscho.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/7233ce172a4aafc254798353f7be40ca\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/e264b952c785b8e2ec0a4a32d1c6ec35?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/e264b952c785b8e2ec0a4a32d1c6ec35?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Tim Costello\"},\"description\":\"Division III Columnist Tim Costello joined USCHO as a correspondent in 2003. A former collegiate goaltender, he covers D-II and D-III conferences in New England and provides features spanning D-I and other special interest stories.\",\"sameAs\":[\"Tim Costello\",\"costello9301\",\"https:\/\/x.com\/@d3pucks\"],\"url\":\"https:\/\/wp-admin.uscho.com\/author\/costello\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"MASCAC Men's Hockey Preview: Panthers targeting extended run as conference champions - College Hockey | USCHO.com","description":"Plymouth State was one of only two teams that finished their conference schedule undefeated last year (Utica was the other) on the way to the MASCAC","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.uscho.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/142936","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"MASCAC Men's Hockey Preview: Panthers targeting extended run as conference champions - College Hockey | USCHO.com","og_description":"Plymouth State was one of only two teams that finished their conference schedule undefeated last year (Utica was the other) on the way to the MASCAC","og_url":"https:\/\/www.uscho.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/142936","og_site_name":"College Hockey | USCHO.com","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/OfficialUSCHO\/","article_author":"Tim Costello","article_published_time":"2023-10-27T18:00:15+00:00","article_modified_time":"2023-10-26T22:12:15+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1078,"height":606,"url":"https:\/\/wp-admin.uscho.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/PSU-Teddy-Bear-Celly.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Tim Costello","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@d3pucks","twitter_site":"@USCHO","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Tim Costello","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/wp-admin.uscho.com\/2023\/10\/27\/mascac-preview-panthers-targeting-an-extended-run-as-conference-champions\/","url":"https:\/\/wp-admin.uscho.com\/2023\/10\/27\/mascac-preview-panthers-targeting-an-extended-run-as-conference-champions\/","name":"MASCAC Men's Hockey Preview: Panthers targeting extended run as conference champions - College Hockey | USCHO.com","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/wp-admin.uscho.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/wp-admin.uscho.com\/2023\/10\/27\/mascac-preview-panthers-targeting-an-extended-run-as-conference-champions\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/wp-admin.uscho.com\/2023\/10\/27\/mascac-preview-panthers-targeting-an-extended-run-as-conference-champions\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/wp-admin.uscho.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/PSU-Teddy-Bear-Celly.jpg","datePublished":"2023-10-27T18:00:15+00:00","dateModified":"2023-10-26T22:12:15+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/wp-admin.uscho.com\/#\/schema\/person\/1de4c45122ef23fe626ce6aa69ac2123"},"description":"Plymouth State was one of only two teams that finished their conference schedule undefeated last year (Utica was the other) on the way to the MASCAC","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/wp-admin.uscho.com\/2023\/10\/27\/mascac-preview-panthers-targeting-an-extended-run-as-conference-champions\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/wp-admin.uscho.com\/2023\/10\/27\/mascac-preview-panthers-targeting-an-extended-run-as-conference-champions\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/wp-admin.uscho.com\/2023\/10\/27\/mascac-preview-panthers-targeting-an-extended-run-as-conference-champions\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/wp-admin.uscho.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/PSU-Teddy-Bear-Celly.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/wp-admin.uscho.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/PSU-Teddy-Bear-Celly.jpg","width":1078,"height":606,"caption":"Plymouth State has had lots to celebrate in recent years and another MASCAC title is on their goal list for the 2023-24 season (Photo by PSU Athletics)"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/wp-admin.uscho.com\/2023\/10\/27\/mascac-preview-panthers-targeting-an-extended-run-as-conference-champions\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/wp-admin.uscho.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"MASCAC Men’s Hockey Preview: Panthers targeting extended run as conference champions"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/wp-admin.uscho.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/wp-admin.uscho.com\/","name":"College Hockey | USCHO.com","description":"Men's and Women's D-I and D-III College Hockey News, Features, Scores, Statistics, Fan Forum, Blogs","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/wp-admin.uscho.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/wp-admin.uscho.com\/#\/schema\/person\/1de4c45122ef23fe626ce6aa69ac2123","name":"Tim Costello","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/wp-admin.uscho.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/7233ce172a4aafc254798353f7be40ca","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/e264b952c785b8e2ec0a4a32d1c6ec35?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/e264b952c785b8e2ec0a4a32d1c6ec35?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Tim Costello"},"description":"Division III Columnist Tim Costello joined USCHO as a correspondent in 2003. A former collegiate goaltender, he covers D-II and D-III conferences in New England and provides features spanning D-I and other special interest stories.","sameAs":["Tim Costello","costello9301","https:\/\/x.com\/@d3pucks"],"url":"https:\/\/wp-admin.uscho.com\/author\/costello\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp-admin.uscho.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/142936"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp-admin.uscho.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp-admin.uscho.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-admin.uscho.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/20"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-admin.uscho.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=142936"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/wp-admin.uscho.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/142936\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":142981,"href":"https:\/\/wp-admin.uscho.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/142936\/revisions\/142981"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-admin.uscho.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/137629"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp-admin.uscho.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=142936"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-admin.uscho.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=142936"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-admin.uscho.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=142936"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-admin.uscho.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=142936"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}