Westfield, Mass.— Plymouth State has been voted on by the coaches to win their sixth straight MASCAC Men’s Ice Hockey Championship after winning the regular season and tournament during the 2021-22 season. 

The Panthers earned five of the seven first place votes for 35 points. They finished the 2021-22 season with a 14-2-2 mark in league action. Reigning MASCAC Player of the Year Myles Abbate returns to the ice for the Panthers. Last season, he led the MASCAC in total points with 40 on 17 goals and 23 assists while scoring six on the power play and two game-winners.

Sitting in second place is Fitchburg State with 31 points and a first place vote. The Falcons finished with a 14-3-1 mark during the conference slate. During the 2021-22 season, Hunter Fortin led the team in points (27), goals (13) and power-play goals (5), while adding 14 helpers and two game winners on his way to All-Conference honors.

Landing in third with 25 points and the final first place vote is UMass Dartmouth. The Corsairs were 6-10-2 at the end of the MASCAC schedule in 2021-22. Michael Perrone returns for the team after finding the back of the net nine times and adding 10 assists for 19 points, including a game-winner last season.

Worcester State comes in fourth with 19 points. The Lancers had an 8-8-2 record last season after conference play. All-Conference defenseman Max Roth is back after collecting 16 points on seven goals and nine assists in 2021-22. 

Picked to finish fifth is Westfield State with 16 points. The Owls were 7-9-2 during MASCAC action last season. Valtteri Valtonen is back in goal for the team after averaging 2.83 GAA and a .926 save percentage. He led the league with 705 saves, an average of 32 saves per game. He finished with a 10-10-1 overall record.

Rounding out the 2022-23 preseason poll are Salem State and Framingham State in sixth and seventh, respectively. The Vikings had an 8-10 MASCAC record last season and reigning MASCAC Rookie of the Year Erik Larsson returns after he tallied 11 goals and a team-leading 15 assists for Salem State. His six power-play goals six power play goals topped the Vikings and tied for second most in the MASCAC. The Rams bring back goalie Blake Carlson who was second in the league in saves with 670 while collecting a .909 save percentage last season.

The 2022-23 season begins this weekend with non-conference action for the MASCAC teams and league play beginning on November 3. For all the game schedules, scores, stats and recaps, use mascac.com. 

 

 

(First Place Votes In Parentheses)

1. Plymouth State (5) - 35 points

2. Fitchburg State (1) - 31 points

3. UMass Dartmouth  (1) - 25 points

4. Worcester State - 19 points

5. Westfield State - 16 points

6. Salem State - 15 points

7. Framingham State - 6 points