With 26 players returning from last year’s squad that went 17-9-1, including 12-5-1 in the MASCAC, first-year Plymouth State head coach Craig Russell had every reason to believe this season could be just as successful.<\/p>\n
However, while their are still some kinks to be worked out (the Panthers are 7-1, but have four ties on the year, including Sunday and Monday to Wentworth when they led entering the final minute), an improvement of one of the team’s few weaknesses from last year has Plymouth State primed to be in the thick of things once again.<\/p>\n
“Goaltending was our biggest weakness last year,” Russell said prior to the season. “We were searching for consistency in that position all year, but were unable to find it. Jack Astedt proved in a couple of games last year that he has what it takes to be a dominant goalie in this league, and I fully expect to see him bring that to the table more often this season.”<\/p>\n
Russell’s prediction has held true so far, as the sophomore from Sweden has made a major leap in his second year of college hockey.<\/p>\n
“He’s stepped up huge,” Russell said of Astedt following Monday night’s tie at Wentworth. “He’s played all but 80 minutes this year. Not that [freshman backup] Tyler Ingerson isn’t capable, but Jack has far exceeded anyone’s expectations. He’s working hard on and off the ice. He’s doing well in the classroom; he’s a very well-rounded kid. It’s nice to have him back there.”<\/p>\n
Astedt played in 13 games his freshman year, posting an 8-4 record but a 3.37 goals-against-average and .899 save percentage. This year, his GAA (2.00) and save percentage (.928), rank 11th and 15th nationally, respectively, while his conference numbers rank among the top three in the MASCAC. He is also the only goaltender to record a shutout in conference play thus far.<\/p>\n
“The entire season I’ve felt a lot more comfortable,” Astedt said following Monday’s game. “I know what college hockey is about. It’s not Swedish junior hockey anymore. I feel like you can see that in the results.”<\/p>\n
Astedt’s comfort level and communication with his defense was apparent in Monday night’s game at Matthews Arena. The Panthers were forced to kill off a host of early penalties, many in rapid succession, but wound up denying Wentworth on all seven of its power play chances, including a brief five-on-three.<\/p>\n
“I’m more relaxed this year, and not just because of the school work,” Astedt said. “I realize I can take it easy instead of [getting stressed]. It’s making it easy and helping the defense.”<\/p>\n
PSU will need Astedt and the rest of the team to firing on all cylinders as they begin their 2011 conference portion of the schedule by traveling to upstart Worcester State Thursday night. As detailed last week, the Lancers closed 2010 with a bang, knocking off several of the conference’s top squads. The teams have already met once this season, a 3-3 tie at Hanaway Rink on Nov. 23. The Lancers currently sit one point ahead of Plymouth State in the conference standings.<\/p>\n
“Worcester State is a scary team at home,” Russell said. “It’s a whole different game at Horgan Rink. It’s a lot smaller and and lot uglier and that’s the kind of team they are. They’re a blue collar team and they’re going to try and outwork you. It’s not something where you can roll into the game and look at the past. We tied them earlier, although we shouldn’t have. We had a bit of an injury bug then, so we won’t really know how good they are against our team when we’re at our best. Thursday will be a great test, and I’m looking forward to it.”<\/p>\n