AMHERST, MA. – In a gritty, penalty-filled battle, the Amherst College men's ice hockey team suffered a third straight loss on Saturday, Jan. 25. Taking on non-conference opponent Plattsburgh State for the first time since the 2014-15 season, the Mammoths dropped a close game to the Cardinals, 2-1.

With the loss, the Mammoths drop to 7-8-1, while the Cardinals improve to 10-7-1 overall. Amherst has six days to regroup after a tough weekend, with an all-important run of NESCAC games to follow. First up for the Mammoths is local foe Trinity on Friday, Jan. 31. Puck drop against the Bantams is scheduled for 7 p.m.

GAME HIGHLIGHTS:
 
* Though Plattsburgh State got on the board first, after just two minutes of action, the Mammoths responded after an additional two minutes of play to tie the game at 1-1. After a shot from Ben Ritter was deflected into the air, Bobby Luca collected the puck and skated behind the net. He sent the puck into the slot in the direction of a waiting Zachary Murray, who buried it to even the score.
 
* With a minute and a half left in the first frame, Amherst lost the lead in a series of unfortunate events. Jacob Pohl was assessed a game misconduct for a slashing penalty that gave the Cardinals a five-minute power play at the 16:52 mark. On that power play, a cross-ice feed found a wide-open Cardinal at the back post, with the shot beating Andrew Palena. The Cardinals headed into the second with a 2-1 lead.
 
* Though both teams saw chances in the second period, neither found a breakthrough. Both sides had opportunities on the power play, and the Mammoths threatening while shorthanded as well: Amherst outshot Plattsburgh during their penalty kill, with efforts from Andrew Carmody and Josh Burke unable to hit paydirt.  
 
* Entering the final period down a goal, Amherst faced an uphill battle in a defensive game --- Plattsburgh lead just 17-14 in shots with 20 minutes to go. The Mammoths flipped that tally in the third, putting relentless pressure on their opponent's net and forcing save after save from the Cardinals' goalie. This included stretches during their multiple man-up opportunities in which they stayed in their offensive end for the majority of the penalty's time.
 
* Palena kept his team within one with stellar play, including back-to-back saves with 4:36 to go. The first was off a close-range effort from the low slot, and the second came after the resulting rebound bounced into the high-slot. Palena got his body on both efforts, and Ben Cook came in behind him to sweep the puck off the line to keep the game close.
 
* With a just over a minute to go, Amherst went to an empty net and brought on an extra skater in the hopes of tying the game. However, despite multiple chances, the Mammoths could not connect and the final horn sounded with Amherst falling to the Cardinals, 2-1.
 
BY THE NUMBERS:
 
* Murray's goal put an exclamation point on his run of good form: the tally was his third in four games.
 
* The two teams tied 25-25 in shots on goal, but Amherst outshot the Cardinals 57-49 overall. The Mammoths also had a better day at the dot, winning 52 percent of the faceoffs.
 
* Palena made 23 saves in the loss.