Myles Abbate took the ice for Plymouth State’s opener against Plattsburgh in late October in a familiar place, but without some familiar faces.
Since his freshman year, before the pandemic threw Division 3 hockey — and life everywhere — into uncertain chaos, Abbate (Norwell, Mass.) would skate out to his left wing position knowing JR Barone and Mike McPherson were skating out with him.
That first line helped coach Craig Russell’s team prosper in recent years, winning MASCAC titles and reaching the NCAA tournament in 2020 and ’22. Last season, the trio produced 37 percent of the team’s goals and 31 percent of its points.
“It’s kind of crazy,” said Abbate. “I remember talking about it at the end of last season with Craig. Playing with JR and ‘Mickey,’ it was so fun. We just clicked right away. … I’d never played with anyone in my life for that long.”
“They just had unquestionable chemistry,” said Russell (Northfield, Vt.). “I tried to break them up many times but ultimately had to keep them together.”
Now it’s a new day for Abbate, who produced more points than any Division 3 player in New England last season. His 40 points (on 17 goals and 23 assists) not only led his team, but also ranked 12th in Division 3.
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A superb skater who plays a two-way game, the 5-foot-10, 170-pound Abbate has become one of the best players at this level, with a game that’s about much more than points — and now one he’ll share with new linemates.
“It’s his compete level at the end of the day,” said Russell. “When you put that with his hockey IQ you get something special.
“He only plays one way. He plays hard. He plays honest. No matter who he plays with, he’s going to be successful.”
Because of the NCAA waiver awarded to athletes who largely lost their 2020-21 seasons to the pandemic (Plymouth played just eight games that season over a five-week stretch in February and March), Abbate is an academic senior but with two years of athletic eligibility remaining.
Abbate blossomed during a four-year career at Proctor Academy, one that included a Lakes Region title his sophomore year, a very significant achievement given that Kimball Union has been one of the region’s superpowers these past several years.
He scored the overtime game-winner against New Hampton in the semis that year and, as both his size and confidence grew, the amount of opportunities at the next level expanded.
“It was pretty obvious right away, even his freshman year, that Myles was a pretty gifted offensive player,” said Proctor coach Mike Walsh. “He evolved into a potent weapon for us. Any time there would be more time and space — power plays, four-on-four — he became more dangerous.”
At Proctor, where he also starred in lacrosse, Abbate played on hockey teams with guys like Tate Singleton (who’d go on to play at Ohio State), Reilly Walsh (Harvard), Jake Pappalardo (Maine and Holy Cross), Matt Slick (Holy Cross) and Cole Joslin (Middlebury).
Another of his teammates was Peter Laviolette, who was two years ahead of him and ended up at Plymouth State, a short trip north, where he’d eventually be a captain.
Abbate received some Division 1 interest, but from programs that wanted him to play a year of juniors. He wanted to stay in New England, and he wanted to get right on a college campus and experience the college hockey atmosphere.
Advice from his father stayed in his head: “Go somewhere where you’re going to play and where you’re going to be happy.”
He had Laviolette — son of NHL coach Peter from Franklin, Mass. — encouraging him to come up for a visit and Russell making trips to watch him play. It ended up being an easy decision for both sides.
“Myles went up for a visit, came back and said it was fantastic,” said Walsh.
“I was sold early on,” said Russell.
The preseason favorites again in the MASCAC, the Panthers annually try to beef up their résumé with some tough out-of-conference games. After skating to a 2-2 tie with Plattsburgh on opening night, they went on the road and lost to nationally ranked Babson in overtime, 3-2.
Abbate got on the scoresheet for the first time in Plymouth’s third game, assisting on two goals in a 5-4 win at Fitchburg State on Nov. 3.
Minus producers like Barone and McPherson, the biggest question marks for the Panthers are up front. Abbate and senior Jacob Laurin will do a lot of the heavy lifting, with guys like junior Jeromey Rancourt (Lewiston, Maine) and sophomore Ethan Stuckless stepping into larger roles.
The defense has just about everybody back and both goalies — senior Brendahn Brawley (1.55 goals-against average, .948 save percentage last season) and junior Kalle Anderson (2.48, .912) — have proven that they can thrive at this level.
“The feeling might be that we lost a lot of key pieces,” said Abbate, “but there are a lot of returning guys who are seeing opportunities. They’re hungry to play and hungry to win.”
