Spartans Win Streak at 5 in a Row, Complete Weekend Sweep

of St Mikes and Norwich !

Castleton Men Smother Saint Michaels

Matt Keith VSN.com 2-13-09

The Castleton Spartans men’s Hockey team celebrated senior night in fine fashion against the Saint Michaels Purple Knights. The local team that boasted 11 seniors did a number on the team that has had its share of troubles in 2009. Playing for the Spartans for one of the final times at home were Goalies Jeff Swanson and Jay Seals, Forwards Andy Brolsma, Ryan Bartlett, Brandon Heck, Ross Carmichael, Jeff “Laz” Lazeren, Marlin Froese, and defensemen Mike Andersen, Craig Richardson, and Captain Jarred Lavender.

The Spartans wasted no time in getting on the board fast in the first period with goals from Omar Pacha and Eric Curtis. St Mikes was able to get one back but that was as close as they would get for the rest of the game.

The second period found Castleton opening the flood gates with goals from Steve Culbertson, Craig Richardson, Tyler Atkins and Lindsey Gullet.  St Mike’s would add a tally, giving the Spartans a 6 to 2 lead going into the final period.   

Brandon Heck would add another goal in the third frame and senior Andy Brolsma would nab his first career goal with 2.5 seconds left.  Castleton would win the game 8-3.  The Spartans were tied for third in the ECAC East going into this contest and will host the first place Norwich Cadets on Saturday afternoon at the Fieldhouse in what will be the final regular season home guys for the Spartan seniors. 

Spartans Upend Norwich 3-2

Matt Keith VSN.com 2-14-09

The Castleton Spartans pulled off a huge come from behind win today at the Rutland Regional Fieldhouse against the vesting Norwich Cadets pushing their current win streak to 5 games in a row. 

After an evenly matched first period where neither team got a shot on goal until 5 minutes in the visiting Cadets grabbed a 2 goal lead in the 2nd period where the outplayed their hosts.  Nikita Kashirsky would net the first tally on  a shot from the right side that beat Castleton goalie Jeff Swanson.   Just after the Cadets killed off a power play Greg Eskedjian took a beautiful pass from Eric Tallent and got in on Swanson and beat him for a 2-0 lead.  

The Spartans would go on the power play again late in the 2nd period that spill over 26 seconds into the final frame.  Just after the power play ended Steve Culbertson found the back of the net to cut the Cadet lead to 2 to 1.  

Jonathon Lafrance ripped a shot from the right point that found the back of the net behind Norwich goalie Ryan Klingersmith tying the game at the 6:12 mark.  From there with the crowd on their side the momentum shifted to Castleton.  With 8 minutes to go in the game Steve Culberston stole a pass near center ice from Eric Tallant  and skated in shorthanded and ripped a shot past Klingersmith for the game winner.  

With New England College’s loss to Amherst the Spartans are now 2nd in the league behind Norwich going into the final weekend of the regular season. Castleton will close out the season on the road with games at Trinity and Wesleyan.

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CASTLETON Has A Weekend Home Split

Defeats UMASS BOSTON Loses to BABSON

By Matt Keith VSN.com

Spartans 3 Minuetmen 2

With the latter half of the season upon the Castleton State Spartans, urgency was to be the call of the day at the Rutland Regional Fieldhouse for the team that is only boasting an 8-8-and 2 record to date. With a rather large contingent of fans from the Lothrop school in Pittsford Vermont in the barn for the game the Spartans needed to get a win this afternoon and try to get themselves back on the winning track.

The first period found a scoreless tie with the Spartans out shooting the Minutemen 9 to 4 for the first session while only being assessed two penalties to boot.

Period number two was a horse of a different color. U-Mass Boston would be the first to draw blood and it would come very early on. At  just 1:45 of the period Vinnie Jacona would find the back of the net on the power play,  giving the Beacons a 1-0 lead.     Castleton would net the equalizer at 7:37 as Brandon Heck stuffed one past Beacon’s net minder Kevin Bendel.   A defensive lapse by the Spartan’s would lead to U Mass Boston’s second goal by Wayne Sands.  The score going into the final stanza would be 2 to 1 in favor of the visiting Beacons.

The Spartans would again tie the game on a Cody Ayers power play goal at the 2:30 mark of the third period.  The game winner would come on a beauty from Stuart Stefan at 10:01 giving the Spartans their first lead of the game.  U Mass Boston would pull their goalie with just over a minute left but then they incurred a hitting from behind penalty forcing them to put Bendel back between the pipes.  From there the Spartans killed off the remaining seconds to hold on for a much needed and big win.   The Spartans move to 9-8-2 overall and 5-6-2 in the ECAC East.  Castleton will hit the road next weekend for games against Salem State and Southern Maine. 

Beavers 7 Spartans 2

With a local flare that brought out an early festive night in the air the Castleton College Spartans Men’s Hockey team came into their home Ice at the Rutland Regional Fieldhouse with winning on their minds. The local Rutland Amateur Hockey Organization (RAHA) that is the youth hockey company in the area unveiled their new Junior Spartans logo and Hockey Sweaters tonight in front of a large crowd of the Castleton faithful.

The visiting Babson Beavers would dominate much of the 1st period play with four power play opportunities but it was the Spartans who would cash in 1st.  Omar Pacha’s blast from point blank range got past Babson goalie Andrew Peabody for a 1-0 advantage at 3:04.  The Beavers would get the equalizer at 10:55 on the power play as Brad Baldelli poked a rebound past Seth McNary.  Babson would cash in on the power play again at 12:57 on a Casey Fazekas goal giving the visitors a 2-1 lead going into the 2nd stanza.

Just 1:47 into the 2nd period the Spartans would get the equalizer on a power play tally by Brandon Heck.  But less than a minute later Babson would go back in front on JT Balban’s goal.  From there it was all beavers as they lit the lamp 3 more times in the 2nd period and headed into the final period of play with a 6 to 2 lead.  Jay Seals would replace McNary in net after the 6th goal.   A big five assist night for Babson senior defenseman Alex DiPietro the brother of New York Islander’s goalie Rick DiPietro.

Babson would cap the scoring at 10:46 of the final period on a Shane Farrell tally.  For the Spartans certainly a tough loss as they fall to 8-8-2 overall and more importantly 4-6-2 in the tight ECAC East standings.

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Castleton Bombs Tufts, Ties Connecticut College

by Matt Keith VSN.com

It was like night and day between Friday and Saturday as the Castleton Spartans men's hockey teams gained a tie and win in league play over the weekend.   On Friday night after trailing 1-0 early on the Spartans were able to get the equalizer and send the game to overtime where the settled for a tie against a Connecticut College Camel team that clearly outplayed from them from the drop of the puck.  "If this game is on the road we probably lose it" said Coach Alex Todd.  All night long the visiting Camels were quicker to the puck, much more aggressive and outplayed the Spartans not to say the least the Castleton also turned over the puck a lot. 

Whatever Coach Todd told them between Friday and Saturday nights games the senior laden team listened.  They stepped it a notch on Saturday and came out strong from the opening face off. Although they looked a little off in the 1st period getting down 1-0 Eric Curtis was able to not the score at 1 going into the 2nd period.  From there the Spartans took control  with 4 unanswered goals and skated into the final period with a 5 to 1.   From there the trashing of the visiting Tufts University Jumbos continued as the Spartans lit the lamp an additional 6 times en route to an 11 to 2 drubbing of Tufts.  Freshman Cody Ayers of Colorado had an outstanding effort in the game scoring his first career Spartan goal and then "just for fun" adding two more for the hat trick.  Clearly this was the Spartans best offensive effort of the season.  'Our seniors really stepped it up today" said Todd.  Much like last season when they got hot late in the season one hopes this will get the 7-6-2 Spartans moving in the right direction as the their are only  4 weekends of regular season hockey remaining and their is a huge log jam in the ECAC East Standings where Castleton sits tied for 3rd with 4 other teams only 3 points behind 1st place Norwich and  2 points behind 2nd place New England College.    The Spartans will head out on the road next weekend for games with NESCAC foes Amherst and Hamilton.  Remember folks these NESCAC games count in the league standings.  Castleton will close out the month of January at home when Babson and U Mass Boston come to town.  February will find the Spartans back on the road again with games at Salem State and Southern Maine before closing out the regular season on Valentine's Day weekend with big games against in state rivals St Michael's College and Norwich. 

ECAC East Standings  (As on 1/18/09)

Norwich                                   6-2-1       13 pts

New England College                 5-3-0        10pts

Babson                                    4-5-0        8pts

Skidmore                                4-5-0        8pts

Southern Maine                      4-5-0        8pts

Castleton                                 3-4-2        8pts

Saint Anselm                           3-4-1        7pts

Saint Michaels                        3-6-0        6pts

U Mass Boston                        2-6-1        5pts

Looking at head to head match ups for the Spartans.  They have yet to play Norwich, they lost to New England College, have not played Babson yet, lost to Skidmore, have yet to play Southern Maine and U Mass Boston.   Although Castleton lost to Saint Anselm and has yet to play St. Micheals these two teams are division 2 schools.  Although their games count in league play when the postseason ECAC East tournament takes place for the automatic NCAA bid ST Anselm and Saint Michaels will not participate and instead will play in their own Division 2 tournament.  This will leave the remaining 8 teams to contest for the ECAC tournament. 

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Skidmore Gets By The Castleton Men 3-2

by Matt Keith VSN.com

The game the Castleton College Men’s Hockey team played against the number one D-III club in the nation, was a testament to the Spartans' ability to skate with anyone. Tonight, at the Rutland Regional Fieldhouse, the Spartans found themselves in a battle with a team from New York that had a little something to prove to themselves and everyone else.

Playing without coach Alex Todd, the Spartans found themselves in an early deficit as the visiting Thoroughbreds got on the board early at 9:44 of the first period when Hunter Thayer took a rebound from teammate Tyler Doremus and blasted it past Castleton goalie Jay Seals for a 1-0 Skidmore lead.  The Spartans would incur three penalties in the first frame and it was on the second one that Skidmore would take a 2-0 lead as Alex Mykolenko’s shot from the right in found it’s way past Seals.  

The Spartan’s would finally get on the board on a power play spilling over from the 1st period.  Jared Lavender’s laser from the left point beat Skidmore goalie Andrew Ross at the 1:36 mark cutting the Thoroughbred lead to 2-1.   Penalties would plague the Spartans again in the 2nd period, and on the power play at 9:44, Phil McDavitt blasted a shot over Seals putting Skidmore up 3-1 through 2 periods.  The Spartans would hit pay dirt again on the powerplay at 13:26 as Omar Pacha got the puck by Ross.   The Spartans stepped up the intensity in the closing minutes of the game but were unable to net the equalizer.

Castleton will be on the road this weekend facing Middlebury Friday night at 7 P.M., and on Saturday the team will travel to Williams for a three O’clock contest with the Ephs.

ECAC East Game Box Score
Tuesday, January 6, 2009 at Rutland Regional Fieldhouse (Att: 265)

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CASTLETON FALLS IN CARDINAL CLASSIC FINALS

by Matt Keith VSN.com

Despite skating with the host Plattsburgh for most of the contest, the Spartans fell short in the championship game of the Cardinal Classic by a score of 3-0 at the Stafford Arena in Plattsburgh, New York.  In spite of first period penalties the Spartan penalty kill was strong and the teams skated into the locker room at the end of the 1st deadlocked in a scoreless tie.   The Cardinals would finally take advantage of the power play scoring at 1:52 on a goal by Dan Sliasis. 

The Cardinals would light the lamp again at 7:20  as Joey Wilson found the back of the net.   As the third period began, the Spartans stepped up the intensity level and despite several golden opportunities they were unable to get on the scoreboard.  An empty netter late by Riley Hill would cap the scoring for the night.   Even though the game was a loss for the Spartans, they came into this game against the number one ranked team in the country and held them close in their own barn which is a testament to this Castleton team. 

The loss put the Spartans at 5-5 on the season. They will return home to the Rutland Fieldhouse on Tuesday night to resume league play against Skidmore before heading on the road next weekend to Middlebury and Williams.

Plattsburgh sophomore goaltender Bryan Hince, who was voted the tournament's Most Valuable Player, stopped all 19 shots he faced to earn his third shutout this season to lower his goals-against average to 1.97.  In two contests, he made 38 saves on 39 shots.     Seth McNary had 22 saves for Castleton, which is 1-3 on the road.  

All-Tournament Team:  D, Ryan Scott, Williams; D, Ward Smith, Plattsburgh; F, Stuart Stefan, Castleton; F, Riley Hill, Plattsburgh; F, Joey Wilson, Plattsburgh; G, Bryan Hince (MVP), Plattsburgh

Attendance: 1468
Start Time: 7:20 pm  End Time: 9:30 pm  Total Time: 2:10

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