Rutland, Vt. – Junior defenseman Kaitlin Hayes (Burlington, Vt.) buried the eventual game-winning goal at 11:58 of third period to give the Castleton State College women's ice hockey team a 2-1 victory over Southern Maine in ECAC East action on Saturday afternoon at Spartan Arena.

The Spartans improve to 3-2-1 overall and 2-1-1 in the ECAC East. The Huskies fall to 1-3-1 overall and 1-3-1 in the ECAC East.

Late in the third, Hayes possessed the puck just outside of the blue-line and carried it into the offensive zone firing a wrist shot over the blocker of Southern Maine netminder Jordan Lee (Colorado Springs, Colo.) into the top left corner of the net for the 2-1 advantage and her second tally of the season (unassisted).

The Huskies almost found the equalizer with less than five seconds remaining on the clock as Kailey Bubier's (Auburn, Maine) wrister slid across the crease after an initial pad save by Castleton goaltender Katharyn Dembowski (Elkridge, Md.) and then was kicked out to preserve the victory.

Down 1-0 in the second period, Spartans forward Hanna Martini (Fayston, Vt.) tied up the game with a wrist shot, while falling to ground, beating Lee from the left faceoff circle at 18:43.

Katie Paradis (Rochester, N.H.) got Southern Maine on the scoreboard first at 8:23 of the second period sniping a shot from the right faceoff circle past Dembowski. Teammate Lauren Whiting (Hampton, N.H.) assisted on the score.

Dembowski was the difference for Castleton making 16 saves in the first period and 41 total in the contest. Lee turned away 21 shots for the Huskies.

The Spartans return to action on Friday, December 3, as they travel to Manhattanville for an ECAC East contest at 7:00 p.m.