COLCHESTER, Vt. - Fresh off the team's first defeat of the season, the third-ranked Spartans were looking to take out their frustrations and did so against St. Michael's, scoring twice in the first period on their way to a 5-2 victory on Saturday afternoon.
Castleton more than doubled the Purple Knights' shot total, firing 49 shots on goalie Mike Dizgun (Kirkland, Que.), as compared to just 19 for St. Michael's. Sophomore Colin Murray (Oshawa, Ont.) lead the squad with two goals while Dan Bell (Victoria, B.C.) and Tyler Atkins (Brockville, Ont.) each added a pair of assists in the win.
The Spartans came out aggressive, totaling eight shots on Dizgun before the Purple Knights were even able to get off a shot on Seth McNary (Woburn, Mass.). Castleton finally broke through at the 12:37 mark as junior Josh Harris (Torrance, Calif.) put home his first goal of the season on assists from Justin Alonzo (San Jose, Calif.) and Nick Lazorko (Rockwall, Texas).
Castleton made it 2-0 with just 2:10 remaining in the first period when Murray found the back of the net off passes from Atkins and Bell.
St. Michael's responded in the second period, scoring just 58 seconds in on a goal by A.J. Pieprzak (Barrie, Ont.) to cut the deficit to 2-1.
Seven minutes later, Murray lit the lamp for the second time. The sophomore netted the goal off assists by Kevin Van Dyk (Grand Valley, Ont.) and Reid Lesswing (Amherst, N.Y.) to make it a two-goal game. Junior Ben Schoeneberger (Vernon, Conn.) extended the Spartan lead at the 14:51 mark on a power-play goal off a dish from Atkins.
The Purple Knights scored eight minutes in the final period to cut the deficit to 4-2. However, Ryan Frost (Fullerton, Calif.) pushed back the lead to three off a pass Lindsey Gullet (Wawanesa, Man.) with 3:41 left in the contest.
McNary finished with 17 saves to earn his third win of the season in net while Dizgun make an impressive 44 stops between the pipes. The loss drops St. Michael's to 1-6-1 overall.
Castleton is off for the next four weeks, returning to action on Dec. 30 when the team takes on Utica in the Cardinal Classic hosted by Plattsburgh St.
