Rutland, Vt. – The Castleton women's hockey team got a shutout performance in net and some timely scoring to advance to the Rutland Herald Invitational Championship Game with a 4-0 victory over Franklin Pierce on Friday evening at Spartan Arena. 

Sophomore Paula Stephens stopped all 16 shots she faced for her fourth shutout of the season as the Spartans improved to 7-4-1 on the season. Franklin Pierce, meanwhile, dropped to 4-8. 

Offensively, Molly Howard led the team with a goal and an assist as eight different players recorded a point in the contest. Castleton outshot the Ravens 37-16 in the contest and went 2-for-5 on the power play while holding Franklin Pierce to 0-for-4.

The Spartans got on board first, scoring at the 9:52 mark of the period. Howard collected the puck in her own zone, took the put up the right side of the ice and made a quick move toward the middle before sliding a puck between pads of goalie Amelea Gray. 

In the second period Hannah Martini scored her second goal of the season off a great individual effort at 12:05. Martini came from behind the net and lifted a shot that hit Gray on the chest. It rolled off her pads and Martini fought off a defender to knock the rebound under Gray's pads for the goal. 

In the third, Castleton kept pushing and broke through on a power play at 9:58 of the period. Dani Roberts fired a pass from the left point to Nicoline Jensen at the right slot coming toward the net. She fired a shot on net, it bounced off Gray but Allie Howard was in front to hack home the rebound. 

As the final minute ticked away the Spartans put serious pressure on Franklin Pierce once again. Holding the puck behind the net, Molly Howard found BriAnna Narodowy in front and she wristed a shot a into the back of the net while being checked to the ground, scoring with just 13.5 seconds left. 

With the victory the Spartans advanced to play Holy Cross in the Rutland Herald Invitational Championship Game at 3 pm on Saturday. Franklin Pierce will play in the consolation game at 12 pm.