Worcester, Mass. - Castleton traveled to Worcester to take on Holy Cross on Friday afternoon. Trailing 2-1 late in the third period, it took some last-minute heroics for the Spartans to force overtime and salvage the 2-2 tie.

With the draw, the Spartans move to 7-5-3 on the year, including a 4-2-3 record in the ECAC East. The Crusaders move to 10-4-2, 4-3-2 in conference play, and remain on spot behind Castleton in the conference standings. 

Paula Stephens finished with 32 saves in net for the Spartans, moving to 6-4-3 on the season. Alexandra Stevenson turned away 39 shots for Holy Cross, and with the tie improves her record to 4-2-2 on the year.

The Spartans were the first on the board when senior forward BriAnna Narodowy netted her fifth goal of the season. She received a pass from Chelsea Fowlow and put it past Stevenson to give Castleton the 1-0 lead 7:47 into the first period. 

The game moved at a breakneck pace, with the Spartans outshooting the Crusaders 17-10 in the first frame. In the second period, both goalies kept their nets clean, each making 12 stops. After two periods, the Spartans had outshot Holy Cross 29-22 and held onto their 1-0 lead.

The home team came out in the third period determined to win, and netted two quick goals to gain the lead. Just five minutes into the period, Francesca Panarelli tied the score with her third goal of the year. Only 1:01 later, the Crusaders struck again. This time it was Caroline English who gave Holy Cross the 2-1 lead with just under 14:00 left to play. 

The Spartans kept plugging away at Stevenson, but found themselves still trailing with under two minutes to go. It was freshman Nicoline Jensen who stepped up to tie the game. On a power play, Jensen received the puck and slid it past Stevenson to knot the score at 2-2 with just 1:55 remaining. Jensen's seventh goal of the season moved the game to overtime.

In the extra period, the Spartans had a number of opportunities to come away with the win. With 2:15 remaining, English was sent to the penalty box for a checking minor. With the man advantage, the Spartans ripped eight shots, with four of them challenging Stevenson. The Holy Cross goaltender was up for the challenge though, and helped preserve the point. The game ended in a 2-2 draw.

The Spartans will play the second leg of their road trip tomorrow evening at 7 p.m. when they travel to Salve Regina.