Rutland, Vt. - Castleton and UMass-Boston skated to an even 4-4 draw on Friday night at Spartan Arena. Each team had several opportunities to cash in the game-winner, but both goalies came up large on multiple occasions, earning their teams each a point in the ECAC East standings.

Ross Herzog finished with two goals for the Spartans while Erick Cinotti finished with 31 saves. Zach Andrews turned away 33 of Castleton's attempts as each goalie earned their first draw of the season. 

In the first period, Castleton jumped out to an early lead. Bart Moran continued his successful rookie campaign with a goal nearly five minutes into the game. Ryan Frost and Brian Greene each earned assists on the power play goal. 

The 1-0 Castleton lead didn't stand for long however, as the Beacons answered just 1:07 later with a goal of their own. Peter MacIntyre notched his first goal of the game when he beat Cinotti to knot the game back up at 1-1.

Castleton took a 2-1 lead into the intermission with a goal by Will Laking. Moran and Colin Murray used some nifty passing deep in the Beacons' zone to find Laking in front. The sophomore slotted the puck home for his third goal of the season, giving the Spartans a one-goal advantage heading into the break. 

In the second period, the Beacons' special teams shined as it has all season and Dan Cornell notched his first goal of the season on the man advantage. The tally by Cornell tied the game at 2-2 early in the second frame.

Senior captain Ross Herzog put the Spartans up 3-2 with a goal from Ryan Frost. The tally gave the Spartans the advantage yet again with 5:49 left in the period. The Beacons would answer again in the final minute of the second. MacIntyre notched his second goal of the game to pull the visitors even at 3-3. 

In the third period, the Beacons took the lead just 2:28 into the frame with a goal from Jeremy Finger. With the team trailing 4-3, it was the captain Herzog to the rescue, scoring his second goal of the game to level the score with 13:49 left to play in the game. The rest of regulation passed without a score and forced the game into overtime.

In the extra period, each team had chances but just couldn't convert. The Spartans earned a 2-on-1 breakaway late in the overtime frame, but the chance was broken up by a Beacons defender. With under a minute left, the Beacons earned an offensive zone faceoff win. Nathan Milam found himself with the puck in the slot and ripped a wrister that rattled off the crossbar and just out of the crease, begging wide and the tilt ended in a 4-4 draw.

Castleton outshot the Beacons 37-35, but were outperformed on special teams. The Beacons went 2-for-5 on the power play, while Castleton went 1-for-6 with an extra man. 

The Spartans move to 3-1-1 on the season and will play the second leg of their weekend slate on Saturday at 4:00pm against undefeated Babson College. The Beavers are currently ranked #8 in the D3Hockey poll.