Boston, Mass. - In just her fifth game with the team, Taylor Steadman notched her first career hat trick and Paula Stephens made 37 saves as the Spartans dispatched the UMass-Boston Beacons 4-1 on Friday night in Boston.

Castleton picks up its fourth win in five games in the month of January and just its third road win of the season. The Spartans were outshot 38-34 but managed to earn the win despite the differential. The team went 1-for-4 on the power play and did not commit any penalties throughout the entire game for the first time this season.

In the first, Castleton outshot the Beacons 16-9, and supplied continuous pressure on the UMB defense. Moe Bradley made 15 saves in the period, but couldn't stop Taylor Steadman when she buried a shot from the doorstep to give the Spartans a 1-0 lead. Steadman's third goal of the season came 12 minutes into the period and provided the squad with all the cushion they would need.

The second period swayed the momentum back to the Beacons. The home team outshot the Spartans 12-8 in the frame, but Paula Stephens was up to the challenge, turning away every opportunity the Beacons created. 

The final eight minutes of the contest brought a flurry of scoring. Castleton took a 2-0 lead on a power play goal from Steadman. She scored on an assist from Hannah Wright to give the Spartans some breathing room late in the game. With 1:28 remaining in the contest, Allie Howard notched an empty-netter to give the Spartans a three-goal advantage. 

The Beacons kept with the empy-net and took advantage of the extra-attacker, scoring just 55 seconds later. Katie Loiselle notched her fifth goal of the season off an assist from Samantha Fallon to cut the lead to 3-1.

The Spartans responded with a goal in the final 30 seconds. Steadman finished off her hat trick with just 25 seconds remaining, extending the Spartan lead to 4-1, which held as the final. Brie Narodowy earned the assist on the play.

The Spartans improve to 10-6-0 on the season and move to 5-2-0 within the ECAC East. The squad will travel to Manchester, N.H. to take on St. Anselm on Saturday at 1:00pm.