RUTLAND, Vt. – Castleton scored a season-high eight goals this evening, as they captured their sixth straight win at Spartan Arena with an 8-1 victory over the Southern Maine Huskies in New England Hockey Conference action.

The Spartans led 2-1 after the first, but exploded with five goals in the second to improve to 8-15-1 overall and 7-9-1 in the conference. 14 different players registered at least one point in the game, with six players having two or more. Fabio Kläy led the attack with his first career hat trick, while Bart Moran chipped in one score and one assist. Tyler Gaudry, Ryan O'Toole and Will Laking added two points apiece, while Ryan Mulder tallied eight saves and recorded his first two career assists to pick up his seventh win of the year.

Brett Norman scored the lone goal for the Huskies, as they dropped to 7-16-1 (4-13 NEHC) on the year. Kyle Shapiro and Matt Michals combined to produce 32 saves in the losing effort.

The opening seven minutes of the game were a defensive nightmare that featured three goals, as the hosts grabbed an early, 2-1 lead. Fitzgerald began the scoring at the 2:42 mark with a top-shelf wrister to put the hosts in front, 1-0.

The Huskies found an answer just over four minutes later when Norman netted his third score of the year. The sophomore forward skated up the right wing before cutting to his forehand and ripping a shot glove side to tie the game at one.

Castleton countered less than a minute after USM's goal with one of its own to reclaim the lead, 2-1. On the power play, Jimmy Burns slipped a pass in the crease to Moran, who turned and put a shot on-target that Shapiro knocked aside. The junior forward, however, was there to poke home is own rebound and give the club a one-goal lead.

Despite turning in a productive first frame, the Spartan attack really came alive in the second with five goals, including a pair of power play scores, to grab a 7-1 lead. 

Ben Bauer got in on the scoring early in the second with his first goal of the season and second in a Spartan uniform. The senior defenseman received the puck at the point and rifled a slap shot through traffic that beat Shapiro to double the hosts' advantage. 

O'Toole tacked on a fourth score for Castleton off a feed from Moran halfway through the second before Kläy backhanded a shot through the five hole to put Castleton in front, 5-1, with 7:49 remaining in the second frame.

The freshman forward was at it again just over two minutes later when he finished a one-on-one opportunity underneath the goalies pads for his second goal of the day before Charles Bando added one of his own to cap off the five-goal period and put the Spartans in front by six.

Kläy was able to complete the hat trick with his team-leading 12th score of the season in the waning minutes of the game to bring the contest to its final score of 8-1.

Castleton is back on the ice on Saturday, when they take on the U. of New England at Spartan Arena. Prior to the 4:00 p.m. puck drop, the Spartans will host a brief senior day ceremony for the graduating members of the program.