MIDDLETOWN, Conn. – The Castleton University women's ice hockey team played Wesleyan to a 1-1 draw in a non-conference matchup on Wednesday afternoon at Spurrier-Snyder Rink.

The 1-1 tie comes as the second in as many nights for Castleton (4-8-2), while it halts a three-game winning streak for Wesleyan (5-4-2).

Both goaltenders shared the spotlight in a strong defensive battle. Freshman Alexis Kalm came away with 27 saves for the Spartans, with her counterpart Sam Smith finishing with 25 saves in net for Wesleyan.

Nicolle Trivino scored the lone goal for the Spartans and gave Castleton the early advantage, before Hailey Sholty came away with the equalizer for the Cardinals midway through the second period.

Trivino's team-leading fifth goal of the season came at the 12:56 mark of the first period, as Castleton jumped out to a 1-0 lead for the third straight contest. Jocelyn Forrest set up the goal, skating in from the near circle and sending the puck towards the goal. With a scrum in front of the net, Smith could not track it down and Trivino was there to hammer home the loose puck.  

Castleton had another great chance down the stretch after Forrest stole the puck from the Cardinals defense inside her own blue line and raced back the other way. Ashley Pelkey caught up and skated side-by-side with Forrest for a 2-on-1 opportunity. Setting her teammate up for the one-timer, Pelkey released a shot from the slot that Smith was able to handle and keep it a one-goal game.

Wesleyan had its fair share of opportunities on the offensive end as well. Controlling possession early on, Gina Mangiafridda skated around the net and came back out front, where she took a point blank wrist shot while falling down. Kalm was there to snare it and she was strong all period, stopping 13 shots in total as the Spartans went into the dressing room leading, 1-0, after the first 20 minutes of play.

Castleton came out strong in the second period, outshooting the Cardinals 13-7 overall. Three penalties over a 1:13 span, however, proved to be costly for the Spartans as Wesleyan was able to net the tying goal on a 4-on-3 power play. Abby Rutt powered a slap shot from the point that Sholty re-directed past Kalm with just 9:28 left in the period.

With both teams searching for an offensive answer, both goaltenders were on top of their game and kept it a 1-1 game for nearly a period and a half as the game was headed for overtime.

The Spartans dominated the extra period, outshooting the Cardinals 4-1. Ally Brandland had a great chance late with Smith out of position but a Cardinals' defender came away with a key block on the shot. Aimee Briand nearly ended it on a point blank wrist shot with a minute left, but Smith slid over to make the save. Despite two power play chances in the extra period, Castleton was unable to cash in as the game ended in a 1-1 draw. 

The Spartans finished the night 0-for-7 overall on the power play, while Wesleyan capitalized on one of its five chances with the woman-advantage. The Cardinals held a slight advantage in the shots department, 28-26. 

Finishing up the Connecticut trip 0-0-2, Castleton will conclude its stretch of three games in four days with a 7 p.m. matchup against Holy Cross on Friday night at Spartan Arena.