BOSTON – The Castleton University men's hockey team fell to UMass Boston on the road on Saturday by the score of 6-3. 

Junior Nick Gravina, sophomore Connor Rider, and senior Jacob Erwin scored goals for the Spartans, who see their losing streak move to seven. Castleton is 5-16-2 (3-11-1 NEHC) with three games left. The Spartans complete the season series with nationally first-ranked Norwich at home on Friday, Feb. 8 at 7 p.m. before hosting Suffolk and Johnson & Wales Feb. 14-15 to round out the regular season.

The Spartans are still eighth in the NEHC and currently hold the final playoff spot over Suffolk (6-13-2, 2-10-2 NEHC). UMass Boston has four games left to play and currently sits sixth in the league at 7-6-1 and 11-9-1 overall.

Nolan Redler led the way for the Beacons with two goals and an assist, while Derek Caruso also had a pair of goals. Zack Bross finished with four points with a goal and three assists. Daniel Nachbauer also had a multi-point afternoon with a pair of assists, and Jake Adkins scored once. 

Brandon Collett was busy again for the Spartans, finishing with 47 games. He becomes the first goalie in program history to record five different games of 47 or more saves.

Adkins put the hosts ahead at the 6:36 mark when he smacked in a loose puck on a fortuitous Beacon bounce. Then, Gravina tied it just past the 11-minute mark with an accurate wrist shot on the rush. UMass Boston came back with two more goals late in the period to hold a 3-1 lead into the first intermission.

Redelr's first goal at 5:10 of the middle period made it a three-goal game, but back-to-back Spartan tallies by Rider and Erwin made it a one-goal game after two. Rider got his first point of the year on the power play when he tipped in Alex Maunula's shot from the point. Erwin took advantage of the long change and cashed in on the breakaway after receiving the long pass from Chris Butryn for the blue-liners first point of the season.

It was as close as the Spartans got as UMass Boston needed just eight seconds of power-play time for Redler to get his second of the contest at 7:34 of the third period and Caruso shot it into the empty Spartan net with 1:39 left.

The UMass Boston power play was a perfect 2-for-2 while Castleton converted once in four tries. The shots heavily favored UMass Boston, 53-34.