RUTLAND, Vt. - Goals were at a premium Friday night in Spartan Arena as the Castleton men's hockey team fell to Norwich 2-0. Junior goalie Kyle Alaverdy was impressive, making 34 total saves as Norwich claimed a 36-16 shot advantage.

Norwich (2-0) tallied an empty-netter in the final minute, but this one was close throughout. Castleton (0-6) saw decent opportunites deep in the Cadet zone, but weren't able to push anything past Drennen Atherton, who earned his second shutout in as many starts. 

The first period was as clean as it gets. Neither penalty box was touched as the Spartans and Cadets raced to the first intermission locked at 0-0. Only one shot separated the intrastate foes as Norwich led 8-7 in the category.

In the second session, Alaverdy was peppered with 16 Norwich shots. Niks Krollis gave the visitors a 1-0 advantage in the opening minutes, but the Castleton blue line was rock-solid for the remainder. 

The Spartans saw a golden opportunity as Gabriel Chicoine went to the box for hooking midway through the final period. It was only the second power play chance of the night for Castleton. Despite a few good looks, the Cadet penalty kill remained perfect. Alaverdy, who set a season-high for saves, took to the bench with a minute remaining and it didn't take long for Norwich to tally the empty-netter. 

Offensively, Connor Rider led the charge with three shots on goal. 

Castleton and Norwich will square off once more on Saturday afternoon in Kreitzberg Arena. Puck drop is slated for 4 PM.