RUTLAND, Vt. - The Castleton University men's hockey team dropped a 4-3 nail-biter to Southern Maine Friday evening at Spartan Arena despite three different goal scorers and a dominant second period that turned the tide.
Castleton (4-15-1, 0-12-1 NEHC) twice faced two-goal deficits, but wouldn't go away as the Spartans battled to the final seconds. The Huskies (7-7-1, 5-4-1 NEHC) tallied two first period goals, including one that came with just a fraction of a second remaining on the clock. A Castleton-dominated second period would even the score and give the hosts new life.
Justin Stairs put the Spartans on the board near the four-minute mark of the second period with a long wrister from the blue line that saw its way through the Husky defense and past netminder Kyle Penton. It marked his third of the season as he previously helped Castleton claim the 2021
Terry Moran Invitational Tournament, tallying a goal in both contests.
Fellow defenseman
Zach Papapetros knotted things at 2-2 in a similar fashion with just over five minutes remaining.
Kyle Alaverdy gathered a Husky clear before dishing to the rookie and earning his second assist of the season between the pipes. It was the fifth goal of Papapetros' impressive freshman campaign.
A new game headed into the final period, Southern Maine would tack on two goals in the early minutes, capped by Chris Judd's second of the evening. Castleton wouldn't go away, though, as
Jahwara Rennalls became the third Spartan blue-liner to find the back of the net. He collected a pass from
Kyle Kazeroid before netting a wrister for his second of the season.
Alaverdy would head to the bench for the final minute and 28 seconds as the Spartans used a six-on-five advantage looking to force overtime.
Glenn Wiswell and
Alex Maunula both put shots on goal, but Penton stood tall to seal the Husky victory.
Southern Maine claimed a 33-25 advantage in shots on goal. Rennalls notched a team-high four shots.
Alaverdy totaled 29 saves to Penton's 22, with neither logging a full 60 minutes.
Next up for Castleton is a battle with ninth-ranked Babson Saturday afternoon. Puck drop at Spartan Arena is slated for 4 p.m.
