RUTLAND, Vt. – The Castleton women's hockey team opened their season with a 3-0 defeat of Rivier on Saturday afternoon at Spartan Arena.

The Spartans (1-0-0) scored in each period as Alexandra Snow, Rachel McNeil, and Brooke Greenwood found the back of the net. Greenwood tacked on an assist while Julia Carpenter, Meg Aiken, and Samantha Lawler pitched in helpers. Castleton won 43 of 62 faceoffs, paced by Greenwood's 19 circle wins for a 76 percent outing. Kirsten DiCicco spent the game's entirety in goal, saving all of Rivier's (0-2-0) 13 net-bound shots.

In the game's fourth minute, Greenwood won a faceoff in the Raiders' half and slung it back to Snow who launched the puck inside the left post to give the Spartans an early advantage. The Raiders drew a pair of power plays on tripping penalties but would not convert on either opportunity thanks to four DiCicco saves.

Castleton out-shot Rivier 13-7 for the first 14 minutes of the second period, then the Spartans worked into a two-man advantage due to a minor penalty for hooking and a major for hitting from behind. Exploiting the on-ice imbalance, Carpenter and Aiken set up McNeil for the freshman's first career goal with 5:07 to go. The Spartans denied the Raiders shot attempts for the rest of the period, winning all seven faceoffs to enter the final 20 minutes with a 2-0 lead.

Continuing to control possession, Castleton let off a barrage of shots toward the Raider goal throughout the period. The Spartans broke through for the final time with 1:43 left as Greenwood dished the puck to Lawler in a two-on-one breakaway. Lawler gave it back to Brampton, Ontario native Greenwood who tucked it home, making it 3-0 where the score would remain.

The Spartans won their third consecutive season-opener, following a win over Utica in the 2020-21 campaign and a 6-0 thrashing of Rivier last year. The team is back at Spartan Arena on Friday, November 4 for a non-conference bout with Worcester State. Puck drop is slated for 6 p.m.