ELMIRA, N.Y. – The Castleton men's hockey team took on Elmira College in an NEHC battle Saturday afternoon, falling 8-0 to the Soaring Eagles on the road.
 
The Spartans (3-8-0, 2-4-0 NEHC) were outshot 54 to 31 in the contest and were unable to convert on any of their seven powerplay opportunities, marking their first game without a goal with the man advantage since their Nov. 12 matchup against New England College. Zach Papapetros paced Castleton in shots on net with five, while Dominic Rodrigue made a season-high 46 saves in the loss.
 
One minute passed in the opening period before the first shot on net was registered, with Elmira controlling the temp from that point on. Rodrigue handled the ensuing onslaught well, denying the first 12 shots he faced before the Soaring Eagles (7-4-0, 5-1-0 NEHC) broke open the scoring at the 8:37 mark, adding another goal in at 16:08 to make it a 2-0 game heading into the first break.
 
Castleton had a chance to cut the deficit after earning a powerplay early in the second, but a series of shots by Brandon Picard, Papapetros, Zach Trempner, and Justin Stairs were all either sent wide or turned aside to keep it 2-0. Instead, it was Elmira striking three times later in the period — including one with the man advantage — extending their lead to five.
 
Despite outshooting the Soaring Eagles 14 to 9 in the final frame, Elmira would tack on three more goals in the third to hand the Spartans the 8-0 loss.
 
Next up for Castleton is a matchup with Saint Michael's College Friday, December 9. Puck drop for the non-conference bout is at 7 p.m.