RUTLAND, Vt. -- The Castleton women's hockey team fell to Southern Maine, 6-3, Saturday afternoon at Spartan Arena.

Despite goals from Darby Palisi, Ellie Schliebener, and Katie Nealon, the Huskies (11-10-0, 9-5-0 NEHC) used a three-score final period to outlast the Spartans (12-8-1, 9-5-0 NEHC). Palisi's goal extended her team-leading total to 12 on the year, while Schliebener added her third career goal and Nealon netted her first of the 2022-23 season. Samantha Lawler dished out two assists for the second time this weekend as Moa Carlsson, Emery Bonner, Rainey Lay, and Megan Ward also collected helpers. Brooke Greenwood won a career-high 22 faceoffs while losing nine for a .710 win percentage in the circle. Between the pipes, Izabella Segui saved 26 shots with five goals allowed -- the Huskies scored once on an empty net.

Southern Maine opened the contest with a strike in the fifth minute and a shorthanded tally in the 18th, but Palisi stopped the run with a 19th-minute, power-play goal off a Lawler rebound. After the final whistle, the Huskies were penalized for interference which allowed the Spartans to begin the next stanza on power play.

A successful penalty kill for USM preceded multiple back-and-forth possessions with neither side gaining an edge. However, a cross-checking penalty gave Castleton a man-up advantage midway through the period. The Spartans converted once again as Schliebener found paydirt thanks to a rebounded shot from Lawler, knotting proceedings at 2-2. Three minutes later, a surge of Husky offense swarmed the goalie crease as Saige MacLeod tossed in her second goal to retake the lead.

The final period was kicked off by sound play on both ends as Segui and Husky goalie Haley McKim each saved a handful of attempts. An opportunity presented with 12:19 remaining as Lay sent a shot to the top of the box as Nealon applied a redirection to make it three-all. But a hungry Southern Maine squad regrouped as MacLeod netted a hat trick-securing goal to put the Huskies back in front. The Spartans killed a penalty minutes later, allowing Castleton to control possession but McKim saved four shots and two were blocked. After Segui abandoned her post to force a 6-on-5 scenario, USM's Amelie St-Amant tossed the puck from her own blue line into the goal for an insurance score with 52 seconds left. The Huskies struck as the final buzzer sounded as the Spartans were tabbed with a 6-3 loss.

The Spartans are back in New England Hockey Conference action on Friday, February 3 to challenge nationally-ranked Elmira. Puck drop in Pine Valley, N.Y. is slated for 6 p.m.