RUTLAND, Vt. -- The Castleton women's hockey team opened the new year with a non-conference matchup with Lake Forest Tuesday evening, tying the Foresters 2-2. 

The Spartans (6-6-1) received scoring contributions from Darby Palisi, who extended her team-leading mark for goals to seven, and Ellie Schliebener, whose late-game tally was the Ontarian's second career score. Palisi had helpers from Samantha Lawler and Moa Carlsson on the power play goal, while Schliebener tossed in a rebound from Alex Johnson to give the Andover, Mass. native her first assist of the season. Both goals occurred in the third period. In Kirsten DiCicco's return between the pipes, the junior netminder saved 31 of the Foresters' (5-3-2) 33 on-target attempts.

The draw is Castleton's first of the season and snaps a 29-game streak of decisive wins and losses. The Spartans' last tie occurred on December 10, 2021 in the Castleton Invitational against Connecticut College (3-3).

Lake Forest struck within the contest's first five minutes with a Danielle Selby goal that kept the score 1-0 throughout the opening two periods. DiCicco helped hold the deficit at one goal with 12 saves in the first period and 11 in the second, along with nine shot blocks in the first two periods (three from Emery Bonner). The Spartans peppered LFC goaltender Hannah Turnage with three shots on goal in the last minute of the second stanza, carrying the grit into the final 20 minutes.

The Foresters were hit with a too many men penalty with 17:35 to go, spurring an offensive attack from the Spartans' top-line offense. Palisi fired a shot, followed by Brooke Greenwood and Lawler before the senior captain tapped in the equalizer, bumping the squad to fifth nationally with 11 goals on the power play. Continuing to penetrate the Lake Forest defense, Johnson found a breakaway opportunity with less than five minutes left but Turnage came up big for a save. However, Schliebener was in the right place at the right time to toss in the go-ahead goal. The advantage would not last for long as LFC's Samantha Shoebottom knotted it at 2-2 at the 2:11 mark.

Despite trading opportunities in the five-minute overtime period, neither side could find net to close the contest as a tie.

This was Lake Forest's first of three contests in an East Coast swing this week as the Foresters battle Middlebury tomorrow, then travel further northward to Saint Michael's for a match on Friday.

The Spartans return to action and resume conference play at UMass Boston on Friday, January 6. Puck drop at the Edward T. Barry Ice Rink is set for 6 p.m.