BOSTON, Mass. -- A trio of goals in the opening 23 minutes helped the Castleton women's hockey team return to the win column with a 3-2 defeat of UMass Boston Friday night. 

Brooke Greenwood and Alex Johnson scored in the opening period on assists by Darby Palisi, Emily Harris, and Kaitlin Bardellini. Greenwood connected with Samantha Lawler for a top-line goal early in the second period as the Spartans (7-6-1, 4-3-0 NEHC) relied heavily on goaltender Kirsten DiCicco, who finished with 41 saves, to hold off the Beacon (5-9-0, 3-4-0 NEHC) charge. The Brampton, Ontario native Greenwood posted an impressive .818 faceoff percentage with 18 wins in the circle, pacing the Spartans to claim 63.3 percent of faceoffs.

The scoring commenced after Bardellini logged a shot block in the third minute, moving possession into the Spartan attacking zone where Palisi hit Greenwood for her sixth goal of the season. The Beacons were whistled for having too many on the ice, opening the door for a barrage of Castleton offense as Greenwood and Palisi sent shots barrelling at UMB goalie Leah Busch to no avail. One line shift later, the field hockey duo of Harris and Bardellini found Johnson for another even-strength goal, extending the lead to 2-0. DiCicco went on to save 12 consecutive shots during two Spartan penalty kills, but an unassisted goal from Sydney Leonard put the Beacons one goal away with 28 seconds left in the first period.

Just like the opening stanza, Castleton wasted little time to find its rhythm as the veteran connection of Lawler and Greenwood pushed the score to 3-1 three minutes into the second period. After an unsuccessful UMass Boston power play, the Spartans went on the attack again but Bosch refused a score with three saves in 14 ticks. Firm defense flipped to a burst of offense in the tenth minute as Cailey Kozich passed the puck to Emily Hansen who scored the Beacons' second goal, moving the gap back to one. Spartan penalties for tripping and body checking late in the period would not affect proceedings as the game entered a final 20-minute span.

In the third period, each squad traded chances as DiCicco piled up 15 saves and Castleton dominated the faceoff circle with a 11-4 record. Late opportunities for the Beacons would not result in a breakthrough, allowing the Spartans to snatch their fourth New England Hockey Conference victory.

The Spartans are back in action tomorrow, January 7 at Johnson & Wales. Puck drop is scheduled for 4 p.m. at New England Sports Village in Attleboro, Mass.