RUTLAND, Vt. – The Vermont State University Castleton men's hockey team dropped its season opener to Wentworth, 5-2, at Spartan Arena on Friday night.
Bagging a goal in his first collegiate game was Cam Reid off an assist by Matteo Turrin. The Spartans' (0-1) top scorer last season, Andrew Stefura, found the back of the net with assists credited to defensemen Zach Papapetros and Zack Whittaker. Both of VTSU Castleton's strikes were with a man advantage.
Simon Brenter started in the crease, seeing 22 minutes of action with 15 saves in the first period before Dominic Rodrigue went a perfect 21-for-21 in the ensuing 38 minutes.
The Leopards (1-0) connected on the night's first score via Jacob Shankar in the seventh minute, then chalked up a shorthanded goal delivered by Josh Faussett. Two quick strikes in the second period for Wentworth gave the visitors a 4-0 edge, but Rodrigue's entry halted momentum. 10 on-target shots were tossed aside by the Montreal, Quebec native as the Leopards became buffeted by penalties. A late-stanza slashing was hastily capitalized upon as Reid and Turrin went on a give-and-go breakaway that resulted in the Spartans' first goal.
The final period took on a back-and-forth personality with the Spartans gaining a better foothold in the faceoff circle. Wentworth goalie Will Oliver and numerous defensemen buckled down, saving and blocking an array of attempts from the green and white. The Leopards were whistled for tripping with 3:31 to go as the hosts found paydirt just nine seconds later. Whittaker gave a setup pass just inside the blue line to Papapetros whose wide-right shot bounced off the glass and directly to Stefura as the junior punched it in.
With a late two-goal gap, the Spartans opted to add a skater and leave the net open. Wentworth snatched possession in their defensive end, funneling passes until Brendan Young got the puck and slid in an empty net tally to cap the scoring at 5-2.
The Spartans are back on the ice tomorrow, October 28 at Plattsburgh State. Puck drop is at 7 p.m.
