RUTLAND, Vt. – The Vermont State University Castleton men's hockey team packed the scoresheet on Tuesday night, releasing an offensive onslaught in a 7-4 victory over Saint Michael's.
Avvi Tanasiyenko opened his collegiate hockey career in dazzling fashion with a goal and three assists. Zach Trempner amassed the same stat line, finishing +3 with a 13-4 record in the faceoff circle. Andrew Stefura supplied a twine-finding dart and a pair of assists, while Josef Vyvial and Matteo Turrin each had one goal and one helper. Defensemen Romeo Torain and Zack Whittaker delivered scoring tallies as Zach Papapetros was marked as the distributor on two goals. Jackson Edwards and Bryce Irwin round out the 10-skater crew of point-scorers with one dime apiece.
In the crease, Josh Ward made 19 stops including eight in the final period to collect his third career victory.
With a man advantage in the contest's sixth minute, Whittaker found paydirt on the Spartans' (5-7-0) fourth shot on goal to trigger a shower of stuffed animals as part of the program's 14th annual Teddy Bear Toss. The hosts kept their foot on the gas, killing a penalty later in the stanza to set up a forward line connection ending in Stefura's team-leading eighth goal of the season. Just minutes later, Tanasiyenko delivered a cross-ice pass to Turrin who tipped it to Trempner as the alternate captain swung in the first tally of his junior campaign.
Saint Michael's (7-5-0) came out of the intermission eager to make noise, cutting the deficit to 3-1 with a power play goal from Nick Wracker. It would only take 29 seconds for the Spartans to respond as Tanasiyenko slid a long pass to Turrin whose speedy stick work beat the goalie. Midway through the second frame, the Purple Knights won a draw and kept possession in their attacking end, capitalizing on the chance as Alex Dalton scored to reduce the gap back to two. As a rebuttal, VTSU Castleton piled on goals from Torain and Vyvial to carry a 6-2 edge into the final 20 minutes.
Although the period opened in favor of the Spartans, Brennan McFarland stacked another goal for the visitors to make it a 6-3 game. Immediately following a successful penalty kill, Stefura had a shot get saved but the puck found Tanasiyenko's stick. The Baltimore, Md. product swiped and scored to cap a fantastic debut with his first career goal. The Purple Knights saw Case Kantgias find paydirt with under a minute left, but it would not be enough to overcome the Castleton lead as the hosts cruised away with a 7-4 victory.
The Spartans wrap up their fall semester slate on Thursday, December 7 as they host Albertus Magnus. Puck drop at Spartan Arena is scheduled for 5 p.m.
