BOSTON, Mass. – The Castleton men's hockey team will enter next weekend's NEHC tournament on a winning streak after besting UMass Boston 4-1 on the road Saturday afternoon.
 
The Spartans (9-16-0, 7-11-0 NEHC) were outshot 41-27 in the contest, but goals from Cedrick Theodore, Dylan Roebuck, Andrew Stefura, and Jason Atkinson were more than enough to push Castleton past the Beacons (11-14-0, 8-10-0 NEHC) in enemy territory. Between the pipes, Simon Brenter earned the first win of his career, saving all but one of the shots he faced.
 
UMass Boston landed the first punch in Saturday's rematch, taking just over two minutes to score the game's opening goal. The Beacons looked to double their lead in short order, but Brenter did well to keep it a 1-0 game heading into the first break.
 
The hosts continued to control play to open the second period, but momentum switched hands after Castleton killed a Beacon powerplay, and at the 7:42 mark it was Theodore finding the back of the net to level the game. Balint Mesterhazy won a faceoff in the attacking zone and sent it out to his fellow freshman, who sent a long shot from the blue line that sailed past UMass Boston's Sam Best and in for his first collegiate goal.
 
Nine minutes later it was the Spartans taking their first lead of the afternoon on Roebuck's second score in as many games. Battling for a loose puck in the slot, the freshman was the one to come up with it and wasted no time rifling a shot into the top corner to make it a 2-1 game in Castleton's favor after two periods.
 
Despite getting outshot 13-8 in the final frame, the Spartans were able to tack on two more goals at the 9:42 and 19:34 marks from Stefura and Atkinson to make it a 4-1 game. Stefura's team-best 14^th goal of the season came on the powerplay after a nice feed from Zack Whittaker set the sophomore up with an open net, before Atkinson scored his second empty-netter in as many days to clinch the win for the Spartans.
 
Castleton will now face off against No. 2 and top-seeded Hobart College in the opening round of the NEHC playoffs Saturday, February 18, with puck drop set for 4 p.m.