RUTLAND, Vt. – The Vermont State University Castleton men's hockey team scored three unanswered goals in the final 21 minutes of play to defeat Johnson & Wales, 5-2, Saturday afternoon at Spartan Arena.
Andrew Stefura netted two goals to extend his team-best scoring total to 11. Zach Trempner also had a two-point outing with a strike and an assist, winning 14 faceoffs and blocking two shots in the process. Jackson Edwards and Anthony Persi each bagged one goal while Logan Dapprich and Josef Vyvial chipped in one assist apiece for the Spartans (7-10-0, 4-6-0 NEHC).
Junior netminder Dominic Rodrigue got the call once again, saving 38 of 40 shots to chalk up his fourth victory of the season and finish the weekend 2-0. Stone Stelzl and Chance Heaphy led the defensive corps, stopping three JWU (4-11-2, 1-8-1 NEHC) darts.
The Wildcats tallied the game's first goal in the eighth minute, but VTSU Castleton struck back 55 seconds later as Edwards intercepted a puck and tossed in an unassisted score. Moments afterward, the Spartans capitalized on an attacking surge when Stefura tipped in a bullet from Dapprich for the go-ahead tally. JWU got its second man advantage in the 15th minute, converting in just four seconds to level proceedings at 2-2.
Though the shot count in the second stanza was even at 10-10, Castleton was dominant in the faceoff circle as the hosts went 13-for-16 on the dot. Trempner, a key player in the effort, won a draw in the last minute and went down the ice on a give-and-go with Persi who made a doorstep deflection to put the Spartans in front.
In similar fashion to Edwards' goal, Stefura picked off a JWU pass early in the third period and rifled a shot to the upper-left corner for his second blast of the day. After the foes traded long possessions, the Wildcats pulled their goalie following a timeout with 3:50 to go. The visitors were stifled during the 6-on-5 scenario which ended with Trempner snatching a loose puck and tossing in an empty-netter from the blue line, finalizing the contest at 5-2.
Next time out, the Spartans play host to Skidmore on Friday, January 19 for the front end of their weekend series against the Thoroughbreds. Opening draw is at 7 p.m.
