CASTLETON, Vt. – The Vermont State University Castleton men's hockey team began their 2024-25 season at home against No. 9 Plattsburgh State, where the Cardinals claimed victory 6-3 Friday evening.

Five different Cardinals tallied goals in the contest, with Kevin Weaver-Vitale claiming two goals in the win. Dylan Roebuck, Justin Stairs, and Josef Vyvial each bagged a goal for the Spartans, while Dominic Rodrigue came up with 38 saves in his season debut. 

Plattsburgh showcased their talent and showed why they are the No. 9 team in the nation. The Cardinals outshot Castleton 44-14 and netted a powerplay and shorthanded goal. Weaver-Vitale broke the ice with a power-play goal 6:09 into the first period. 

Castleton responded with a goal midway through the opening period, as junior forward Jackson Edwards forced a turnover in the Cardinals' zone and whipped a pass to junior forward Dylan Roebuck to score the Spartans' first goal of the 2024-25 season and tie the game up at one apiece. 

Gaining momentum and earning themselves a powerplay, Castleton looked to take advantage of the opportunity given to them. However, it was the Cardinals who made the most of their penalty as Jake Sacratini buried the shorthanded goal to put Plattsburgh back into the lead. The Cardinals snuck in another goal with seven seconds remaining in the first period to take a 3-1 lead.

The Spartans were able to cut the gap to one with 7:02 gone in the second period, as first-year forward Luke Chakrabarti forced a turnover in the Cardinals' zone and dished the puck to Justin Stairs who rifled a shot to the back of the net.

Plattsburgh found another late-period goal which ended up being the game-winner as Weaver-Vitale bagged his second of the game and put the score at 4-2 through two periods of play.

VTSU Castleton pulled back within one at 7:37 of the third period on the power play, as sophomore forward Josef Vyvial tipped in a shot from the right point taken by sophomore defenseman Aiden Robson. Chakrabarti earned his second point in the game with a secondary assist on the goal.

Despite the strong efforts from the Spartans, Plattsburgh was able to find two more goals in the third period to put away Castleton's comeback and earn themselves their first victory of the season.

VTSU Castleton returns to play Saturday, November 2 at 7 p.m. against first-year program Keene St.