RUTLAND, Vt. – Vermont State University Castleton women's hockey make history by defeating Elmira 2-0 Saturday afternoon.
VTSU Castleton took on Elmira College at Spartan Arena for the last contest of the regular season on Saturday. Each team came into tonight's matchup on win streaks and were looking to bring those streaks into the playoffs. The contest was highlighted by the Spartans senior day, as
Katie Campoli,
Sara Molina,
Alexandra Snow,
Emily Harris,
Julia Carpenter and
Kirsten DiCicco were recognized for their efforts throughout the years that they brought to the program.
The puck was dropped and the two teams were off to fast starts. The Soaring Eagles contested DiCicco early but had no success getting anything past her. A fast paced game sent the first period flying by as the teams went into the locker scoreless. Elmira continued the pressure in Castleton's end to begin the second period. Castleton didn't let the pressure get to them and continued to trust in their gameplay. With chances to take the lead, the Spartans continued to knock on the door in the second. A power play late in the second was the difference maker the Spartans were looking for.
Victoria Griffin skated towards the net and dished a crossed to an open Carpenter, who took the shot but was denied.
Taylor Adams found the deflection and took a shot for herself and would also be denied. Finally, it would be the sophomore
Moa Carlsson who found the second deflection and took the final shot to slot the puck past the keeper to give the Spartans the first lead after two periods of play.
Two penalties at the end of the second period carried over into a 5 on 3 against the Spartans to start the period. DiCicco and the Spartans did not panic and were able to kill both penalties to set the tone for the final 17 minutes of the game. Majority of the third was played in Castleton's end, as the Soaring Eagles were desperate to find a tying goal. The Spartans saw the aggressive playstyle by Elmira and countered every opportunity they launched at them. Castleton finished with 17 blocked shots and DiCicco provided 37 saves to deny all chances the Soaring Eagles had thrown at them. Carlsson would put the game away with an empty net goal and extend their win streak to five games heading into the playoffs.
This was Castleton's first victory over Elmira in program history. DiCicco earned her fourth shutout of the season and the 12th of her career, which set a new program record for the most all-time by a Spartan. She also moved into third all-time in wins with her 26th victory. Carlsson extended her point streak to five games, with six goals and three assists and Carpenter has now tallied four assist in three games.
The Spartans will enter the NEHC tournament as the No. 6 seed, where they will travel to take on No. 3 William Smith next Saturday, February 17 at 1 p.m.
