GORHAM, MAINE – The Vermont State University Castleton women's ice hockey team dropped an overtime Little East Conference battle at the University of Southern Maine on Friday afternoon, 2-1.

The Basics

• Final Score: University of Southern Maine 2, VTSU Castleton 1 (OT)
•  Location: USM Ice Arena – Gorham, Maine
• Records: USM 2-3-0 (2-1-0 LEC) | Castleton 2-3-0 (1-2-0 LEC)

How It Happened
It was an evenly matched contest throughout, starting with the Spartans owning a slight 7-6 edge in shots on goal through the opening 13 minutes. The Huskies capitalized first, scoring at 13:50 in the opening period for a 1-0 lead, one they held into the first intermission.

Stanza two played out much like the first, but this time it was Castleton that broke through. The green and white tied things up 1-1 on a goal from Gracie Hurlbut at 15:43.

The Huskies pushed offensively in the third, sending six shots on goal that Gianna McCusker turned aside to force overtime. The Spartan defense also stepped up with 13 blocks in the period.

After winning the opening faceoff in OT, USM skated into its offensive zone and scored the deciding tally just 15 seconds in.

By the Numbers

•  Hurlbut's unassisted tally marked the first goal of her collegiate career. She was also one of four Spartans with three blocks.
•  Annika Nelson, Morgan Arscott, and Mikayla Brightman also posted three blocks each.
• Brightman led the team with 10 faceoff wins.
•  McCusker made 20 saves in 60:02 of action.
• Castleton owned a heavy blocking game, recording 20 blocks compared to USM's 11.
• This is the Spartan's second consecutive 2-1 overtime decision, seeing it work in their favor last Saturday as they took down New England College in extra time.

Up Next
The Spartans stay on the road, heading to Plymouth State University on Saturday for a 6 p.m. LEC matchup with the Panthers.