NEW BEDFORD, Mass. – The Vermont State University Castleton men's ice hockey team delivered an offensive showcase on Saturday afternoon, powering past UMass Dartmouth on the road, 9–5. The win extends the Spartans' streak to two straight.

The Basics

• Final Score: VTSU Castleton 9, UMass Dartmouth 5
• Location: Hetland Arena – New Bedford, Mass.
• Records: Castleton 3-4-1 (3-3-0 LEC) | UMass Dartmouth 3-5-0 (1-3-0 LEC)

How It Happened
Despite Castleton dictating play early, UMass Dartmouth struck first just 2:04 into the contest to take a 1–0 lead. The goal sparked a Spartan eruption, as Castleton answered with four straight goals to seize a 4–1 advantage after one period.

Luke Chakrabarti opened the scoring for Castleton at 5:49, finishing a sequence assisted by Cole Bowditch and Logan Dapprich. Emmett McHardy followed with a power-play strike—helped by Chakrabarti and Cam Reid—before scoring again just 39 seconds later off feeds from Chakrabarti and David Coyle. Marcus Bellomo capped the first-period surge at 17:45, assisted by Jackson Edwards.

The momentum carried into the second period, where Coyle scored on the power play just 30 seconds in, with Chakrabarti and McHardy picking up assists to make it 5–1. The Corsairs battled back with a pair of goals to cut the deficit to 5–3, but Trevor Castino restored the three-goal cushion at 10:34, finishing a setup from rookies Tyler Burke and Joey Ala. UMass Dartmouth added another before the end of the frame, sending the game to the third with Castleton up 6–4.

Castleton wasted no time in the final period, as Chakrabarti netted his second of the day just 1:15 in, assisted by McHardy. Reid extended the lead to 8–4 with a power-play goal at 8:08—Chakrabarti and Coyle again on the helpers—before Jason Atkinson added an unassisted tally with six minutes remaining. UMass Dartmouth scored a late power-play goal at 16:18, but the Spartans coasted the rest of the way to the 9–5 final.

By the Numbers

• Chakrabarti and McHardy continued their strong chemistry, each scoring twice. Chakrabarti posted a six-point day (2G, 4A), while McHardy added four points (2G, 2A).
• McHardy led Castleton in the faceoff circle, going 10-for-19.
• Five other Spartans found the back of the net: Reid, Atkinson, Coyle, Bellomo, and Castino. Coyle added two assists, while Reid chipped in one.
• Josh Ward earned his second straight win, stopping 31 shots.
• Castleton outshot UMass Dartmouth 51–36.

Up Next
The Spartans will break for Thanksgiving before returning to action on Friday, November 28, taking on Lebanon Valley College in the opening round of the Terry Moran Invitational at 7 p.m.