CASTLETON, Vt. — The Vermont State Castleton Spartans open postseason play at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, traveling to Plymouth, N.H., to face the third-seeded Plymouth State Panthers in the opening round of the inaugural Little East Conference Championship Tournament, presented by Townshend Hockey.
 
Same Teams, Higher Stakes
Wednesday's quarterfinal marks the third meeting of the 2025–26 season between Castleton and Plymouth State, with the Panthers holding narrow victories of 4–2 and 5–4 (OT). In the first matchup on November 8, Castleton led for much of the contest before a third-period comeback swung momentum in Plymouth's favor. Classmates Dylan Roebuck and Logan Dapprich scored both Spartan goals.

Special teams played a major role in the second meeting on January 23, as Castleton went 3-for-6 on the power play in a chippy affair that featured 14 penalties for 39 minutes. Plymouth State accounted for nine penalties and 29 minutes. Rookie David Coyle paced the Spartans with three points (two goals, one assist), while Dapprich, Emmett McHardy, and Cole Bowditch also found the scoresheet. Dapprich and Bowditch each added an assist. Hot off his first LEC Rookie of the Week honor, Lukas Bukatovs turned in a career-best 32-save performance.
 
Sixth Seed, Eyes on the Prize
Castleton enters the tournament as the sixth seed after finishing 9–8–1 in conference play and 13–10–2 overall during the regular season. The Spartans are peaking at the right time, most recently battling top-seeded Norwich University Cadets to a 1–1 tie in the regular-season finale before falling in a shootout.

Sophomore Luke Chakrabarti leads Castleton offensively with 30 points, including 18 goals—second-most in the conference—along with 12 assists. He ranks third in the LEC in goals per game (0.75). First-year defenseman Holdin Getzlaf anchors the blue line with 32 blocked shots while contributing seven assists. In net, Josh Ward has started 12 contests, earning seven wins and two shutouts. The senior has made 334 saves and carries a .918 save percentage.
 
Third Seed: Panther Pack
Plymouth State secured the third seed and hosting rights after posting an 11–6–1 conference record and a 14–10–1 mark overall. Will Redick leads the Panthers offensively with 33 points on 16 goals and 17 assists, including five power-play tallies. Tucker Shedd headlines the defensive corps with 45 blocked shots while adding 19 points (seven goals, 12 assists).

In goal, Connor Strobel has appeared in 16 games, making 12 starts, and owns a team-best .896 save percentage with 362 saves. Strobel and Brandon Shantz both carry 7–5 records, with Shantz also posting one tie.
 
Two Teams, Two LEC Nods
Ward was named the final LEC Goalie of the Week after an outstanding performance against Norwich, turning aside a career-high 57 shots in a 1–1 tie before a 1–0 shootout loss. His effort marked the most saves by a Castleton goaltender since the 2022–23 season, when Brandon Collett made 61 stops against Hobart. Ward's performance ranks second-most by an LEC goalie this season, trailing only Ben Skelton of Keene State, and he finished the night with a 0.94 goals-against average.

For the Panthers, Kim Hilmersson earned Rookie of the Week honors after factoring into five of six goals in a decisive 6–2 win over Southern Maine that clinched a home playoff game. Hilmersson added a power-play goal in the regular-season finale against No. 11 Babson, opening the scoring before the Beavers pulled away for a 3–1 victory.
 
Follow Along
Fans unable to make the trip can follow the action via live stats or FloSports (subscription required).