RUTLAND, Vt. – The Vermont State University Castleton men's ice hockey team put on an offensive clinic Saturday afternoon, rolling past the University of Southern Maine, 8-1, on Senior Day at Spartan Arena.

The Basics
• Final Score: Castleton 8, Southern Maine 1
• Location: Spartan Arena – Rutland, Vt.
• Records: Castleton 11-9-1 (7-7-0 LEC) | Southern Maine 10-10-1 (8-5-1 LEC)

How It Happened
Castleton wasted no time opening the scoring, as Cedrick Theodore found the back of the net just 28 seconds into the contest, with Logan Dapprich and Anthony Persi earning the assists.

While the scoring cooled briefly, the Spartans controlled possession and fired eight shots over the next 14 minutes. Luke Chakrabarti eventually doubled the lead at 14:57, netting what proved to be the game-winning goal off a feed from Holdin Getzlaf.

Southern Maine earned a power play with eight seconds remaining in the opening period following a boarding call on Aiden Robson.

The Spartans killed the penalty with ease to begin the middle frame, with Josh Ward stopping USM's lone shot on goal. Castleton then struck twice in a 60-second span, forcing a goaltending change. Emmett McHardy scored unassisted at 2:51 before Theodore set up Josef Vyvial, who found Cam Reid across the zone for an easy finish at 3:51 to make it 4-0.

Southern Maine broke up the shutout bid at 11:33 despite five saves from Ward and a blocked shot by Robson, trimming the deficit to 4-1. Castleton responded emphatically, tacking on two more goals in the final three minutes of the second period. Vyvial scored with assists from Tyler Burke and Dylan Roebuck, before Reid added his second of the day with helpers from David Coyle and Chakrabarti to send the Spartans into the break up 6-1.

Reid, the Spartans' captain, completed his first career hat trick midway through the third period, finishing a play set up by rookies Coyle and Getzlaf. Coyle capped the scoring at 17:40 for his third point of the afternoon, capitalizing on a feed from McHardy to seal the 8-1 victory.

By the Numbers
• Reid and Coyle each recorded three points, with Reid scoring three goals and Coyle posting two assists and a goal.
• Five Spartans had two-point performances: McHardy (1g, 1a), Chakrabarti (1g, 1a), Theodore (1g, 1a), Vyvial (1g, 1a) and Getzlaf (2a).
• Castleton outshot Southern Maine 40-31 and blocked 15 shots defensively, led by Robson with three.
• Ward earned his 14th career victory, making 30 saves and allowing just one goal.

Up Next
The Spartans hit the road Friday, February 13, for a 7:30 p.m. Little East Conference matchup at Keene State.