It has been a roller coaster season for the women’s ice hockey team at Castleton State College.The team started off as a punching bag for other teams going a dismal 2-10 before the break, but team members seem to have found some smooth sailing going 3-3 since returning to action.

Head coach David Stockdale says, his biggest disappointment is the overall record which is currently 5-13.

Stockdale took the helm in November after former head coach Craig Paiement stepped down because of health related issues.

Paiement had assisted the team to only one victory in five games.

“I think we gave away some games that we shouldn’t have, early on in the season, but this was due largely to the fact of how young our team is,” Stockdale said.

The Spartans suit up eight freshman, five sophomores, and six juniors.

Katelyn Greene has led the attack for the Spartans netting an impressive 11 goals and dishing out 10 assists.

Standout goalie Vanessa Carter has been superb between the pipes stopping 523 of 575 shots this season in a total of 14 games.

Stockdale says that he is not ready to talk about next year’s team yet, even though many are already looking forward to what this young team may put together in the future.

“While I am certainly excited about the future of this program and the positive direction in which we are heading, it is premature to be looking forward to next year or setting expectations for next year’s team,” Stockdale said last Sunday after a 2-1 loss to Buffalo State.

Even though the Spartans record is far from appealing, they still have an outside shot of making an appearance in the ECAC tournament.

The Spartans will need a big win against Salve Regina on Feb. 17, and help from a couple other teams to grab a spot.

The Women return to action next weekend when they square off against Southern Maine and U-Mass Boston.

“Right now we are focused solely on our next game as we continue to work towards a playoff spot for this season,” Stockdale said.