Abbey Hewes came up big for the Spartans as they defeated St. Michael’s College 5-3 in Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference play at Spartan Arena on Dec. 12.Hewes found herself in all the right places at all the right times throughout the contest as she racked up two goals and two assists on the day.

Hewes wasn’t the only Spartan who looked hungry for a win, though, as the entire team skated with a purpose, looking to stop a winless streak that started with a loss to New England College on Nov. 13.

Nicole Ruman set the tempo for the team early when she scored her first collegiate goal only 1:23 into the contest. Ten minutes later, Laura Szwed got a stick on a Hewes shot from the right side of the net and sent it slicing into the corner of the goal just out of the reach of the Purple Knights’ goalie.

After the Purple Knights’ Crystal Sarno scored her fifth goal of the season, a reinvigorated Castleton team fought back with three unanswered goals, two coming from Hewes, who had made a permanent residence in front of the Purple Knights’ goal.

Castleton dominated the ice for the majority of the contest, but with time winding down in the third period and Castleton leading 5-1, St. Michael’s showed a sudden burst of energy that caught the lady Spartans off guard.

The Purple Knights invaded the front of Castleton’s goal, and Meghan Sweezey was the beneficiary of the chaos as she found the loose puck and tapped it in, cutting the score to 5-2.

St. Michaels then pulled its goalie for just over a minute, electing to sacrifice its own net for the sake of adding one more offensive skater to its attack. And the strategy worked as Desiree Biron knocked in her seventh goal of the season 19:02 into the final period.

Unfortunately for St. Michael’s, Castleton stopped the bleeding after that and held on for the win, ending the 2009 portion of the schedule on a high note that may prove to be a confidence booster once the 2010 half of the season begins.

Amanda Hoy made 25 saves in the win for Castleton.

The Spartans will next be in action in the New Year when they hit the road to take on Manhattanville College on Jan 6.