Women’s hockey advances to semifinals
Senior Aimee Briand brings the puck up the ice. Photo Credit to Devin Poslusny
The Castleton Spartans Women’s hockey team will move onto the semifinals after beating the Plymouth State Panthers 2-1 on Saturday Afternoon.
Castleton and Plymouth met twice during the regular season with 3-3 ties in Plymouth on Nov. 29 and then a Spartan win in overtime on Jan 26.
Saturday proved to be much of the same from the two schools in another closely contested game with a trip to the semis on the line.
After giving up a goal in the first, Castleton’s Aimee Briand said, “Everyone shook Plymouth’s goal off and became determined to get the next one. Knowing that a loss would be season ending, we turned our game around really quickly after that one went in.”
Despite going one for seven on the power play, Castleton got it’s one goal when it mattered. A third period power play goal by Jocelyn Forrest gave the Spartans a lead with less than 15 minutes left in the game, which they would end up holding on to.
Briand said that the after the goal, the team had to keep its focus because there was still hockey to play.
Forrest and Captain Briand both led the team with a goal and assist on the afternoon.
And once again, Rylie Wills put up another solid start making 26 of 27 saves in the win.
Wills had a 6-7 record in the regular season, but she did have a very solid 2.13 goals against average.
Wills finished sixth in the NEHC in goals against, but also got a lot less minutes than most of the goalies in the top ten.
When asked about how her play has affected the team down the stretch, Wills credits her teammates for keeping the shots to the outside and said she feels confident in how she has been playing lately.
Castleton will host Johnson and Wales on Saturday for a chance to play in the ECHC finals. The Spartans split the season series with the Wildcats. The Spartans won their first meeting 1-0 and then dropped the second meeting 3-2.
More Stories
Women’s lacross dominates in ‘Morgan’s Message’
On Saturday, March 30, Castleton women’s lacrosse team hosted a memorial game for the cause Morgan’s Message. Morgan’s message is an organization fueled by sharing stories and resources to strengthen student-athlete mental health. Students can become ambassadors for Morgan’s Message and help plan events such as memorial games, team community service efforts, and creating Morgan’s […]
Baseball team looking to turn things around
In a season that started down south, the Castleton baseball team has consistently struggled this season sitting with a 2-17 record at just about the halfway point of the season. However, only four of those games have been Little East Conference match ups. As the Spartans head into the second half of the season they […]
Wrestling season breaks records
Another season of Castleton wrestling is in the books, and this year’s team definitely made it one for the record books. The team won every single tournament it entered in the regular season, they placed third in the region – bringing six wrestlers to nationals – and capped off the season by ranking 12th in […]
Softball hitting it’s stride to start the season
In the sunny state of South Carolina, the Castleton softball team kicked off its season with a hot start going 5-3 during its trip to the south. “We were able to get off to a good start on our spring trip, and that gives us a gauge of where we are early,” said head coach […]
We are the champions
After a slushy finish atop Whiteface Mountain in the Adirondacks, the Castleton Alpine Ski Team saw two members walk up to stand in the first-place spot on the podium receiving the title of national champions. Both Emilie Stene and Lorenzo Mencaccini became the fourth and fifth national champions that the Spartans have produced in program […]
Wrestling ramps up for nationals
As the hard-fought wrestling season is near its end, the VTSU Castleton wrestling team is sending six stars to compete in the NCAA National Championships. James Rodriguez, Gavin Bradley, Sampson Wilkins, Nate Camiscioli, Nick Roeger, and Darby McLaughlin will all represent the school. Rodriguez, a senior and two-time All-American, is making his third straight trip […]