The winter season is UPON us and the Spartans are starting the season off in surprising fashion.
The men’s hockey team got off to a rough start, with an opening weekend loss to University of New England. UNE is usually a foe that the Spartans can handle, however this is showing the ECAC East is becoming more tough. The Spartans went on to win the Rutland Herald Invitational, but I believe it was the 2-1 loss to the Norwich Cadets that proved to be the most effective game thus far this season. This game proved that the Spartans can compete with the best of them. This mentality helped in a 5-2 crushing of Skidmore. Let’s hope they can keep it up and hopefully avenge that loss later on in the season.
Despite the losses to Norwich, Middlebury, and St. Anselm, the women’s hockey team has been playing brilliant hockey. They are on pace to beat the previous record for wins in a season as there record stands at 6-3-1 with more than half the season left to go. They have many key contributors such as Dani Roberts on defense, and an eccentric front line of Jade Werger, Anna Daniels, and Nicoline Jensen. Look for these Spartans to surprise some people in the ECAC.
The biggest surprise this winter is the woman’s basketball team. They have a perfect 8-0 record. They beat in-state rival Middlebury for the first time in 25 years. They have been impressive in their eight contests. They have great leadership with Seniors Tarryn Bolognani, and reigning NAC defensive player of the year Kelly Conway. Sophomore Meghan O’ Sullivan and junior Alyssa Leonard have been pacing the Spartans offense thus far. They have been playing very well and lets hope they keep it up against. Norwich and make their record 9-0.
The men’s basketball team hasn’t reached their full potential yet. Last year they were second in the nation in scoring, behind Grinnell College, 138-point scorer Jack Taylor’s team. They picked up a win against Maine Maritime Academy this weekend to bump their record to 4-4 and 3-1 in the NAC. If they can find their groove and start producing more points, I think that these Spartans can be tough to beat. Let’s hope that they can reel off some wins in the near future.
This week’s Spartan standout of the week goes to women’s hockey player Anna Daniels. Daniels scored the only goal in a 1-0 game over New England College this weekend. Daniels now has 13 points on the year through 10 games, which is tied for first on the team.
Until next time Castleton, keep on keeping on.