The 2024–2025 season for the Spartans men’s hockey team has begun. It has been hard for the Spartans to get going this season since some of their key players have been unavailable. 

Senior Bryce Irwin, will miss the remainder of the season due to a leg injury. Other guys have also had dislocated shoulders and ankle injuries, which are hopefully expected to heal shortly.   

The first game was against Plattsburg and the second was against a new team, Keene State. Plattsburg was a tough game, as expected because they are the number 9 team in the nation. Despite goals from Dylan Roebuck, Justin Stairs, and Josef Vyvial, the Spartans struggled against the Cardinals, who outshot them 44-14. Plattsburgh scored twice, and the Cardinals capitalized on a power-play and shorthanded goal, ultimately securing their victory with late goals in the second and third periods. The boys ultimately lost 6-3, but with an outstanding effort.  

The next day they went on to play Keene State, a new hockey program that had just been started this year. The boys ended up tying Keene State 1-1 in regulation but lost 2-1 in a shootout. Castleton took the lead early in the game with a goal from Andrew Stefura, assisted by Emmett McHardy and Bryce Irwin. Keene equalized midway through the first period, and despite strong goaltending from Josh Ward, the game went to overtime and then a shootout. After a tied shootout round, Keene scored the game-winning goal giving them their first win in program history.  

Due to a change in the scheduling, all conference teams will now face each other back-to-back this season. The Spartans faced the top-ranked Hobart College in their first back-to-back conference matchup. They lost 3-1 despite strong goaltending from Josh Ward, who made 33 saves, Hobart took a 2-0 lead in the second period. Castleton responded with a goal from Jackson Edwards in the third, but Hobart sealed the win with a third goal, handing the Spartans their first conference loss.  

The next day the boys were very ready for another strong performance in hopes of securing their first conference win, but they fell short again, this time 3-0. Despite another strong performance from goaltender Josh Ward, who made 38 saves, it wasn’t enough. Josh Ward had some thoughts after the game, “I thought the team played hard, we showed what were capable of against one of the top teams in this country and we need to carry that out in the coming weeks.” Hobart scored the only goal in the second period, and two more goals in the third sealed the victory. Hobart extended their unbeaten streak to 29 games and left the Spartans with another loss. 

The Vermont State University Castleton men’s hockey team was defeated 3-2 by Albertus Magnus on the road Friday night in a New England Hockey Conference game. The match started fast, with Albertus taking a 1-0 lead early, followed by a quick equalizer from Dylan Roebuck for Castleton. After a solid performance by both goalies—Josh Ward making 28 saves for Castleton and Chance Hale stopping 32 shots for Albertus—the Falcons capitalized on a powerplay in the second period to regain the lead. They extended it further with another goal late in the period. Castleton made a strong push in the third, outshooting Albertus 13-3, but couldn’t find the equalizer. The loss marked Albertus’ first conference win of the season.  

The following day they were back but fell short in overtime. After Albertus took an early 1-0 lead, Castleton responded with a strong second period, including Luke Chakrabarti’s first collegiate goal and Cam Reid’s first of the season, giving the Spartans a 2-1 lead. Josef Vyvial added a powerplay goal to extend Castleton’s advantage to 3-1. Dominic Rodrigue had an impressive performance in net with 47 saves, but Albertus fought back in the third period, tying the game at 3-3. In overtime, Albertus capitalized on a rebound off a missed shot to secure the game-winner. 

The boys are back at Spartan Arena, Nov. 22-23 playing Skidmore where they look to secure their first win of the season.