Seniors soak it all in at Spartan Arena

This January, the Vermont Men’s Hockey team faced a critical turning point, knowing they needed to turn things around.
With three new teams and six games played in the new year, they unfortunately came up short in each one. While one game ended in a tie, they ultimately lost in a heartbreaking shootout.
With playoffs right around the corner we don’t know if the Spartans grasped onto a spot or not, but we are eager to see if they can finish the season off strong.
Friday Jan. 31, The Vermont State University men’s hockey team earned a crucial 3-1 victory over New England College on Friday evening, continuing their push in the New England Hockey Conference.
The win, which took place during the “Breaking the Ice on Mental Health” event, propelled the Spartans to a 2-12-1 record in the conference, while the Pilgrims slipped to 5-7-1.
Castleton got off to a strong start as Aiden Robson delivered a precision shot from the blue line, firing top corner after receiving a perfect pass from Zach Papapetros.
The goal, Aiden Robson’s third of the season, gave the Spartans an early 1-0 lead. In net, freshman Charles Watson was stellar for Castleton, particularly in the second period where he stopped 15 shots.
The Yarmouth, Maine native finished with 34 saves on the night, earning his first collegiate victory in impressive fashion.
The Spartans doubled their lead in the second when Andrew Stefura won a battle behind the NEC net, finding Jackson Edwards, who quickly fed a pass to Josef Vyvial for a one-timer that beat Pilgrims’ goalie.
The score stood at 2-0 heading into the final period. NEC came out strong in the third, capitalizing on an early powerplay, cutting the Castleton led to 2-1 and giving the Pilgrims life.
However, the Spartans’ defense, anchored by Cedrick Theodore and Cam Reid, stood tall, snuffing out every NEC offensive surge.
As time wound down, the Pilgrims had a final opportunity with a powerplay chance at 1:47 left in the game, but Castleton’s penalty kill was up to the task. Trevor Castino made a key interception and sprinted the length of the ice to bury an empty-net goal, securing the win for the Spartans.
The victory marks a significant step forward for Castleton as they continue to battle through the rest of the season to try and end strong.
They were looking for another win against the team the next day to keep the momentum going especially on senior night.
After a hard-fought 3-1 win against New England College on Friday, January 31, the Spartans were looking to build on the momentum heading into Senior Night the following day.
However New England College bounced back on Saturday with a commanding 6-2 victory, spoiling Castleton’s chance at a weekend sweep.
NEC came out of the gate with high intensity, taking control early. Putting them ahead 1-0.
NEC continued their offensive onslaught, netting three more goals to build a commanding 4-0 lead by the end of the first period.
The Pilgrims didn’t waste time adding to their lead in the second, as Gunnar Sibley found the back of the net just 45 seconds into the period to make it 5-0.
Castleton made a goaltender change in the second period, bringing in senior Simon Brenter, who provided a steady presence between the net.
Brenter finished with 21 saves, keeping the Spartans’ comeback hopes alive.
Meanwhile, Zach Trempner was strong on the faceoff dot, winning 13 of 16 draws for the Spartans.
The Spartans refused to be discouraged by the deficit and began to rally in the second period.
Logan Dapprich and Cam Reid teamed up to assist Balint Mesterhazy, who scored his first goal of the season to put Castleton on the board. Early in the third, the Spartans kept the pressure on.
Josef Vyvial set up Andrew Stefura for a goal that brought Castleton within two. With that tally, Stefura became just the sixth player in program history to score 40 goals.
However, despite the momentum shift, NEC answered back with a powerplay goal with just under seven minutes remaining to seal the 6-2 victory and split the weekend series with the Spartans.
Castleton will look to regroup and rebound as they play University of Maine next weekend.
As the Spartans continue to battle through the season’s final stretch, Senior Day brought a moment of reflection.
We caught up with several seniors from the Castleton hockey program to hear how the past few years have shaped them, both on and off the ice.
Captain Justin Stairs shared, “The last five years have given me some great memories and great friends. I think we were able to leave the program better than we found it, and they’re in good hands moving forward with the group they have.”
Zach Papapetros echoed the sentiment, saying, “The program has meant a ton to me because of the friends I made and the memories we created together.”
Zach Trempner added, “It’s been an incredible honor to wear the Spartan jersey for the past four seasons. I’ll always cherish the memories made and the teammates I had the privilege to share the ice with.”
For Stone Stelzl, the experience was about more than just hockey: “It has been great; it means a lot to each of us. We all came from different spots but became brothers throughout our time here and made lots of memories on and off the ice that we will remember forever.”
Jackson Kobelka reflected on the opportunity the program provided, saying, “It has meant everything to me. It has given me the opportunity to continue playing the game I love while also getting an education.”
Romeo Torain, a four-year player, described his experience as “an honor and a privilege” and shared, “To be able to wear the Spartan uniform every day was something I’ll never take for granted.”
Bryce Irwin, though his time didn’t end as he had envisioned, expressed gratitude for his journey, saying, “The past four years gave me the opportunity to create friendships and memories that will last a lifetime. I will always be grateful for my teammates, coaches, and fans who treated me like family through my years at Castleton.”
Goaltender Simon Brenter said “The hockey program means a lot to me, I especially value all the friendships and memories I made over the four years.”
Finally, Stu added, “It has been an honor to play for Castleton over the past four seasons. I’ve been blessed to have an incredible group of teammates who have become lifelong friends, and I’d like to thank all my coaches, teammates, and fans who have supported me throughout the years.”
As these seniors take their final strides in the Spartan uniform, their words reflect the deep bond they’ve formed not only with each other but with the program, and the lasting impact it has had on them both on and off the ice.