The Spartans women’s hockey team has been back in action plenty since the break. There is lots to catch you up on with the girls. On Jan. 3 the women began their hot  streak in their Badgley Invitational with a commanding 7-1 victory over Keene State. The Spartans’ powerplay units were particularly effective, matching a school record scoring five powerplay goals in a single game. Standout performances included three-point contributions from Ellie Schliebener,  Alex Johnson, and Codi Bacon, while goaltender Victoria Bakopanos secured the win with 24 saves.

Following this dominant performance, the Spartans faced a formidable opponent in No. 14 Colby College during the tournament’s championship game. Despite a valiant effort, Castleton fell 5-0. Bakopanos delivered an impressive performance with 55 saves, marking her third game of the season with over 50 saves. Both she and Johnson were named to the All-Tournament team, with Johnson having contributed two goals and an assist in the tournament. Colby has now won the tournament back-to-back years and will need to be dethroned.

The team then returned to conference play, facing Norwich University twice on the road. The Spartans were unable to overcome a strong Norwich team, resulting in 4-0 and 2-0 losses, respectively. That made it three straight games without a goal.

The following weekend, Castleton traveled to Newport, Rhode Island, to take on Salve Regina University. The game concluded with a 4-1 loss for the Spartans. Ellie Schliebener broke the scoring draught with the team’s lone goal, assisted by Mikayla Brightman and Moa Carlsson. First-year goaltender Gianna McCusker made a notable contribution with a career-high 31 saves. Still struggling for offense, however, it was not enough.

The Spartans rebounded the following day, securing a 2-0 victory over Salve Regina. This was a big win, after a long struggle to find offense and limit the opponents chances.

Geneva, New York, was the next stop to play another conference opponent, William Smith. Both games were low-scoring defensive battles that went to overtime. On Saturday, the Spartans led 1-0 for almost the whole 60 minutes and were scored on with just seconds left on the clock, then beaten in overtime. The following night was 0-0 the entire 60 minutes, and again unfortunately were scored on in the final minutes.

The Spartans then faced off against Keene State for the second time this year and again handled them. Mikayla Brightman, Brooke Noble, and Ellie Schliebner had the three goals for Castleton to ensure a win.

And lastly, this past weekend the girls faced off with Salem State twice and came out with six points. The first game was a 3-1 victory in which Salem scored first despite being massively out shot. Finally, Carlsson broke through, followed by Meg Aiken, and then Carlsson again with the insurrance marker. The following match was a similar dominant performance that was a little closer than it needed to be. Again, Aiken scored, Carlsson had another pair of goals, and Alex Johnson had the forth to put the game away.

The Castleton Spartans hold an overall record of 9-11-1, with a conference record of 5-8-1. The team continues to demonstrate determination and skill as they navigate the challenges of the season. Next time we check in, they will be entering the playoffs, so support the girls in their playoff push upcoming.