After Castleton’s buy week, they were sent on the road to Gorham, to play University of Maine. With a long bus ride behind them, the Spartans were ready to take on the Huskies. Tired from the journey but fueled by determination, they stepped off the bus, focused and eager to prove themselves on the ice.

Castleton took control early, with Jackson Kobelka opening the scoring with help from Balint Mesterhazy and Stone Stelzl, giving the Spartans a 1-0 lead after the first period. In the second period, Aiden Robson and Emmett McHardy teamed up to assist Chance Heaphy, who capitalized on the chance to extend Castleton’s led to 2-0 midway through the frame. 

The standout performance came from Josh Ward, who was sensational in net for Castleton. The junior goalie from Ottawa, Ontario, faced 33 shots and stopped every one of them, earning his first career shutout in the victory. Ward said, “It feels really good to finally get a shoutout under my belt. Sort of feels like a reward that’s been a long time coming for not just myself but the whole team. I’m hoping we can end the season on a good note next weekend against Elmira.” The Spartans’ dominance continued as Andrew Stefura set up Emmett McHardy on a power play, allowing McHardy to net his seventh goal of the season and give Castleton a commanding 3-0 lead. 

Entering the third period with all the momentum, Mesterhazy provided his second assist of the game to Kobelka, who bagged his second goal of the game to push the lead to 4-0 and record his first career multi-goal game. The Spartans wrapped up their offensive assault with first-years Colby Speth and Trevor Castino assisting senior Zach Trempner, who scored his fifth goal of the season and the 15th of his career, to seal the 5-0 victory. 

With a dominant performance on both ends of the ice, Castleton claimed the win in game one of their series against the Huskies.

The second game went a bit differently for Castleton. Zach Trempner set the tone early for the Spartans, assisting Trevor Castino for his third goal of the season to give Castleton a 1-0 lead. 

However, Southern Maine answered back with just over a minute remaining in the first period, leveling the score at 1-1. In net for Castleton, Josh Ward continued his strong play following a career performance in game one. 

Ward recorded 26 saves in the second game, keeping the Spartans in contention throughout the match. The Huskies grabbed their first lead of the night early in the second period, scoring five minutes in to take a 2-1 advantage. Trempner responded with his second assist of the evening, setting up Anthony Persi for his first goal of the season to tie the game at 2-2. 

Speaking to Persi about this he stated, “It definitely felt good to be able to help chip in on the scoreboard and help the guys out in any way I can. Felt a bit of relief to finally get the first one of the year.” Southern Maine took control once again, scoring twice more in the second period to build a 4-2 lead heading into the final frame. 

The Spartans came out firing in the third period, outshooting the Huskies 16-5 as they relentlessly sought a way back into the game. 

Despite their efforts, the Huskies found the back of the net one more time on the empty net to secure a 5-2 victory and split the series with the Spartans. Castleton returns next weekend to play at Elmira College, this will be their last two games of the season.