VTSU-Castleton Slip by Men’s Hockey, 3-1

RUTLAND, Vt. – The MCLA Men's Hockey team headed north this afternoon for the opening of the Terry Moran Invitational Tournament and a faceoff with the hosting Vermont State University-Castleton Spartans at the Spartan Arena. Mathew Gover stopped 44 shots, but the Trailblazers couldn't overcome a 77-39 shot advantage for the Spartans.

THE BASICS:

• Date: Friday, November 29, 2024
• Score: MCLA 1, VTSU-Castleton 3
• Records: MCLA Trailblazers 0-6-0 (MASCAC 0-2-0) | Vermont State University-Castleton 1-7-1 (NEHC 0-6-0)

HIGHLIGHTS

• VTSU-Castleton was the first on the board, picking up an early goal less than two minutes into the first period. Chance Heaphy made the Trailblazers pay for a poorly placed attempt to clear the puck with a backhand pass from behind the net. Heaphy just happened to be in front of the net and fired a point-blank shot that hit its mark.
• After the Spartans scored with just under two minutes off the clock, MCLA found an equalizer with just under two minutes left on the first-period clock. The play started with freshman forward Sam Zis (Boulder, CO / Connecticut Chiefs) coming out of a scrum in the corner and sending the puck around the boards to sophomore defenseman Shane Green (Bear, DE / Philadelphia Little Flyers). Green then centered a pass for sophomore forward Cody White (Orange, CT / East Coast Wizards) in the right-hand slot, where White loaded up and sniped the puck just under the crossbar for his first goal of the season. The assists were Zis' second and Green's first.
• Following a scoreless second period that saw sophomore goalie Mathew Gover (Atkinson, NH / East Coast Wizards) hold back a Spartans attack that got off 27 shots to MCLA's 14, including 15 shots on goal.
• The third period opened with another quick strike goal from VTSU-Castleton. Less than 20 seconds into the period, Zach Papapetros dumped a shot from just inside the blue line with eyes to see its way through the traffic in front of the net.
• The Spartans added an insurance goal with less than four minutes in regulation. On a power play, VTSU-Castleton's Aiden Robson collected the puck behind his own net and sent a pass ahead to Heaphy along the right-side boards. Heaphy skated it up to the blue line before passing it to Cam Reid, who sent it to Avvi Tanasiyenko in the left slot for a shot before the MCLA netminder could slide across the goal face.
• Josh Ward stopped 26 of the 27 shots he faced for the Spartans to pick up his first win of the year and improve to 1-4-1. Gover finished the game with 44 saves but still saw his record fall to  0-6-0.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

• Shots (Shots on Goal): MCLA 39 (27), VTSU-Castleton 77 (47)
• Saves: MCLA 44, VTSU-Castleton 26
• Faceoffs Won: MCLA 40, VTSU-Castleton 44
• Penalty/Minutes: MCLA 4/8:00, VTSU-Castleton 3/6:00
• Power Plays: MCLA 0 for 3, VTSU-Castleton 1 for 3

UP NEXT:

On Saturday, MCLA will be back in action when they conclude the Terry Moran Invitational Tournament with a matchup against the Keene State Owls. The puck will drop at 1 p.m.

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