Castleton Gets By Salem State in Season Opener

RUTLAND. Vt. – Jacqueline Sindoris, Amanda Giles and Vanessa VanBuskirk all scored for Salem State, but it wasn't enough as Castleton defeated the Vikings 5-3 in their opener on Friday at Spartan Arena.

Jocelyn Forrest netted a hat-trick for Castleton, which jumped out to a 5-2 lead before earning a two-goal win. Castleton earns its first win of the year (1-2-0) while improving to 1-0-0 in the New England Hockey Conference (NEHC). Salem State – an NEHC newcomer – drops its first contest of the year, falling to 0-1.

Putting the Spartans up under five minutes into the game, Forrest buried her first score of the evening off a long pass from Jade Remillard. Opening a 2-0 lead at the 17:30 mark, Chanel Tvergyak ripped the puck from the back left, before Sindoris made it 2-1 right before the end of teh first period.

In the second, the Spartans continued to find an offensive groove, scoring three times. Courtney Gauthier notched her first of the season before Forrest tallied her second and third goals of the evening.

Up 3-1 in a scrum in front of the Salem State goal, Forrest corralled and shielded the puck before curling and firing over the right shoulder of the Vikings netminder. Less than three minutes later, the senior forward completed the hat trick and tallied her fourth point of the evening.

Cycling the puck, Samantha Munroe dished it forward to Gauthier who found Forrest cutting on the left of the goal. As the defense looked right, Forrest laced it between the pipe and the sliding goaltender to make it 5-1. Giles got one back for the Vikings on the power play with less than two minutes remaining in the period. 

VanBuskirk added the only score in the third to make the score 5-3, but Salem State's offense was held in check the rest of the way. Isabelle Woodward made 47 saves while Alexis Kalm earned the victory in goal, making 18 saves on 21 shots.