Release courtesy of Castleton sports information

CASTLETON, Vt. – Senior Brian Ferris (Whitman, Mass. / Whitman-Hanson Regional) scored all three goals for Thomas as the Terriers dropped their North Atlantic Conference opener to Castleton Saturday by a 22-3 score at Spartan Stadium. 

The Spartans (3-3, 1-0 NAC), who led 13-2 at halftime and never looked back, turned in a dominating performance, holding the edge in almost every statistical category. The hosts outshot the opposition 46-18 while also holding the edge in groundballs (50-29) and faceoffs (23-4). 

Peter Latulippe picked up the win in net for Castleton, stopping two shots with two goals allowed in 30 minutes of action. Sophomore Connor Lamberton (Shohola, Pa. / Delaware Valley) suffered the loss for Thomas (0-3, 0-1 NAC) after producing ten saves in 45:09 of play.

Sam Siegel and Nik Rancourt paced the Spartan attack, collecting three goals and one assist apiece. Taylor Swarter added two goals with one assist, including an impressive diving score, while Jason Sedell chipped in one score with two assists, three groundballs and one caused turnover. Joshua Gosselin was also a significant contributor, tallying one goal with one assist and a season-high eight groundalls. 

For Thomas, Ferris was the top offensive player, finishing the game with a hat trick and two groundballs. Sophomore Colby Blondin (Colchester, Vt. / Colchester) produced two assists and a game-high ten groundballs, whereas senior Sheldon Jones (Lewiston, Maine / Lewiston) ended the day with eight groundballs and five caused turnovers.

Castleton jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the opening 3:18 of play thanks to scores from Gosselin, Swarter and Rancourt. Ferris opened the Terrier account at the 9:08 mark with his first goal of the game, followed by three goals from Castleton, including Connor Kelly's first as a Spartan, to push their advantage to five.

The Spartans maintained that momentum in the second frame, with four goals in a span of 5:15 to extend their lead to nine. Ferris notched his second score of the day at the 7:11 mark, but the hosts responded with back-to-back goals from Micky Prozinski and Siegel to close out the first half with a 13-2 lead.

Siegel opened the scoring in the third just 27 seconds into the frame with his second goal of the day on a man-down possession to give the hosts a 12-goal advantage. Ferris completed his hat trick just over two minutes later, but the Spartans went on a 9-0 run over the final 25:25 of play to secure a 22-3 victory. 

Castleton returns to action next Tuesday at 4 p.m. when they host the SUNY Canton Kangaroos at Spartan Stadium in non-conference play. Thomas continues NAC play at 4 p.m. Wednesday when it hosts Maine Maritime Academy at Smith Field.