Box Score

BURLINGTON, Vt. -- Justin Castagna scored what proved to be the game-winning goal on the power play with 4:34 left in the second as part of a 4-1 Saint Michael's College win over the University of New England men's ice hockey team in ECAC East League action Friday evening at Cairns Arena.

The goal -- assisted by Mark Higgins and Brady Earle -- broke a 1-1 tie in the middle period. Earle and Josh Geary notched empty-net goals in the final two minutes of the third frame to secure the win for the Purple Knights (4-10-2, 2-8-1 ECAC East).

UNE drops to 3-11-2 overall on the season, and now sits at 1-10-0 in league play.

After a scoreless first period, Geary got the hosts on the board with a power play marker just 1:02 into the second.

The Nor'easters converted on a man-advantage of their own at 13:40 of the stanza to pull back even, getting a goal from junior Brent Bourgeois (New Haven, Vt.) off a feed from first-year Mike Chase (Falmouth, Maine).

Following Castagna's marker, the teams played the next 23-plus without any scoring before Saint Michael's put two more into the unguarded net.

Erik McGuirk made 31 stops to earn his first collegiate victory. His counterpart for UNE, sophomore Ian Edwards (Linden, Mich.), recorded 33 saves.

Both squads are on the ice again Saturday (4 p.m.), as the Purple Knights entertain the University of Southern Maine and the Nor'easters pay a visit to the nation's top-ranked team, Norwich University.