Box Score
Post-Game Interview

BIDDEFORD, Maine -- First-year Sam Vikich (Vancouver, British Columbia) put home his first career goal with 23.6 seconds left in overtime to vault the University of New England men's ice hockey team past No. 11 Castleton State College, 3-2, in an ECAC East League contest Saturday afternoon (Nov. 3) at the Harold Alfond Forum.

With the program's first win over a nationally-ranked opponent (according to the USCHO.com Division III Top 15 Poll), the Nor'easters move to 1-1 on the young season, while the Spartans drop back to 1-1.

UNE had dropped the initial four meetings between the teams by a combined 28-6 margin. The most recent one, however, was just a 3-2 win for Castleton (No. 5 at the time), which scored with 0.5 seconds left in regulation.

Junior netminder Ian Edwards (Linden, Mich.) made 38 saves to earn the triumph for Big Blue, while first-year Ryan Quinn (Burlington, Mass.) accounted for the scoring on UNE's first two goals. Junior Zach Lokey (Elizabethtown, Pa.) had a pair of assists for the Nor'easters.

Quinn got things started midway through the 1st period, from Lokey and first-year Cassidy April (San Diego, Calif.). After eight shots either way in the opening 20 minutes, the score remained 1-0 for the home team.

The Spartans upped the offensive pressure in the 2nd, but were not able to get any of their 16 shots on target (to 5 for UNE) past Edwards, and took the 1-0 deficit into the second intermission.

Castleton even things with just over four minutes gone in the 3rd period, as first-year Derek Gingera (Winnipeg, Manitoba) scored his first of the season.

Lokey connected with Quinn again before the middle of the stanza, and the rookie forward sent a rocket into the upper right corner to move the Nor'easters back in front (2-1).

Coming out a Spartan timeout with 1:35 left in regulation and both sides short a man in their respective penalty boxes, Castleton took advantage of an offensive-zone face-off by pulling its goalie and gaining an extra attacker. The move worked, to the benefit of sophomore Ryan Frost (Fullerton, Calif.), who snuck one in with 1:03 on the clock to tie the contest at 2-all.

Following chances each way in the overtime period, Vikich stepped up in the slot for his third shot attempt of the game and sent the building into a frenzy with the sudden-victory marker.

Big Blue heads to Vermont next weekend as ECAC East play continues, with dates at Saint Michael's College (Nov. 9) and national-powerhouse Norwich University (Nov. 10).

The Spartans, which received 23 saves from first-year Jake Stafford (Fort Worth, Texas), return home for a pair against Saint Anselm College and New England College.


Click HERE to watch the post-game interview with Ian Edwards, Ryan Quinn, and Sam Vikich