David Bates Photo

Marcotte tips Spartans into league semifinals


Box Score

RUTLAND, Vt. -- Corbin Marcotte's redirection out of mid-air on a shot from the point with three minutes gone in overtime lifted fourth-seeded Castleton State College to a 3-2 come-from-behind victory over fifth-seeded University of New England in the quarterfinals of the 2015 ECAC Men's East League Ice Hockey Championship Saturday evening (Feb. 21) at Spartan Arena.

The Spartans (11-15) advance into the semifinal round to face the top seed, Norwich University, next Saturday. The nationally-ranked Cadets moved on with a 4-0 shutout of the University of Southern Maine.

Big Blue concludes the 2014-15 campaign with a record of 9-14-2.

Facing a 2-0 deficit in the early stages of the 3rd period, Castleton State got one back a few seconds into a power play at the 6:16 mark. Brian Greene hammered home a shot from the right point through a screen in front.

Spartans goalie Ryan Mulder kept the one-goal margin in-check about two minutes later, splitting back through his crease for a left-pad save as a UNE breakaway cut through the middle and attempted to finish on the right doorstep.

CSC then tied it up with 10:23 to play, as Trevor Hanna chased down a chip into the left corner and fired a tough-angle shot inside the far post.

The game-winning play came when Tyler Gaudry flipped the puck towards the cage from the right point, and Marcotte waved his stick at waist level to send it on a new path into the net.

Mulder finished with 33 stops to preserve the win. His counterpart on the other end, UNE senior Colby Drost, made 24 saves.

The Nor'easters struck first on the power play with 3:51 left in the opening frame, when senior Jared Melman ripped a shot out near the blue line into a crowd, and classmate Zeth Zielinski poked in the rebound in front.

UNE doubled the cushion 1:19 into the 2nd stanza, as junior Tom Gildersleeve controlled a long rebound in the right circle and hit the open cage. Sophomore Trevor Fleurent cleared the defensive zone down the left wing and put a slapper on-target from the left dot, forcing Mulder into action that then had him out of position for the follow-up.

Fleurent also had the secondary assist on Big Blue's first goal; junior Ben Pearl factored in the scoring of the second.


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