RUTLAND, Vt. - The Saint Michael's College women's ice hockey team held Castleton State College to two scoreless periods before falling 1-0 on Saturday at Spartan Arena in an Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) East contest. The Purple Knights slipped to 0-2 overall and 0-2 in league play, while the Spartans improved to 1-3 and 1-1.

For the Purple Knights, junior goaltender Erin Stevens (Watertown, Conn./Connecticut Polar Bears) made 28 stops, including 13 in the second period alone.

Junior Jade Werger (Maple Ridge, British Columbia/Warner Hockey School) netted the game-winning goal for the Spartans, and classmate Katharyn Dembowski (Elkridge, Md./New Jersey Rockets) made 30 saves.      

Stevens making two big saves to hold the scoreless deadlock during the first half of the contest. With 3:22 remaining in the first period, Stevens denied a backhanded shot on a golden opportunity for the Spartans. A little more than eight minutes into the second period, Stevens made another decisive play, swooping in and stopping a rebounded shot destined for an open net.

The Spartans broke the deadlock 2:02 into the final period when Werger converted with a shot into the upper left corner of the goal. The visitors' best opportunity to tie the game came three minutes later, when in a two-on-one situation, the Purple Knights sent a pass toward the net, forcing Dembowski to make a diving save.    

The Purple Knights open the home portion of their schedule on Friday to host the University of Southern Maine for a 7 p.m. start.