SOUTH BURLINGTON, Vt. - Freshman Maire Bartkus (Acton, Mass./Northfield Mount Hermon) tallied 14 seconds into overtime to give the Saint Michael's College women's ice hockey team a 3-2 victory over Castleton State College on Saturday in an Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) East contest at Cairns Arena. The Purple Knights earned their first ECAC East victory and improve to 2-15-1 overall and 1-12-1 in the ECAC East, while the Spartans drop to 6-11 and 5-6.

Senior Madelena Santore (Millington, N.J./New Jersey Rockets) led the Purple Knights with a goal and two assists, while freshman Kristen Spulecki (Orchard Park, N.Y./Buffalo Bison) tallied a marker. Junior Erin Stevens (Watertown, Conn./Connecticut Polar Bears) made 29 saves, including 13 in the first period.

Senior Meagan Hulbert (Barre, Vt./Vermont Stars) and freshman Molly Howard (Shelburne, Vt./802  Selects) each scored for the Spartans. Junior Katharyn Dembowski (Elkridge, Md./New Jersey Rockets) made 23 saves in the losing effort.

Spulecki brought the game to overtime with just 1:05 remaining in regulation, as she collected a rebound off of a Santore shot. The Purple Knights used suffocating defense during the final frame, as they held the Spartans without a shot for the first 17 minutes of the period and allowed four total. In the extra session, Bartkus received a pass at the right point and fired a laser that found its way through traffic into the upper right corner.

The Spartans held a slim 14-11 shot advantage during the first 20 minutes, but the Purple Knights were able to get on the board first. Santore ripped a shot from the bottom of the left circle and beat Dembowski past the left pad, hitting both posts on the way in, at 6:25 during a power play. Hulbert was able to even things up at the 17:40 mark of first stanza after a large scramble in front of the Purple Knight net.

Santore nearly helped Saint Michael's take a quick one-goal lead just 15 seconds into the second period, but her point-blank shot was turned away by the blocker of Dembowski. Stevens ensured prevented an in-close opportunity with a diving poke check with just under four minutes left, but the Spartans took a 2-1 lead on a power play. Howard received a pass from junior Jade Werger (Maple Ridge, British Columbia/Warner Hockey School) and put one home to the low left corner at 17:59.

The Purple Knights return to action next Friday when they travel to Plymouth State University for a 6 p.m. contest.