RUTLAND, Vt. - The Saint Michael's College women's ice hockey team dropped a 4-1 decision to Castleton State College on Friday in Spartan Arena during Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) East play. The Purple Knights are 1-15-1 overall and 1-12 in the league, while the hosts moved to 8-7-3 and 5-3-3.

Senior Melissa Coughlin (Franklin, Mass./Franklin) scored for Saint Michael's, while classmate Erin Stevens (Watertown, Conn./Connecticut Polar Bears) made 43 saves for her 10th 40-save contest of the season. With 2,189 career stops, she moved into 15th in NCAA history among goalies who played in a Division III league.

Senior Danielle Roberts (Saint Albans, Vt./SUNY Plattsburgh) and sophomore Molly Howard (Shelburne, Vt./Champlain Valley Union) each posted a goal and an assist for Castleton State, while sophomore Jessica Spidle (Smithtown, N.Y./Lady Islanders 19U) and first-year Nicoline Jensen (Hellerup, Denmark/Malmo Redhawks) also tallied. Sophomore Paula Stephens (Seattle, Wash./Okanagan Hockey Academy) made 11 saves.

Howard and Spidle scored 3:04 apart early in the first period to make it 2-0 by 4:52, as the hosts did all of their scoring in the opening frame. Jensen tallied at 12:16, and Roberts extended the lead with 42 seconds remaining. However, Stevens denied the final 30 shots sent on net over the last 20 minutes.

Midway through the second period, Coughlin found the back of the net on a power play, scoring her first goal of the winter at 10:45. Senior Melissa Hallisey (Dedham, Mass./Dedham) and junior Macey Thomas (Amherst, Mass./Northfield Mount Hermon) assisted, with Hallisey extending her points streak to three games.

The Purple Knights head to New England College tomorrow for a 1 p.m. game.