RUTLAND, Vt. - Amid a four-game road swing, the Saint Michael's College men's ice hockey team visited Castleton University on Friday and suffered a 7-0 loss in New England Hockey Conference (NEHC) play at Spartan Arena. The Purple Knights are 2-5 overall and 1-4 in the league, while the Spartans improved to 3-3-1 and 2-3.

Sophomore Chris Johnson (Duxbury, Mass./Pomfret School) made 30 saves for his 18th career 30-save performance, classmate Sam D'Antuono (Hingham, Mass./Dexter School) won 11 faceoffs, and junior Eric Salzillo (Johnston, R.I./Boston Bandits) was 8-for-17 on draws.

Junior Jimmy Burns scored twice for Castleton, senior Brock Labelle notched a goal and three assists, and junior Trevor Hanna scored while handing out two assists. Classmate Ryan Smith and first-year Troy Taylor both turned in a goal and an assist, senior Patrick Thornton dished off three helpers, while sophomore Wyatt Pickrell made 17 saves. The Spartans generated most of their offense on power plays, going 5-of-9.

The Purple Knights killed off an early penalty, which started 3:07 into the game, thanks to Johnson making a save on the only shot in the two minutes that ensued, and the visitors countered with three shots in a 2:18 stretch that followed. Salzillo and sophomore Patrick Doherty (Tewksbury, Mass./Middlesex Black Bears) capped that with shots seven seconds apart, at 8:20 and 8:27, that Pickrell denied. Johnson made two stops in the next two-plus minutes, but the second rebounded to Thornton, who found first-year Otis Goldman for a tally at 10:32.

That kicked off a stretch of three goals in 3:07, with the final two on power plays. Eighteen seconds into a power play, Taylor converted a Thornton pass to make it 2-0 at 11:59, and Burns extended the lead at 13:39. At 2:08 of the second period, the Spartans put home another power-play marker, with Smith tallying. Johnson made nine more saves before the end of the period, and the Purple Knights spent 3:19 with a man up - including 41 seconds with a two-player advantage - that carried into the third period. In that time, Salzillo had a pair of bids, but Pickrell rejected both. Hanna padded the lead at 6:01 before Labelle and Burns netted man-up tallies in the final 9:41.

The Purple Knights visit Skidmore College tomorrow at 4 p.m. The Thoroughbreds are receiving votes toward the latest Division III national polls.