Box Score
Box Score

TROY, N.Y. – Freshman Shannon Jipner's (Bristol, VT/Mount Abraham Union) second round penalty stroke proved to be the game-winner as Castleton State College edged Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI), 5-4, in shootout victory on Tuesday night. The Spartans improve to 11-7 on the season while the Red Hawks drop to 8-6 overall.

After two scoreless overtime sessions, five players from each team gathered to decide the game on penalty strokes. Tied after the first round of the shootout, the teams gathered for one more round. It was a back and forth battle as both teams saw the first three players find the back of the net.

Castleton State senior Kayla Blank (Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro) converted on the fourth attempt to give the Spartans a 4-3 edge. Junior Joanna Aliprando (Basking Ridge, NJ/Ridge) missed on RPI's fourth attempt to set up the drama as Jipner scored on the following attempt to seal the victory.

Both teams traded goals for the large majority of the game as the squads headed into the halftime session tied at 3-3. Senior Kristiina Baker (Bolton, MA/Nashoba Regional), who had a game-high three goals, scored just under seven minutes into the game to get things going off an assist from junior Alex Lamparski (Malvern, PA/Country Day School of the Sacred Heart), but the Spartans answered scoring at 9:41 on a tally by senior Carolyn Griggs (Lincoln, VT/Mount Abraham Union) and again at 20:22 off a marker by Molly Fraher (Goshen, CT/Wamogo Regional) to give Castleton State the one-goal advantage (2-1).

Baker scored two goals to push RPI back in the lead (3-2), but a goal by senior Trishia Fellows (Hartland, VT/Hartland) with no time remaining sent it to the halftime at 3-all.

The second half featured an early goal by Griggs at the 45:09 mark, but RPI sent it into the extra sessions drama as junior Margaret Chowainec (Burlington, CT/Lewis Mills) converted a pass from senior Lisa Pak (Methuen, MA/Methuen) through traffic to tie it up (4-4).

Griggs finished with two goals while Fellows had a goal and an assist for the Spartans. In goal, senior Trisha Clark (East Dover, VT/Brattleboro Union) stopped 21 shots.

In addition to Baker, RPI saw Pak tally two assists on the evening. Freshman netminder Briana Earle (Baldwinsville, NY/C. W. Baker) made nine saves in the loss.

Rensselaer returns to action this weekend when it closes out its Liberty League regular season schedule against #18 Skidmore and Union on Saturday (1pm) and Sunday (1pm), respectively. Castleton State returns to action on Saturday when it hosts UMaine-Farmington (2pm).