Men’s Hockey: Castleton Ends First Semester With 1-1 Tie at Canton

Posted on by George Commo

Courtesy Castleton Sports Information

CANTON, N.Y. – Ryan O’Malley scored his second goal of the season and Ryan Mulder made 26 saves in net as the Castleton men’s hockey team battled SUNY Canton to a 1-1 overtime draw Friday night at The Roo House.

Castleton (5-8-1) got off to a hot start as O’Malley gave the Spartans an early 1-0 lead just over two minutes into the contest. Nick Gravina sent a wrist shot on net from the slot and O’Malley was there to hammer home the rebound from the top of the left circle 2:13 into the game. Gravina was credited with his first career assist on the play.

SUNY Canton (2-9-1) netted the equalizer in the final minutes of the opening period. Tyler Bullard took the puck in the neutral zone and skated into Spartan territory before backhanding a pass in front, where Joe Deveny chipped in the one-timer near the crease to tie the game at 1-1 with 1:44 remaining in the first period.

It turned into a defensive battle from there as just seven combined shots were taken in the second period. After an uneventful middle frame, action picked back up in the third. Mulder stood tall in net for the Spartans, making 12 saves in the final regulation period to keep the score level.Ryan Smith one-timed a clean faceoff win from Ryan O’Toole late in the game, but the shot was turned away by Kangaroo netminder Austin Washkurak to send the game to overtime.

Caleb Fizer came away with a breakaway opportunity after blocking a shot early in the extra frame, but his top-shelf shot was snared by Washkurak. Mulder saved a buzzer-beater as Kasey Kulczycki looked to end the game in the final seconds with a shot from point blank. Mulder was all over it, making the save and holding onto the 1-1 draw.

Shots finished 27-15 in favor of SUNY Canton. Both teams combined to go 0-for-5 on the man advantage. Castleton was edged 30-29 in the faceoff circle.

The Spartans will have nearly a month off for the Holiday Break, before returning to action at home on Tuesday, Jan. 9, for a non-conference matchup against Potsdam at 7 p.m. at Spartan Arena.