Box Score
 
RUTLAND, Vt.-- Castleton State posted a 4-1 ECAC East win over travel partner Skidmore College, Friday night at Spartan Arena.
 
The teams meet again on Saturday at Skidmore in a 4 p.m. game. The Thoroughbreds will honor their seniors in a ceremony before the team's final regular season game.
 
Skidmore drops to 3-13-1 in the East and 4-17-3 overall. The Spartans are 7-9 and 9-14.
 
The Thoroughbreds received their first power play of the evening just over a minute after the initial faceoff, and at the 1:49 mark in the first, they took the lead when Zach Arden netted his second goal of the year. A Travis Kauffman shot from the crease deflected off the far post, but Arden was there to tap in the rebound and make it 1-0 in favor of the away side.
 
The lead didn't last long, as the Spartans' Trevor Hanna grabbed his fifth goal of the season less than a minute later. At the 2:42 mark, Jimmy Burns fired a shot from the far point that Hanna deflected into the net to even the game at one.

Castleton grabbed its first lead of the contest courtesy of Ryan Frost's team-leading eighth goal of the year. Just over two minutes later, the Spartans struck again to double their lead. With a delayed penalty, Castleton pulled goalie Ryan Mulder to give the squad a one-man advantage, and at the 12:52 mark, Brian Greene received a pass just wide of the net and finished a shot top shelf to hand the Spartans a 3-1 lead.
 
After a scoreless second, the Spartans got an insurance goal in the third for the 4-1 win.
 
Jack McDonald had 22 saves over the first 48:46 for Skidmore. Ben Freiberg had two saves over the final 11:14.
 
The Thoroughbreds outshot Castleton 34-28.
 
The Spartans and Thoroughbreds finish their home-and-home series on Saturday at 4 pm when they face off at Saratoga Springs Ice Rink.