RUTLAND, VT - The WilliamsCollege men's hockey team defeated Castleton 4-1 Friday night to remain in the hunt for the NESCAC regular season title. Freshman Eric Rubino led the Ephs with a pair of goals, and junior Brian Malchoff added a goal and an assist. Sophomore Ryan Purdy stopped 21 saves, earning his 10th win of the season.
After being outshot 8-5 in the first period, Williams continued to struggle to generate chances, but buried the puck when they did get shots. Purdy kept the Ephs in the game with 10 saves, and while the Ephs mustered only 3 shots, 2 of them found the back of the net. Williams broke a scoreless tie seven minutes into the second when senior captain Alex Smigelski found the back of the net for his league-leading 17th goal of the season. Castleton tied the game late in the period when Eric Curtis beat Purdy with just over two minutes to play. Williams, however, answered right back. Rubino scored his first goal of the game a minute later off an assist from classmate Cody Skinner.
Rubino scored his second goal of the game just over two minutes into the third. The goal came two seconds after Castleton killed off a slashing penalty. Junior Matty Masucci tallied his second assist of the game on the goal. Williams survived a trio of penalties in the third period before Malchoff scored an empty net goal with 30 seconds left to secure the victory.
Head Coach Bill Kangas was pleased with the win, saying: "It was nice to rebound from last weekend and get a tough road win. I thought Castleton played a strong, inspired game. We converted on our chances tonight and got better as the game went on, which is what you have to do to win on the road. We're still trying to get home ice, so tomorrow's another big game. We're playing a very good Skidmore team and we're trying to get better." Kangas also noted the play of Rubino and his linemates: "The Contini line's been playing really well the past 3 or 4 games and i thought they played great. It was nice to see Eric get a couple of goals tonight." "
Williams concludes the regular season tomorrow on the road against Skidmore. The Ephs can claim a home game in the NESCAC quarterfinals with a win and a Trinity or Amherst loss or tie. The Ephs can also tie for the regular season title if Bowdoin and Middlebury lose. With one game to play, only three points separate the top 5 teams in the league.
