RUTLAND, Vt. – Freshman Stephen Gaul (Downers Grove, Ill./Springfield Pics (USPHL)) scored the only two goals of the game and senior Brian Fleming (Saint John, N.B./Northern Cyclones (AJHL)) posted his third career shutout as the Manhattanville College men's hockey team downed host Castleton State College, 2-0, on the opening night of the 2014 Rutland Herald Invitational at Spartan Arena on Friday night.
 
The defending champions at the invitational, Manhattanville (3-3-1) advances to the title game for the third straight season and will take on SUNY Brockport, 4-2 winners over Tufts in today's first game, in the championship game tomorrow at 7 p.m. Castleton State (3-5-0) will face off with Tufts in the consolation game beginning at 3:45 p.m.
 
Gaul provided all the scoring Manhattanville needed in the win, doubling his season output with his team-leading third and fourth tallies of the year in the third period. Fleming stood tall at the other end of the ice as well, turning aside all 30 shots that he faced to earn his third win and first clean sheet of the season.
 
After two scoreless periods, the Valiants finally broke through 3:16 into the third period, taking a 1-0 lead less than a minute after killing off their second man-down chance of the night. Sophomore Phil Dinner (Simsbury, Conn./Connecticut Oilers (EJHL)) gained the puck in the defensive zone and sent the puck down the ice to spring Gaul for a breakaway chance, and the freshman went five-hole to beat Ryan Mulder for his third goal of the season.
 
Fleming and the Manhattanville defense continued to shut down the Spartans after the goal, forcing the home team to pull its goalie with 1:55 remaining in the third. Soon after Fleming made his 30th and final save of the night, senior Eric McClure (Mitchell, Ont./Thorold Blackhawks (OJHL)) found Gaul at center ice and the forward found the net from just inside the red line for his first career multi-goal game to seal the win.
 
The two teams skated through a mostly uneventful first period, as neither team found the net nor took a penalty over the opening 20 minutes. Manhattanville almost had a goal 6:35 into the frame when the puck got past Mulder, but the goal was called off after the referee said the puck was kicked in on the doorstep. The Spartans posted a 10-7 edge in shots during the period.
 
Manhattanville took 11 shots to Castleton's eight in the second period, but again the goal lights remained off on both sides of the ice as the teams skated to a second straight scoreless stanza.
 
Castleton finished the night with a 30-22 edge in shots. The Valiant penalty kill was a perfect 3-for-3 on the night, while the Valiant defensive unit also combined to block 17 shots on the way to the victory.