BURLINGTON, Vt. - Vermont roared back from an early two-goal deficit to earn an emotional and hard-fought 5-4 victory over Boston University in front of the 62nd straight sellout of 4,003 at Gutterson Fieldhouse on Saturday night. Junior Corey Carlson (Two Harbors, Minn.) scored two power-play goals and sophomore Viktor Stalberg notched a career-high three points (one goal, two assists) as the Catamounts improved to 2-5-2 (2-2-1 Hockey East). BU dropped to 3-6-2 (3-3-1 Hockey East) with the loss.
Juniors Brandon Yipp and Chris Higgins had already notched first period power-play goals for BU when Pete MacArthur gave the Terriers a 3-1 lead just 25 seconds into the second.
Vermont responded with four straight tallies - three of which came on the power play to take a 5-3 lead with less than 10 minutes remaining.
Higgins recorded his second goal of the game for BU during a 5-on-3 with 6:20 left to make it a one-goal game. But the Catamounts held on down the stretch to bounce back from yesterday's 9-1 loss to the Terriers.
"Words can't really describe how as a coaching staff we feel about our kids right now," Vermont head coach Kevin Sneddon said. "When you see the effort they put forth and how they came together in a 24-hour period it's a remarkable turnaround."
Freshmen Josh Burrows (Prairie Grove, Ill.) and Dan Lawson (Oak Forest, Ill.) both scored the first goals of their careers for the Catamounts in the win.
Stålberg started the Vermont scoring 14:05 into the first on a one-timer from the left circle on a feed from Burrows at the half-boards to tie the game 1-1. Sophomore Brayden Irwin (Toronto, Onatrio) also assisted to extend his scoring streak to five games.
Trailing by a pair of goals in the second period Carlson began the Vermont rally with a power-play goal from the left point at 7:20. Sophomores Dean Strong (Mississauga, Ontario) and Colin Vock (Plymouth, Mich.) both assisted on the first of three goals for the Catamounts in the period.
Burrows tied the game 3-3 with a blast from the right circle during a 4-on-3 power play at 9:39. Junior Kyle Kuk (Monroe, Mich.) and Stalberg each picked up an assist.
Then Lawson gave the Catamounts the lead for good at 17:30. Stålberg setup the score that made it 4-3 UVM with a terrific drop pass to Lawson for a shot from the top of the slot. The puck was deflected and went over the shoulder of BU sophomore goalie Brett Bennett into the net. Junior Peter Lenes (Shelburne, Vt.) also assisted.
Vermont went on to stop a 5-on-3 BU power play over a span of 1:12 to end the second and exited the ice to a standing ovation with a one-goal lead.
Carlson scored his second goal of the game 9:13 into the final period with the Catamounts on the power play. Lenes fed Vock at the right half-boards and his cross-ice pass found Carlson for a one-timer inside the left circle to make it 5-3.
"Colin (Vock) made a great play," Carlson said. "We were talking about it before the third how the next goal was going to be huge and we really wanted to get it. We ended up getting it and it really helped us."
Carlson's goal proved to be the game-winner as Higgins pulled the Terriers within a goal with just over six minutes left. Despite out shooting UVM 9-6 in the final period BU had to settle for a weekend split.
Senior goalie Joe Fallon (Bemidji, Minn.) made 24 stops for the Catamounts. Bennett turned away eight shots for BU before being replaced by Karson Gillespie (five saves) for the third period.
Vermont went 3-for-4 on the power play while BU went 3-for-9.
"We have a lot to build from," Sneddon said. "We hope that we can keep this thing rolling now. The kids are committed to do it and they have recommitted to each other. Hopefully this will be the turning point for us."
Vermont returns to action on Tuesday against No. 14 Massachusetts at 7:05pm at Gutterson Fieldhouse. Tickets are still available and can be purchased in person at the UVM Athletic Ticket Office located in Patrick Gymnasium. Tickets can also be purchased online at www.uvmathletics.com and by calling the ticket office at (802) 656-4410.
The first 1,000 fans to the game will receive an ice scraper courtesy of Heritage Ford and Toyota. Tuesday is also the sixth annual "Have a Heart, Bring a Can" to benefit the Chittenden County Food Shelter.
NOTES: Before the game Kevin Sneddon elevated Dean Strong to co-captain along with senior Mark Lutz. Peter Lenes also was named an assistant captain ... BU outshot Vermont 28-18 ... The five goals for UVM were the most since the season opener last year in a 6-0 win over No. 14 Colgate in the Ice Breaker Invitational ... The Catamounts have gone 29-8-6 when Strong records at least one point through the first 85 games of his career ... Lenes finished with a team best plus-two rating ... Carlson has scored two goals in a game four times during his career and now has nine multi-point games.