NO. ANDOVER, Mass. - Senior forward Peter Lenes scored two goals and added an assist as the Vermont Catamounts earned a split of their weekend series against the Merrimack Warriors with a 4-3 win on Saturday night at Lawler Arena.
The Warriors (7-18-3, 3-16-2 HEA) host Providence College next Saturday at 7 p.m., while Vermont (17-7-4, 12-6-3 HEA) hosts UMass Lowell Friday night at 7 p.m.
One night after the Warriors defeated Vermont 3-2, Adam Ross continued the hosts' momentum, as his wrist shot from the blue line beat Mike Spillane at 10:45 of the first. Grant Farrell did a great job to keep the puck in at the blue line, and he worked it down low to Jesse Todd, who drove to the net before dropping it to Ross, who got the Warriors on the board with his second of the season.
Just 1:32 into the second, Merrimack made it 2-0 as Pat Bowen took advantage of a rare breakaway attempt with the teams skating four aside and beat Spillane for his first of the year. Chris Barton backhanded the puck out of his own zone, and Bowen beat both Catamount defenders down the ice to give the Warriors the two-goal lead.
But Merrimack's momentum came crashing down as the Warriors took two penalties 35-seconds apart just one minute later, and the Catamounts took advantage as Lenes scored his first of two goals of the evening at 4:18 of the second toward the end of the two-man advantage.
Lenes added his second of the night at 7:02 at the end of another Vermont power play to even the score at two. Viktor Stalberg then gave the visitors their first lead of the night at 15:35 as he took passes from Kevan Miller and Brian Roloff and beat Joe Cannata for his 20th of the season.
The Warriors responded 68-seconds later as Jeff Velleca scored his third of the year on a breakaway as the freshman took feeds from Ross and Farrell and backhanded it past Spillane with a pretty move to even the score at three.
But Dean Strong regained the lead for Vermont 67-seconds later as his shot took a strange bounce in front of Cannata and sneaked past the goaltender for his third of the season.
After a six-goal second period, the third period was scoreless despite the Warriors' attempts to even the score. Rob Ricci fired one off the cross bar at 3:30 of the third, while Todd was robbed with a glove save by Spillane with 6:30 to play.
Vermont outshot the Warriors 29-21, with Cannata stopping 25 shots in the losing effort. Spillane finished with 18 saves and improved to 7-2-1 on the season.
In addition to Lenes, Stalberg also had a multi-point game with a goal and an assist. Roloff also had two assists in the victory.
Ross tallied a goal and an assist for the Warriors, while Todd and Farrell each had two assists.