VERMONT RALLIES TO TIE DARTMOUTH, 1-1

Sophomore goaltender Brody Hoffman mades 23 saves for the Catamounts

BURLINGTON, Vt. - Freshman Brady Shaw netted the game-tying goal early in the third period as 20th-ranked Vermont skated to a 1-1 tie against Dartmouth in non-conference action on Friday night at Gutterson Fieldhouse. The Catamounts push their record to 10-6-2 (4-5-0 HEA), while the Big Green moves to 2-11-2 (2-8-0 ECAC).

After a scoreless first period in which Vermont out-shot Dartmouth 14-9, the Big Green nearly opened the scoring as Connor Dempsey pushed a pass acorss the top of the crease for Eric Neiley early in the second. Brody Hoffman slid across to make a diving post-to-post blocker save on Neiley to preserve the scoreless deadlock.

Later in the second frame, UVM was called for back-to-back penalties and killed off a 5-on-3 for 56 seconds before escaping the final 1:04 of 5-on-4. Shortly after the penalties expired, Vermont failed to clear its defensive zone and the puck squirted into the slot for Grant Opperman. The forward spun a low shot through traffic that beat Hoffman five-hole at 16:13 to open the scoring.

The Catamounts answered just over five minutes into the final frame after a Dartmouth giveaway along the left half boards. H.T. Lenz fired a slap shot on target from the left circle and Charles Grant made the initial save. The rebound spilled out to the right doorstep, and Shaw leaned in to poke home the loose puck to knot the score at one with his first career goal at Gutterson.

With under four minutes remaining in regulation, Shaw won a puck battle behind the Dartmouth net and fed a pass above the left goal line for Chris McCarthy. The senior quickly turned a shot on goal from a weak angle, but it deflected off the outside of the left post and bounced behind the net.

Neither team registered a shot on goal in overtime and the game finished in a tie. Hoffman stopped 23 shots for the Catamounts and pushed his personal unbeaten streak to five games (4-0-1), while Grant made 33 saves at the other end. The teams combined to go 0-for-5 on the power play on the night.

Vermont returns to Gutterson Fieldhouse tomorrow night to close to its nine-game homestand against defending national champion No. 10 Yale at 7:05 p.m. The game will be streamed live in high definition for free via CatamounTV.com, and pre-game radio coverage begins at 6:30 p.m. on WVMT 620-AM and SportsJuice.com with Alastair Ingram and Derek Wagar '05 on the call.

UVM will be celebrating Rally's 10th Birthday Party on Saturday night from 5:30-6:30 p.m. in Patrick Gym before the game. The event is free for kids of all ages, and parents can purchase discounted hockey tickets for $15. Fans can also gain free admission into the women's hockey game against Syracuse (2 p.m.) with a men's ticket.