Vermont Edged By Acadia In Exhibition, 2-1

Junior forward Mario Puskarich scored a goal for the Catamounts
Prd Time  Team Score Type Scored By Assists
1st 4:38  ACA1-0 PP Remy GiftopoulosKyle Farrell, Geoff Schemitsch
2nd 4:38  VER1-1 PP Mario PuskarichAlexx Privitera, Kevin Irwin
3rd 5:15  ACA2-1 EV GW Remy GiftopoulosMichael Clarke, Geoff Schemitsch
Scoring 1st 2nd 3rd Final
Acadia  1012
Vermont  0101
Shots on Goal 1st 2nd 3rd SOG
Acadia  74516
Vermont  11151036
Team Stats and Records  PP PIM SHGF
Acadia  1/6 10/31 0
Vermont  1/7 8/27 0
Acadia Goaltending MIN GA 1 2 3 Saves
Robert Steeves (W)60:001 11141035
Vermont Goaltending MIN GA 1 2 3 Saves
Mike Santaguida (L)50:332 64313
Packy Munson7:520 0011
Empty Net1:350     

BURLINGTON, Vt. - The Vermont men's hockey team dropped an exhibition game to Acadia 2-1 on Sunday afternoon to open the 2015-16 season. Mario Puskarich scored the Catamounts' only goal, but Robert Steeves registered 35 saves to preserve the one-goal victory for the Axemen.

Puskarich hit the post less than a minute into the game, but Acadia struck first at 4:38 on a transition rush. Kyle Farrell fed Remy Giftopoulos with a pass along the left wing in the Vermont zone, and Giftopoulos deked left to right and snuck a backhand underneath Mike Santaguida to open the scoring.

Acadia killed off three straight UVM power plays to close the first period and retained a 1-0 lead at intermission.

Puskarich tied the game less than five minutes into the middle frame after simultaneous Acadia penalties, one of which was a five-minute major and game misconduct on Tyler Ferry. On the ensuing 5-on-3, Alexx Privitera set up Puskarich in the slot and the junior beat Steeves low blocker side with a wrist shot through traffic.

Brady Shaw nearly gave the Catamounts their first lead later in the major power play but hit the right post on a low angle shot. UVM out-shot the Axemen 15-4 in the second period and killed off three minutes of major power play time after a game misconduct was handed to Dan Senkbeil.

5:15 into the third, Michael Clarke hit Giftopoulos down the middle of the ice with a stretch pass into the Catamount zone. The forward used a similar move to his first goal and deked a backhander past Santaguida to restore the lead for Acadia.

Later in the period, Steeves robbed Yvan Pattyn at the right doorstep by stacking his pads on a first-time effort. Steeves also made a key stop on Chris Muscoby during a 4-on-3 power play late in regulation.

Santaguida finished the contest with 13 saves, while Packy Munson stopped one shot in eight minutes of action in the third period.

UVM closed the game with a 36-16 shot advantage, including a 25-9 edge in the final 40 minutes. The Catamounts were 1-for-7 on the power play and 5-for-6 on the penalty kill.

Vermont opens the regular season next Saturday (Oct. 10) against Minnesota at Mariucci Arena in the Hall of Fame Game at 8 p.m. (ET). The game will be televised live on Fox Sports North Plus, and pre-game radio coverage begins at 7:30 p.m. (ET) with Alastair Ingram on the call from Minneapolis.