SYRACUSE, N.Y. - Corinne McCool scored her seventh career game-winning goal with 1:52 left in regulation to lift Vermont in a 3-1 win over Syracuse Friday evening in non-conference action from the Tennity Ice Pavilion. With the win Vermont improves to 12-7-1 this season.
COACH'S QUOTE
"We really had to grind this one out tonight but it's a sign of the maturity of this team that we kept at it and eventually got the win," Head Coach Jim Plumer said. "Syracuse played hard and clogged the middle well and we had a hard time getting quality looks at the net. We will look to wrap up the semester tomorrow with a sharper performance."
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Evelyne Blais-Savoie opened the scoring for the Catamounts 15:07 into the first period. Hailey Burns cycled the puck down low to Lara Beecher along the boards behind the Syracuse net. Beecher fed a pass to Blais-Savoie as she cut into the slot, and Blais-Savoie one-timed the feed past Syracuse's Arielle DeSmet for her eighth goal of the season.
- With 7:51 to go in the second period the Orange equalized on a two-on-one rush. Sarah Thompson and Tatum White broke into the UVM zone and White passed across the zone on her backhand to White. White took a look and fired a wrist shot that snuck under the arm of Vermont's Jessie McPherson to tie things up.
- Just a minute later McPherson stoned Syracuse's Rayla Clemons on a breakaway to keep things tied up for the Catamounts.
- Shortly thereafter Vermont earned its first power play of the game. DeSmet made two saves on the kill and UVM's Theresa Schafzahl rang one of the crossbar and the teams remained tied after 40 minutes.
- With 4:18 left in regulation the Catamounts earned another power play opportunity and called timeout to set their offense. The Orange killed the penalty off without giving up a single shot.
- On their first shift after the power play Vermont's top line couldn't be denied. Natálie Mlýnková dished to Schafzahl at the faceoff dot. She fired a hard-low shot that DeSmet padded aside but the rebound came right to McCool who stashed it home for her seventh goal of the season.
- Tynka Pátková sealed the deal for the Catamounts with an empty-net tally with 49 seconds left in regulation.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- With tonight's 3-1 win, Community Bank N.A. will donate $225 to Special Olympics Vermont. Community Bank, N.A. donates $75 per goal to Special Olympics Vermont for every goal the men's and women's team scores this season.
- With tonight's win, Vermont Mutual Insurance Group will donate $100 to COTS, the Committee on Temporary Shelter, as part of the Cats Win, Community Wins initiative. Since the campaigns inauguration in 2017, Vermont Mutual Insurance Group has donated over $72,000 to local non-profits.
UP NEXT
The Catamounts finish out the first semester tomorrow afternoon as they close out the weekend set with the Orange at 3 p.m. from the Tennity Ice Pavilion.
