BURLINGTON, Vt. - The 12th-ranked Vermont women's hockey team defeated McGill 6-0 Sunday afternoon in exhibition action at Gutterson Fieldhouse. Captain Natalie Mlynkova led the Catamounts with one goal and two assists. First year Natalie Zacrone added two assists for Vermont. The Catamounts had five players tally at least two points in the contest.
COACH'S QUOTE
"Good team win for us tonight," Head Coach Jim Plumer said. "We had eight new players and two coaches get their first experience and they all excelled. I'm very encouraged by the way we played. We will face a big challenge next weekend against an excellent Clarkson team so we are excited to measure ourselves against one of the NCAA's elite programs."
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Maddy Skelton opened the scoring for the Catamounts 4:07 into the contest. Skelton corralled a puck from Mlynkova and fired it past McGill's Sarah Carmichael. First year Zarcone was also credit with an assist.
- Bella Parento made it 2-0 a few minutes later on a Vermont power play. Parento was fed from Hailey Burns and Kaylee Lewis as she scored from the point.
- Burns added a second power play goal for the Catamounts with 7:40 left to play in the first period. Hailey Eikos skated through an McGill defensemen as she found Burns for a one-timer from the slot.
- Lily Humphrey made it a four-goal opening stanza for Vermont 2:14 after the Burns tally. Humphrey redirected a point shot from Rose-Marie Brochu. Zarcone also received an assist on the goal, her second of the game.
- Mlynkova continued the Vermont attack as she scored less than 30 seconds into the second period. Lara Beecher skated around the McGill defense and found a cutting Mylnkova who netted the puck from the slot. Skelton also received an assist on the tally.
- Beecher added a late goal with 4:26 remaining in the game. Krista Parkkonen fired a shot wide from the point. Beecher corralled the rebound and backhanded the puck past McGill's Jade Rivard-Couloumbe. Humphrey also received an assist on the play.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- The Catamounts blocked 15 shots Sunday afternoon, highlighted by five from Evelyne Blais-Savoie and three from Sara Levesque.
- Jessie McPherson (1 Sv) and Ellie Simmons (7 Sv) combined for the shutout win for Vermont.
- Blais-Savoie had an impressive day in the faceoff circle, winning 13 of her 14 draws.
- Vermont outshot McGill 38 to 8, Mlynkova led the Catamounts with six.
- With the win, Vermont Mutual Insurance Group will donate $100 to King Street Center as part of the Cats Win, Community Wins initiative. Since its inauguration in 2017, Vermont Mutual Insurance Group has donated over $80,000 to local non-profits through the Cats Win, Community Wins initiative.
UP NEXT
The Catamounts will open the regular season next weekend with a two-game non-conference series with No. 9 Clarkson. Friday night at 6 p.m. The first 100 fans Friday will receive TD Bank/UVM co-branded t-shirts. Vermont will face the Golden Knights on Opening Night presented by TD Bank. Saturday night the teams will battle again at 7 p.m. Both games will air live on ESPN+.
