HARTFORD, Conn. - Joel Määttä scored 4:01 into overtime and Axel Mangbo posted a 30-save shutout Saturday evening delivering a 1-0 Vermont (1-3-2) win over Connecticut (4-3-1) in Hockey East action from the XL Center in downtown Hartford.
COACH'S QUOTE
"You have to learn how to win games in all different ways in college hockey," said Head Coach Steve Wiedler. "We didn't have our "A" game tonight. It was definitely a "B" game type of night. Sometimes you have to find a way to win when you don't have your top stuff. We did that tonight, so I'm proud of our guys for their resolve and effort. Tomorrow in Storrs will be another tough game against a very good opponent."
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Mangbo, making his first start of the season, was excellent for the Catamounts making 13 stops in the opening frame. Vermont successfully killed off two UConn power plays where they put four shots on goal.
- The Catamounts had the best chance of the first period in the dying seconds of the frame. A UConn defenseman mishandled the puck in his zone and Simon Jellus took advantage. Jellus broke in on goal and fed a cross-crease backhand pass to Blake Steenerson, Steenerson was robbed by UConn's Tyler Muszelik with a pad stop on the far post.
- The middle frame was also scoreless between the two clubs. UConn outshout the Catamounts 7-3 in the second period. UConn's Jake Richard rang one off the post with 4:02 left in the second.
- In the third period shots were 10-8 in favor of UConn but neither team could beat Muszelik or Mangbo. Each team earned a single Hockey East point as they headed to three-on-three overtime.
- Sebastian Törnqvist drew a penalty in the Vermont zone after being pulled down along the boards by UConn's Jake Percival at the 2:47 mark of the extra session.
- Vermont setup the game-winner cycling along the point. Max Strand passed to Määttä at the point and then Joel passed it along to Jax Wismer at the top of the slot before the two switched spots. As Wismer skated along the edge of the zone gathering speed Määttä parked himself on the faceoff dot. Wismer fed a perfectly weighted pass to the co-captain and it wired it off the bar and in to clinch UVM's first win of the campaign.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- It was Vermont's first shutout win since topping Holy Cross 6-0 on October 22, 2022. In that contest Gabe Carriere made 12 saves.
- It was the Catamounts first shutout win in Hockey East play since topping No. 13 Northeastern 1-0 on March 1, 2022. That night Tyler Harmon made 22 saves in his last start at Gutterson Fieldhouse.
- Joel Määttä led all skaters with five shots on goal Saturday. Tonight's game-winner was the first of his career.
- First year Jax Wismer earned his first career collegiate point with an assist on Määttä's game-winner.
- With the win, Vermont Mutual Insurance Group will donate $100 to Vermont Children's Trust Foundation as part of the Cats Wins, Community Wins Initiative.
- With tonight's 1-0 decision, Community Bank N.A. will donate $75 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.
UP NEXT
Tomorrow afternoon UVM will face UConn on-campus at the Toscano Family Ice Forum at 3 p.m. The game will air live on ESPN+ and as always be broadcast live on WVMT (96.3 FM/620 AM) from the Handy Toyota Broadcast Booth.
