BURLINGTON, Vt. - 15 different Catamounts registered a point or more on the way to a 7-4 victory over LIU on Saturday night from Gutterson Fieldhouse, securing UVM a win in their final home game of the 2024 year. With the result, Vermont rises to 4-8-3 (3-4-2 HEA) while LIU falls to 8-6-1 on the campaign.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- In an action packed first period, the Sharks opened scoring 5:22 into the game shorthanded, seeing Burlington, Vermont native Carter Rapalje break free on the breakaway after corralling a bouncing puck on the blue line, putting his shot five-hole for his sixth goal of the season to give LIU an opening 1-0 lead.
- On that same power-play, UVM bounced back when Joel Maatta found Jax Wismer with a cross-ice pass, getting down on one knee to one-time a blast past the LIU goalie, securing his first colligate goal on the power-play 6:58 into the opening frame to knot the score, 1-1. Massimo Lombardi was awarded the secondary assist on the Catamounts goal.
- 14:21 into the game, the Catamounts handed the Sharks a taste of their own medicine, scoring a short-handed goal of their own when Luca Münzenberger aired the puck out of Vermont's defensive zone, finding Maatta on the far blue line who proceeded to center the puck to a streaking Will Zapernick. Once entering the offensive zone all alone, Zapernick pinned his shot five hole, securing his first goal of the season, 15th in his career, handing the Catamounts a 2-1 advantage.
- Vermont notched its third unanswered goal 2:45 minutes later thanks to Jens Richards muscling the puck into the Sharks zone, followed by Thomas Sinclair who corralled the loose puck off Richards's stick, entering the slot and sniping his shot bar down to give UVM a 3-1 lead, securing his second goal on the campaign. Sebastian Törnqvist was awarded a secondary assist on the goal.
- LIU proceeded to score with 33 seconds remaining in the first period on the power-play thanks to Austin Brimmer registering his second goal of the season, bringing the Sharks back within one, 3-2.
- Similar to the start of the first period, LIU opened scoring in the second frame when an impressive individual hustle play out of the corner by Brimmer resulted in him tucking his second goal of the game past UVM's goaltender, knotting the game back at 3-3 with just under 18 minutes remaining in the middle period.
- Timofei Spitserov regained the Catamount lead after scoring his fourth goal of the season, capping off a three-on-two rush with Max Strand and Colin Kessler, performing a textbook hesitation move in the slot, stepping into his wrist shot and sniping the puck under the LIU's goaltender's blocker, earning Vermont a 4-3 lead 3:33 into the second period.
- The Catamounts regained a two-goal lead 7:55 into the middle frame when Spitserov fed Isak Walther in front of the net with a cross-crease pass, giving Walther a prime opportunity to tap in his third goal of the season and extend the Vermont lead, 5-3. Philip Törnqvist earned a secondary assist on the Vermont goal.
- Vermont tallied its second power-play goal of the game 14:40 into the second period, seeing Kessler carry the puck into the offensive zone by himself, electing to rifle a wrist shot glove side high past the LIU goalie, earning his fifth goal on the season and handing UVM a three-goal cushion, 6-3. Simon Jellus and Wismer each tallied an assist on the Catamount's sixth goal.
- An empty net tally from Sinclair after delivering the goal from his own defensive zone gave Vermont a 7-3 advantage 17:19 into the final period.
- LIU would find the back of the net one more time on the power-play, but it was too little too late, as Vermont skated away with the 7-4 victory on home ice.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- Sinclair notched his first career multi-goal game, scoring two goals against LIU on Saturday night.
- Kessler secured his third multi-point game on the season, registering a goal and an assist vs the Sharks.
- Spitserov tallied his second career game, recording one goal and one assist to go along with a team high six attempted shots and another team high four shots on goal.
- Wismer recorded his first career game scoring a goal and an assist, securing his first collegiate goal on Saturday night vs LIU.
- Maatta earned two assists against the Sharks, the second time this season registering a multi-assist game.
- Münzenberger also notched two assists, the second time this season he's earned a multi-assist game.
- Walther and Zapernick tallied one goal each for the Catamounts on Saturday night, Zapernick's first goal of the season.
- Seven other Catamounts recorded one assist, adding to a balanced offensive attack against the Sharks. Xavier Henry was one of those seven Catamounts, earning his first assist of the season.
- Keenan Rancier secured his first win on the campaign against LIU, making 15 total saves.
- This is the first time Vermont has scored seven goals in a single game since the 2016-17 season when the Catamounts defeated Bentley on December 30, 2016, winning by a score of 7-1.
- Vermont's three goals in the first period are the most goals the Catamounts have scored in the opening frame so far this season.
- The Catamounts blocked 18 shots to LIU's seven.
- With tonight's 7-4 decision, Community Bank N.A. will donate $525 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 the win, Vermont Mutual Insurance Group will donate $100 to Vermont Children's Trust Foundation as part of the Cats Wins, Community Wins Initiative.
UP NEXT
Following the win over LIU, the Catamounts will hit the road next weekend for more non-conference action. UVM prepares to travel to Schenectady, N.Y. for a weekend series with Union. The teams will faceoff Friday, December 13 at 7 p.m., and then again on Saturday, December 14 at 4 p.m. from Messa Rink at Achilles Center. Both games will air live on ESPN+. As always, it will also be broadcast live on WVMT (96.3 FM/620 AM) with the voice of the Catamounts Adam Lafleur. Friday's matchup will also air in Canada on TSN+.
