BURLINGTON, Vt. - Sophomore forward and Vermont native Cecilia DesLauriers scored the game-winning goal 13:13 into the first overtime period on Wednesday night from Gutterson Fieldhouse, delivering Vermont the 3-2 Opening Round win over the nine-seed Holy Cross Crusaders, sending the eight-seed Catamounts to the Hockey East Quarterfinal that'll be played on Saturday at 4 p.m. in Boston, MA against the second-seed Boston University Terriers.
COACH'S QUOTE
"First, congrats to Holy Cross on a great season and hard-fought battle tonight," said Head Coach Jim Plumer. "I was very pleased with our intensity and our ability to bounce back from giving up the early goal and then again from the tying goal late in the third. Our team has so much heart and I just knew they weren't going to let the season end tonight. We are excited to go to Boston and are ready for the challenge that BU brings. What a great win for our program."
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Charlotte Sonntag got scoring started just 48 seconds into opening puck drop, finding the back of the net for the sixth time this season, earning Holy Cross the early lead, 1-0.
- The Catamounts bounced back on the powerplay with 5:20 remaining in the first period, seeing Kyla Bent bolt her way into the offensive zone, dodging defenders coming towards her, eventually putting a shot on net with her backhand where Maddy Skelton was there to clean up the rebound opportunity, securing her third goal of the season and the Catamounts first goal of the 2025 Hockey East Playoffs.
- With just 36 second remaining, Sydney Correa was forced to make a brilliant save when a Catamount turned the puck over in their own zone, getting intercepted directly up the middle where Holy Cross broke out with two players wide open in front of the net. Correa stayed poised, suffocating the Crusader scoring chance, sending the game into the first intermission knotted, 1-1.
- A back-and-forth second period tilted in the Catamounts favor with 1:52 left on the clock when an incredible play by Natalie Zarcone to keep the puck in the Holy Cross zone allowed for Oona Havana and Rose-Marie Brochu to rush the net, seeing Havana elect to dish a pass to Brochu, wasting no time firing a shot under Abby Hornung's blocker, securing her fifth goal of the season, earning Vermont its first lead of the game, 2-1.
- 13:53 into the third and final period, Lane Lewis tied the game up for Holy Cross at 2-2, sneaking a point-blank range shot through the five-hole of Correa, securing her sixth goal of the season.
- Nobody scored for the remainder of regulation as the game went to a five-on-five sudden-death overtime period.
- Vermont native Cecilia DesLauriers netted the game winning goal in overtime with 6:47 remaining on the clock, notching her third goal of the season. A defensive play from Ashley Kokavec resulted in Holy Cross turning the puck over in the neutral zone, allowing for DesLauriers to break free into the offensive zone with Havana on the other side and nobody in front of them besides Hornung. DesLauriers dished the puck to Havana who then possessed the puck and sent it right back to DesLauriers, burying her shot in the net to secure the Catamounts the 3-2 victory in overtime from Gutterson Fieldhouse.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- The Catamounts are now 1-1 in Hockey East Opening Round matchups, defeating Holy Cross in both programs first ever meeting in the Hockey East Playoffs.
- DesLauriers delivered the game winning goal, her third tally of the season, to go along with two shots on goal, five faceoff wins, and one blocked shot.
- Skelton scored her third goal of the season on Vermont's only powerplay of the game.
- Brochu notched her fifth goal on the campaign while adding four shots on net and winning 14 of her 19 faceoffs taken.
- Havana secured her second career multi-point game, first multi-assist game, collecting two assists on Wednesday night to go along with three shots on net.
- Bent and Kokavec each added an assist against Holy Cross.
- Kokavec now leads the team with 11 assists and earned a tied game high three blocked shots, her third game in a row notching three blocked shots.
- Evelyne Blais-Savoie recorded a game high 16 won faceoffs, doing so for the second game in a row, adding to her Hockey East leading 433 total faceoff wins.
- Lara Beecher secured a game high six shots on net, the fifth time this season tallying six or more shots in a single game.
- Vermont outshot Holy Cross 43-20. UVM's 43 shots in the Hockey East Opening Round are the most shots the Catamounts have had in a single game so far this season.
- UVM went 1-1 on the penalty kill.
- The Catamounts won 35 faceoffs to the Crusaders 21.
- With tonight's 3-2 decision, 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.
- The Catamounts won tonight which means that Vermont Mutual Insurance will be donating $100 to the Lund Center. A special thank you to Vermont Mutual Insurance for their support. Vermont Mutual Insurance, protecting Vermonters since 1828.
UP NEXT
Following their opening round victory over Holy Cross, the Catamounts will move on in the Hockey East Tournament, gearing up for a Quarterfinal matchup with the second-seed Boston University Terriers in Boston, MA from Walter Brown arena on Saturday (Mar. 1). Puck drop is scheduled for 4 p.m. and will be broadcast live on ESPN+.
