FINAL SCORE: No. 10 Vermont 2, St. Lawrence 0
CANTON, N.Y. – Mike Santaguida posted a 35-save shutout and Kevin Irwin broke a scoreless tie late in the second period as No. 10 Vermont posted a 2-0 road shutout of St. Lawrence on Saturday night in non-conference action at Appleton Arena to close out the first half of the season.
 
The Catamounts earned their sixth consecutive win overall and improved to 13-3-1 (7-3-1 HEA), matching their best 17-game start since the 1987-88 season. UVM also posted its fifth straight win over the Saints, who dropped to the .500 mark at 8-8-1 (4-3-0 ECAC).

"I'm glad the guys have been rewarded for all their hard work. Now they can enjoy the break and spend time with their families," said head coach Kevin Sneddon. "As we continue to move forward, we have great opportunities in front of us. I'm appreciative of the work they put in daily to achieve that kind of result."
 
Jake Fallon nearly opened the scoring with a shorthanded partial breakaway at the 11:50 mark of the first, but the senior was tripped from behind by Nolan Gluchowski before he could complete a forehand deke.
 
St. Lawrence responded by hitting the post from the point but steered the rebound just wide of the left post. Santaguida stopped all eight shots he faced in the first as both teams went 0-for-2 on the power play.
 
Santaguida robbed Woody Hudson at the left doorstep eight minutes into the second period to preserve the scoreless deadlock. The sophomore slid post-to-post and stuffed a wide open Hudson with his pad at the far post.
 
For the sixth straight game, the Catamounts scored first as Brady Shaw disrupted a St. Lawrence breakout at the Saints blue line. Irwin skated onto the puck and fired a wrist shot high glove side past Kyle Hayton from the left faceoff circle. The tally came at the 14:07 mark of the second for Irwin's fourth of the season.
 
UVM carried a power play into the third period and lit the lamp with just 62 seconds elapsed. Colin Markison worked the puck along the left wing boards to Mike Paliotta at the top of the circle, and Shaw tipped the senior's high shot inside the right post for a 2-0 cushion.
 
The Catamounts killed off two power plays in the second half of the frame and carried the lead into the closing minutes. Santaguida shut the door down the stretch as St. Lawrence pulled Hayton for an extra skater but couldn't break up the shutout.

UVM went 1-for-5 on the power play while shutting down the Saints on five chances. Santaguida posted his second road shutout of an ECAC opponent this season, stopping 26 shots over the final 40 minutes.

"We don't feel like we're playing our best yet. We haven't reached our peak yet, which is a great thing," said Sneddon, whose team remained perfect at 6-0-0 in non-league play.

Vermont returns from the holiday break on Sunday, Dec. 28 and Monday, Dec. 29 to host the 19th annual Sheraton/TD Bank Catamount Cup at Gutterson Fieldhouse. The Catamounts take on Air Force on Dec. 28 and face Providence on Dec. 29 with both games beginning at 7:05 p.m. UMass Amherst will play the early game each day at 4 p.m.
 
All four games of the tournament will be streamed online for free in high definition via CatamounTV.com. Radio coverage for the UVM games begins at 6:30 p.m. each night on WVMT 620-AM and SportsJuice.com with Alastair Ingram on the call.
 
Tickets can be purchased online at UVMathletics.com/Tickets or in person on gameday at the Gutterson Box Office starting at 3 p.m. Please note that the UVM Athletic Ticket Office in Patrick Gym will be closed from Dec. 24-Jan. 2 for the holiday break.
 
Fans will have an opportunity to donate new teddy bears on Dec. 29 during the annual Teddy Bear Toss, presented by the Vermont Teddy Bear Company. The bears will be delivered by members of the men's and women's hockey teams to residents of UVM Medical Center Children's Hospital, Starr Farm Nursing Home, and Burlington Health and Rehab.

SHERATON HOTEL RATE | Website
The Sheraton Burlington Hotel & Conference Center will be offering a special rate of $99 per night for fans who are attending the Sheraton/TD Bank Catamount Cup. Fans can book rooms by calling the hotel at (802) 865-6600.