FINAL SCORE: No. 3 Providence 3, Vermont 1BURLINGTON, Vt. – Brian Pinho registered a goal and two assists to lead defending national champion Providence past Vermont 3-1 in Hockey East action on Friday night at Gutterson Fieldhouse.
The Friars improved to 14-3-4 (5-1-3 HEA) and snapped UVM's four-game winning streak and its seven-game unbeaten streak at home, while the Catamounts dropped to 9-13-2 (3-6-2 HEA).
Brendan Bradley scored the lone Vermont goal in the second period during his 100
th career game. The Catamounts finished the night 8-for-8 on the penalty kill against the nation's 11
th-ranked power play.
RELATED LINKSCatamounTV HighlightsBox Score Providence struck quickly to open the scoring just 25 seconds into the first period as Nick Saracino snuck a low shot inside the left post off a stuff attempt from Brandon Tanev. UVM killed off a pair of power plays later in the opening frame and trailed 1-0 after one.
Less than two minutes into the second, the Friars doubled their lead with a shorthanded tally. Trevor Mingoia skated into the Catamount zone along the left wing, drifted toward the faceoff dot, and beat
Packy Munson (30 saves) high glove side.
Vermont answered roughly two minutes later to cut the deficit in half.
Brady Shaw centered a pass from below the left goal line to Bradley, who one-timed a shot short side to beat Nick Ellis (30 saves) inside the left post. The goal was Bradley's sixth in his last 10 games, while
Mario Puskarich picked up his team-high 19
th point with the secondary assist.
The Friars restored their two-goal edge with five minutes remaining in the period, just seconds after another successful Vermont penalty kill. Tom Parisi sent a stretch pass down the middle of the ice to Pinho, catching UVM in the middle of a line change. Pinho skated into the Vermont zone and snuck a backhand under Munson's pads for a 3-1 advantage.
Penalties disrupted the rhythm of the third period, and UVM couldn't draw a goal back. A late Catamount power play opportunity was negated by another minor with under two minutes remaining, and Providence held on for the league victory.
The teams return to the Gut on Saturday (Jan. 16) for a 7:05 p.m. faceoff to close Vermont's six-game homestand. All the action will be streamed live for free at CatamounTV.com, and radio coverage begins at 6:30 p.m. on WVMT 620-AM, SportsJuice.com, and the TuneIn app with
Alastair Ingram and
Jeff Schulman on the call. Reserved and general admission tickets are still available at
UVMathletics.com/Tickets.
Saturday is Military Appreciation Night presented by Casella, and UVM is excited to offer all military members and their families tickets at the group rate of $10. The team's game-worn camouflage jerseys from Military Appreciation Night are being auctioned off at
UVMathletics.com/auctions to benefit the Vermont Veterans Fund (VVF). The auction will close at 12 p.m. on Monday (Jan. 18), and bids start at $150 per jersey.
Special camouflage Vermont merchandise will be sold at the UVM Bookstore in the lobby of Gutterson during the game to benefit the charity organization Operation Hat Trick, which generates awareness, support, and funding for the recovery of America's wounded warriors, both active service members and veterans.
