FINAL SCORE: No. 13 Vermont 4, No. 16 St. Lawrence 3
BURLINGTON, Vt. – Brian Bowen's second goal of the night on the power play with 5:20 left in the third period lifted 13th-ranked Vermont past former ECAC rival St. Lawrence on Tuesday night in the 94th meeting of the series at Gutterson Fieldhouse.
UVM won its third straight game, improving to 13-6-2 (5-3-1 HEA) and closing its non-conference schedule with a record of 8-3-1. The 16th-ranked Saints suffered just their second loss in the last 13 contests and dropped to 10-6-4 (7-1-2 ECAC).
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Brendan Bradley and
Chris Muscoby joined Bowen in posting multi-point games on Tuesday, while freshman
Stefanos Lekkas collected his 11th win in net with 19 saves. The Cats moved to 7-1-0 in their last eight meetings with their second-longest standing rival.
Bowen netted his first goal just 3:10 into the contest. On an attempted clear from the back wall, Muscoby skated onto the puck at the center point and unloaded a slapshot at Kyle Hayton (33 saves). The junior netminder made the initial save with his shoulder, but Bowen found the loose puck and slid it into the open net for his third tally of the year.
St. Lawrence leveled the score 1-1 with 7:42 to play in the opening period. On the first power play chance of the game, the Saints quickly settled the zone and fired a pass to the left doorstep for Joe Sullivan. The junior stuffed the puck into Lekkas' pads at the post before Michael Ederer located the rebound and lifted the puck into the upper right corner.
The Saints took their first lead of the game in the middle frame at 8:44. Eric Sweetman slid a low shot from the center point and Carson Gicewicz knocked in the rebound, beating Lekkas five-hole. Ryan Lough picked up the secondary assist on the play.
Vermont knotted the score again at two with just under four minutes to play in the second as Muscoby fed the puck along the left side to
Jake Massie. The rookie defenseman fired a shot-pass toward the net, and Bradley deflected the puck into the upper right corner past Hayton's outstretched glove.
St. Lawrence stole back the lead with 1:27 to play in the period and only four seconds remaining in its second power play. In transition, Sullivan curled the net and attempted a wraparound at the left post. The puck slid across the crease to Ederer at the back door as he tucked it home for his second goal of the game.
Craig Puffer found the equalizer for the Cats at 4:55 of the final period as he took an interior pass from
Jarrid Privitera in the right circle and fired a low shot that trickled through Hayton's five-hole.
Matt O'Donnell collected the second assist.
Bowen's game-winner came with 5:20 remaining in regulation to give UVM the lead for good at 4-3.
Brady Shaw and Bradley won a puck battle along the left wall on the power play to set up the goal. Bowen walked off the wall toward the faceoff dot and sniped a shot into the left corner short side high on Hayton.
After killing off another UVM power play, St. Lawrence pulled Hayton with 50 seconds on the clock for the extra attacker but Vermont held on for the non-league win.
Vermont won the final shot battle 37-22, including a 14-4 edge in the third, and out-shot its opponent by at least 15 shots for the third straight game.
UVM closes an eight-game homestand in Hockey East play against the Northeastern Huskies this Saturday (Jan. 7) at 7:05 p.m. Tickets are still available by logging on to
UVMathletics.com/Tickets or by calling 802-656-4410.
Handy Toyota is the presenting sponsor of the 2016-17 men's hockey season
