FINAL SCORE: Vermont 6, Waterloo 1
BURLINGTON, Vt. – The Catamounts' offense was on full display on Sunday at Gutterson Fieldhouse as defenseman Matt O'Donnell scored twice and added an assist, leading Vermont to a 6-1 win over Waterloo in its lone exhibition tune up prior to the regular season opener.
 
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UVM's special teams excelled in the victory, going 3-for-8 on the power play and 5-for-5 on the penalty kill. The Cats finished with a dominant 49-21 edge in shots on goal and had at least 15 shots in each period. Ross Colton (1 G, 3 A), Rob Darrar (1 G, 2 A), and Liam Coughlin (1 G, 2 A) combined for 10 points. 
 
Vermont wasted no time and immediately established possession in the offensive zone after the opening draw. Colton controlled the puck behind the Warriors' goal and dished a pass to Darrar to the left of the net. Darrar one-timed the feed over Mike Morrison's shoulder for a 1-0 lead just 59 seconds into the contest.
 
Waterloo responded at 6:15 of the opening period on a shorthanded goal by Mitchell Smith, who hustled into the Catamounts' zone and snapped a shot past Stefanos Lekkas (13 saves). 
 
The Catamounts closed the first period with a 2-1 lead thanks to a power play goal by O'Donnell. Colton took a feed from Craig Puffer and guided a pass to O'Donnell down the slot, and the sophomore deked a forehand shot into the upper right corner.
 
Midway through the game, Conor O'Neil broke out of the defensive zone and found Coughlin streaking up the ice. Coughlin sprinted past a Warriors defender and wristed a shot of the left post. The rebound kicked out in front of Morrison, and Coughlin was there to bury the puck for a 3-1 cushion.
 
With 3:48 remaining in the middle frame, the Catamounts converted again on the power play. After a lengthy puck battle in the right corner, Colton recovered the puck and sent a pass to Darrar at the blueline. UVM's captain found O'Donnell at the top of the circle where he fired a one-timer over Morrison's glove.
 
The Catamounts converted another power play in the third period, this time on a the 4-on-3 advantage with 10:26 left in regulation. Coughlin found Colton at the top of the right circle where he wristed a shot through Morrison's pads.
 
With 4:31 left in regulation, O'Neil carried the puck down the left wing and rifled a slap shot high glove side to cap the scoring.
 
Rookie Tyler Harmon played the third period in goal for Vermont, stopping all seven shots he faced.
 
Next weekend, UVM opens the regular season with a two-game series against Colorado College at the Gut. Faceoff is set for 7:05 p.m. on Friday (Oct. 6) and Saturday (Oct. 7) in a rematch of the 1996 NCAA national semifinal. For tickets, log on to UVMathletics.com/Tickets or call 802-656-4410.
 
Handy Toyota is the presenting sponsor of the 2017-18 men's hockey season