FINAL SCORE: Vermont 3, Merrimack 0
NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. – Led by goals from defensemen
Taylor Flaherty and
Sammy Kolowrat, Vermont (3-5-0, 2-3-0 HEA) grabbed its first ever road win over Merrimack (3-5-2, 1-2-1 HEA) on Friday by the final score of 3-0.
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"We had a very solid game all around tonight. Scobee was great in her first career shutout and it was a big boost to have
Kourtney Menches back in the lineup," Head Coach
Jim Plumer said. "Our team is continuing to grow and improve and we know we will be in for a battle tomorrow with a motivated Merrimack team."
After weathering sustained Merrimack pressure to open the game, the Catamounts struck halfway through their first and only power play of the night just over five minutes into the game. After
Ève-Audrey Picard was tossed from an offensive zone faceoff,
Alyssa Gorecki stepped into the circle and won the draw for UVM. Picard then ripped a shot wide and the puck trickled to the corner, where
Kristina Shanahan picked it up and dished it to Gorecki behind the Merrimack cage. Gorecki slid the puck to Picard in the opposite corner, who walked out to the faceoff dot to the goalie's left. Picard moved the puck to
Taylor Flaherty at the top of the slot, who blasted a shot through traffic for the goal.
The teams traded chances through the remainder of the first frame with
Sydney Scobee stopping all seven Warrior shots she faced. Her counterpart, Léa-Kristine Demers, also made seven saves in the period.
The Catamounts came out flying in the second period, scoring just 2:20 into the frame. Menches, playing in her first game of the season, took the faceoff to the right of Demers.
Val Caldwell grabbed the puck in the Merrimack corner and quickly passed the puck to
Sammy Kolowrat along the boards on the blue line. Kolowrat walked the line towards the middle of the ice and fired a wrist shot into traffic. The puck snuck by
Olivia Kilberg, who had planted herself directly in front of Demers, and found the back of the net to double the Vermont lead.
For the majority of the third period, neither team could find the back of the net. Merrimack had multiple scoring chances, but all were denied by Scobee. The best chance for the Warriors came with just under 12 minutes remaining, when Scobee made an initial save and stopped the ensuing rebound opportunity. Merrimack pulled Demers with just over two minutes remaining in the period, but were unable to get a shot by Scobee.
Mackenzie MacNeil scored an empty net goal with 32 seconds remaining to seal the game for the Catamounts.
Scobee made 30 saves in the game, marking the third game this season she has recorded 30 or more. It was Scobee's first career shutout, and the second goal of the season for all three Vermont scorers. Menches picked up her first point of the season with an assist on the second goal, Picard grabbed her team-leading eighth point of the season, and it was the seventh point of the season for Gorecki. In a fast-paced game, each team had only one penalty, both coming in the first period.
The Catamounts will face the Warriors again tomorrow afternoon at 2 p.m. in the second game of the weekend series at Lawler Rink.
The Windjammer and Upper Deck Pub is the presenting sponsor of the 2017-18 women's hockey season
