Final Score: Vermont 2, Merrimack 1
NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. – Vermont defensemen led the offense for the second straight game as Taylor Flaherty scored her second goal in as many games and Taylor Willard added her second goal of the season in a 2-1 victory over Merrimack Saturday afternoon at Lawler Rink.
 
Vermont improves to 4-5-0 overall and 3-3-0 in Hockey East play, while Merrimack falls to 3-6-2 overall and 1-3-1 in conference play.
 
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"This was a great weekend for our entire team. Sydney Scobee had a fantastic weekend in net and our special teams fueled our team in both games," Head Coach Jim Plumer said. "We have to clean up the penalties but credit to our penalty killers for being perfect all weekend."

Merrimack got on the board 9:16 into the first period when Mikyla Grant-Mentis took a Vermont turnover and got behind the defense for a breakaway. She deked to her left and flipped the puck by Catamount goalie Sydney Scobee for the early lead. Neither team broke through again for the remainder of the period. Scobee finished with seven saves.
 
Vermont answered less than a minute into the second frame after a penalty on Merrimack's Megan Fergusson gave the Catamounts the power play. UVM moved the puck around the top of the circle looking for an alley to shoot through the collapsing Merrimack box. Taylor Flaherty moved the puck to her right to Taylor Willard, who glanced at the net before returning it back to Flaherty, who took a wrist shot that found the back of the net to tie the game. Kristina Shanahan also assisted on the play.
 
Despite five penalties called against Vermont through the rest of the period, Scobee and the Catamounts managed to keep the Warriors off the scoreboard and head to the third tied at 1-1.
 
After the first half of the final frame went back and forth without any goals, Kourtney Menches took an offensive zone face-off and was able to move the puck to Flaherty, who got the puck to Willard at the point. Willard moved towards the center of the ice and ripped a shot through traffic and into the back of the net for the game winning goal.
 
The Catamounts killed off two more penalties in the third, and killed all eight of their penalties in the game. Merrimack was whistled for three penalties, one each period, and UVM was able to capitalize on the Warrior penalty in the second period. Scobee finished the game with 28 saves while her counterpart, Samantha Ridgewell, finished with 17 saves.
 
Vermont remains on the road next weekend and travels to Durham, New Hampshire for a two-game Hockey East series. The first game is scheduled for Friday, Nov. 3 at 7 p.m. and the second is scheduled for Saturday, Nov. 4 at 4 p.m.
 

The Windjammer and Upper Deck Pub is the presenting sponsor of the 2017-18 women's hockey season