FINAL SCORE: Merrimack 3, Vermont 2
BURLINGTON, Vt. – Seniors
Bridget Baker,
Cassidy Campeau and
Victoria Andreakos each registered a point and classmate
Madison Litchfield made 29 saves, but Merrimack's Madison Morey scored with 4:02 remaining to give the Warriors a 3-2 win over Vermont on Senior Day at Gutterson Fieldhouse.
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Prior to the game, UVM recognized its seven-member Class of 2017 including
Rachael Ade, Andreakos, Baker, Campeau,
Sarah Kelly,
Casey Leveillee and Litchfield. Kelly skated in her 140th contest as a Catamount and in doing so, tied former teammate
Dayna Colang (2012-16) for the all-time program record in that category.
Vermont finishes the regular season with a record of 13-12-9 and 9-8-7 in Hockey East play, while Merrimack wraps up the slate at 11-20-3 and 7-17-0 against conference foes. With 25 points, UVM currently sits in a tie with Providence for fourth place in the standings, however the Friars own the tiebreaker. As a result, the Catamounts will face either Providence or Boston University in the best-of-three Hockey East Quarterfinals next weekend.
"Hockey can be a cruel game at times, and certainly this game is one of many when we could have had a different outcome," said head coach
Jim Plumer. "At the end of the day, it is up to us to put together 60 outstanding minutes and that is what will be required for us to advance in the playoffs."
The Catamounts finished with the edge in shots on goal, peppering 50 on the day to Merrimack's 32.
Ève-Audrey Picard won 16-of-22 faceoffs, while Leveillee added a 6-for-7 afternoon on the dot.
Baker used her 11th goal to help Vermont win the race to the scoreboard. Off an offensive zone faceoff win, the puck came back to
Taylor Willard, who skated back and sent a shot on goal that was deflected in part by Andreakos. While Léa-Kristine Demers (48 saves) was able to make the initial stop, Baker raced in to bury the rebound at the 9:06 mark of the first period.
At 13:14 the Green and Gold doubled their lead on Campeau's fifth of the season.
Saana Valkama took a pass from Ade, then found Willard with a center point feed. The latter once again fired the puck into traffic before it was redirected home in the slot by Campeau.
Just over two minutes later, the Warriors got on the board with Paige Voight's second of the weekend. Voight recovered the puck in her own zone, then skated along the left wing and banked her shot off the right post en route to the tally.
On a delayed penalty in the final minute of the opening frame, Merrimack managed to tie the score at two-apiece. Dominique Kremer lit the lamp on a wrister from the right circle and sent the teams into intermission even. Mikyla Grant-Mentis was credited an assist on the play.
After a scoreless second period the Catamounts were relentless in the final stanza and outshot Merrimack by a 23-4 margin. UVM had multiple chances to restore its previous lead, but Demers denied the Green and Gold on each opportunity.
The game-winner for Morey began to unfold in a puck battle won in the left corner by Merrimack. Katelyn Rae skated behind the net and was turned aside by Litchfield on her wraparound attempt, but Morey was there to finish the second chance on the doorstep.
Litchfield was pulled in the waning stages of regulation and the Catamounts ripped five more shots with the extra attacker, but none could find the back of the net for the equalizer.
The Windjammer Restaurant and Upper Deck Pub is the presenting sponsor of the 2016-17 women's hockey season
