FINAL SCORE: Vermont 2, Brown 1
Providence, R.I. – Craig Puffer scored the game winner on a delayed Brown penalty halfway through the third period as the Vermont Catamounts (2-2-0, 0-1-0 HEA) took a 2-1 non-conference win at Meehan Auditorium.
 
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COACH'S QUOTE
"Brown just played a physical game and every inch of ice was contested. We didn't handle that well in the first-half of the game but we were better in the latter half of the second and the third," head coach Kevin Sneddon said. "To win a game when you don't play your best for 60 minutes is important especially with such a young team. There was no panic. We believed we could come back."
 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• Stefanos Lekkas (27 saves) quickly stopped the first five Bruno shots in the opening minutes of the period as Brown jumped out of the gates with heavy pressure in the Catamount zone.
• A fast-paced first period ended with no score and no power plays. Brown held a 9-7 advantage in shots.
• Justin Jallen opened the scoring and tallied his first career goal at the 17:15 mark of the middle period. Jallen streaked to the Catamount net and fired a one-timer past a diving Lekkas. Joachim Weberg and Trey Dodd picked up assists on the play.
• Vermont tied the game on its first power play of the game 5:59 into the final period. Carter Long moved the puck point-to-point to Christian Evers, who fired a shot from the top of the circle under Brown goalie Gavin Nieto's left arm for the equalizer.
• Puffer scored his third career winner at the 10:34 mark of the third, winning the battle in the Brown slot before putting his second effort shot past Nieto.

NOTES

• Lekkas moved to ninth in the Catamounts all-time saves leaderboard with 27 stops against Brown. He now has 2,030 career stops and is less than 400 saves away from moving into the top-5.
• Long recorded his first collegiate point with an assist on Evers' power play goal.
• Dallas Comeau and Nic Hamre both made their respective collegiate debuts. Each freshman had two shots on goal.
• Vermont now holds a 28-26-5 all-time record against the Bears. Vermont has won its last two games at Meehan Auditorium by 2-1 finals, with the previous victory coming in February 2005.
• With the victory, the Cats Win, Community Wins campaign and Vermont Mutual Insurance Group will donate another $100 to the Boys and Girls Club of Burlington, bringing this year's total to 90 wins and $9,000.

UP NEXT
Vermont resumes Hockey East play with a home series against UConn next weekend. The Cats and Huskies are slated to meet on Friday (Nov. 2) and Saturday (Nov. 3), with both games beginning at 7:05 pm.
 
Handy Toyota is the presenting sponsor of the 2018-19 men's hockey season