FINAL SCORE: Vermont 9, Holy Cross 7
BURLINGTON, Vt. – Freshman David Closterman recorded his second career hat trick and added an assist as the Vermont Catamounts (2-1) opened the 2019 home schedule with a 9-7 win over Holy Cross (0-2) at Virtue Field Saturday.
 
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COACH'S QUOTE
"Solid win today against a tough Patriot League opponent. Holy Cross played hard for four quarters and had a fantastic face-off man to keep the pressure on us," head coach Chris Feifs said. "I am proud of Nick Washuta for some big saves today and Closterman with a hat trick in his first game on Virtue Field. The best part is our guys are not satisfied with their performance today and we are eager to get back to work and improve this week."
 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• Vermont scored the afternoon's first four goals to open the first quarter. Ben French tallied his first of the game with 10:11 remaining and Thomas McConvey capped the run with his first of the game to make it 4-0 with 45 seconds left. Sean Mullaney put the Crusaders on the board with five seconds left in the opening quarter.
• French and Holy Cross freshman Will Spangenberg traded goals in the opening minutes of the second quarter, and the first half ended with UVM holding onto a 5-2 lead.
• Dawes Milchling and Liam Limoges scored in the third quarter for Vermont and Justin Lynskey tallied the lone Holy Cross third quarter goal. Milchling added a pair of assists on Saturday, pushing his point streak to 19 games. Limoges has tallied at least a point in seven straight games.
• After a pair of first quarter goals, Closterman completed the hat trick with 12:16 left in the fourth quarter to put the Catamounts up 8-4. A pair of Holy Cross goals cut the deficit to two goals, but McConvey's second of the game pushed Vermont's lead back to 9-6.
• Connor Waldron made it 9-7 with 2:01 to play following a Holy Cross timeout, but a Crusader turnover with 1:21 left on the clock sealed the win for the Catamounts, who ran the clock down on the offensive side of the field.
• Nick Washuta made 10 saves between the pipes for the Catamounts, including key saves to prevent Holy Cross from coming within a single goal.

GAME NOTES

• Limoges tallied a goal and three assists to finish with four points. He has recorded four points in back-to-back games and has 10 points in the 2019 season.
• Closterman recorded his second career hat trick through three career games. He joins six other Catamounts with multiple career hat tricks.
• Holy Cross won the face-off battle as Dan O'Connell went 15-for-17 at the X.
• UVM has won five straight games at Virtue Field dating back to the start of the 2018 season.
• With the victory, the Cats Win, Community Wins campaign and Vermont Mutual Insurance Group will donate $100 to Make-A-Wish Vermont; bringing this year's total to 33 wins and $3,300.

UP NEXT
Vermont hosts Quinnipiac next Saturday (Feb. 23) at Virtue Field. The game is scheduled for 12 p.m. and will stream for free on CatamounTV with Michael Lehr on the call.