TAMPA, Fla. – Ross Colton '18 became the first former Vermont men's hockey player to score the Stanley Cup clinching goal Wednesday night in game five of the Stanley Cup Final. His fourth goal of the postseason lifted the Tampa Bay Lightning to a 1-0 win over Montreal to secure their second consecutive championship. Colton became the seventh Catamount in program history to win the Stanley Cup as a player.
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VIDEO: Game-Winning Goal
"It's unbelievable, this season was crazy and you know we battled through adversity the whole season," said Colton to Hockey Night in Canada's Kyle Bukauskas. "We had an unbelievable group of guys, great group of leaders and you know we stuck with it, trusted the process and I think we played one of our best 60 minutes of the year tonight. So, credit to everyone in the locker room, credit to the fans for supporting us and what an unbelievable ending."
Colton became the 18th player in program history to play in the NHL on February 24. He scored in the first period of his first contest against Carolina. In the regular season, he scored nine goals and added three assists in 30 games. During the 2021 Stanley Cup Playoffs Colton played in all 23 games for the Lightning. He had four goals and two assists for the back-to-back champions. With his game-winning goal in game five of the Stanley Cup Final Colton became just the fourth rookie to score the Stanley Cup clinching goal since 1927.
As a Catamount Colton earned Hockey East Honorable Mention All-Star status in 2018 following his final season after posting career-highs in goals (16), power play goals (8), and shots on goal (140). His posted 50 career points in just 69 games at Vermont.
VERMONT'S STANLEY CUP CHAMPIONS
| Player |
Team |
Year(s) |
| John LeClair '91 |
Montreal Canadiens |
1993 |
| Eric Perrin '97 |
Tampa Bay Lightning |
2004 |
| Martin St. Louis '97 |
Tampa Bay Lightning |
2004 |
| Tim Thomas '97 |
Boston Bruins |
2011 |
| Viktor Stalberg '09 |
Chicago Blackhawks |
2013 |
| Patrick Sharp '02 |
Chicago Blackhawks |
2010, 2013, 2015 |
| Ross Colton '18 |
Tampa Bay Lightning |
2021 |
Handy Toyota is the presenting sponsor of the 2021-22 men's hockey season
