FINAL SCORE: #14 UMass 4, Vermont 1
AMHERST, Mass.  – The 14th ranked UMass Minutemen were led by their top line Friday night as they scored the first three goals of the contest in a 4-1 win over Vermont in Hockey East action from the Mullins Center. With the loss, the Catamounts fell to 2-4-1 overall and 1-3-1 in league action while the Minutemen improved to 6-2-1 and 2-1-1 in Hockey East.

RELATED LINKS
Box Score
Highlights
 
COACH'S QUOTE
"That is a very good college hockey team we played tonight," Head Coach Steve Wiedler said. "A lot of credit to UMass for how they played tonight. Our game shined through in flashes and as a coaching staff it is on us to figure out how to make more of those flashes occur on a consistent basis."
 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• The Minutemen had two first period power plays and Vermont's Gabe Carriere stood tall for the Catamounts to keep things tied up. Carriere made 16 first period saves for Vermont.
• With 5:20 to play in the second period. Thomas Sinclair just missed putting the Catamounts in front. In transition, he cut into the slot and fired a shot off the crossbar and out of play.
• The Minutemen opened the scoring minutes later on an odd-man rush. UMass forced a turnover in the neutral zone and broke into the Vermont zone on a two-on-one. Lucas Mercuri fed a cross-ice feed to Ryan Lautenbach and he tapped the puck in the air before poking it past Carriere for his fifth goal of the season with 2:38 left to play.
• 7:10 into the third period Mercuri struck to double the Minutemen advantage. From the point Scott Morrow fed a diagnol pass down low that sent Mercuri in alone with Carriere. With Carriere cutting in the crease to meet the UMass forward he slipped it through Carriere's legs for his second of the year.
• 2:58 later Morrow found the back of the net himself to make it 3-0 UMass with 9:52 left in regulation. Morrow activated from the blueline and one-timed a feed from Lautenbach behind the net past Carriere for his third of the season.
• With 3:04 to play in regulation Michael Cameron added an insurance marker for UMass with a shorthanded tally.
• Vermont did get on the board on the power play with 2:18 left in regulation. Chris Theodore one-timed a feed from Philip Törnqvist to thwart Cole Brady's shutout attempt. Theodore's second career goal as a Catamount was also assisted by Massimo Lombardi.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

• Chris Theodore led all Catamounts with four shots on goal Friday night.
• Vermont blocked 14 shots Friday night, with Andrei Buyalsky and Jack Malinski leading the way with two apiece.
• With tonight's 4-1 decision, Community Bank N.A. will donate $75 to Special Olympics Vermont. Community Bank, N.A. donates $75 per goal to Special Olympics Vermont for every goal the men's and women's team scores this season.

UP NEXT
The Catamounts are back in action tomorrow evening as they face No. 14 UMass at 6 p.m. Saturday's game will air exclusively on ESPN+. As always, the games will be broadcast live on WVMT with the voice of the Catamounts Adam Lafleur in the Handy Toyota Broadcast Booth. 
 
Handy Toyota is the presenting sponsor of the UVM men's hockey program