FINAL SCORE: #15 Vermont 4, Franklin Pierce 0
WINCHENDON, Mass. – Vermont (3-1-0) had 11 different players score a point on Saturday as the Catamounts defeated Franklin Pierce (2-4-0, 2-0-0 NEWHA) 4-0 from Jason Ritchie Arena. With the result, the Catamounts complete the weekend sweep and are off to their best start to a season since 2022-23.
RELATED LINKS
Box Score
COACH'S QUOTE
"Much better effort in all areas today and a step forward for our group," said Head Coach
Jim Plumer. "This was an important road trip for us to get familiar playing outside of the Gut. We got off to a strong start today with a great goal from Hilar Wilkin in the first couple of minutes and then a couple of quick ones in the second period gave us more confidence.
Tara Bach shut the door in net, and we finished the scoring with
Gracesyn Louis getting her first career goal in her first game. Now we have a big weekend ahead at Cornell."
HOW IT HAPPENED
- The Catamounts wasted no time bringing the pressure into game two of the weekend set, scoring just 1:32 into the first period. Lila Pannacciulli kept the puck in the Raven zone, using the boards to bank a pass to Zoe Charland who took a few strides towards net and fired a shot. Rylee Eno made the initial save, but Hilary Wilkin swooped in the slot, picking up the rebound and one-timing the puck to score her second goal of the season and earn Vermont a 1-0 lead early.
- Vermont finished the opening frame holding Franklin Pierce to just three shot attempts and winning 73 percent of the first period faceoffs.
- While on the power play 8:11 into the second period, the Catamounts made it 2-0 when Morgann Skoda and Sophia DeAnzeris worked the puck over to Rose-Marie Brochu near the hashmarks on the far side. Brochu elected to put the puck on net, sneaking a shot through the pads of Eno to secure her first goal of the season and put Vermont in front by two goals.
- Just 11 seconds later UVM scored again, seeing Lauren O'Hara steal the puck from a Raven defender in the Franklin Pierce zone, finding Ezra Oien in the slot all alone, one-timing a shot past Eno, tallying her first goal of the season.
- The Catamounts added another goal to the scoreboard 8:26 into the final period. Cecilia DesLauriers won a faceoff in the Raven's zone, passing the puck with her skate to Gracesyn Louis who was positioned above her. Louis corralled the puck and rifled a shot to the bottom right corner, recording her first career NCAA goal in her first regular season game, propelling UVM ahead 4-0.
- Tara Bach anchored Vermont making four saves throughout the remainder of regulation (19 total throughout the game). The Catamounts skated away with the 4-0 shutout win, earning the weekend sweep over Franklin Pierce.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- 11 different Catamounts recorded a point on Saturday against the Ravens.
- Brochu, Oien, and Louis all scored their first goal of the season while Wilkin tallied her second on the campaign.
- Bach notched her second shutout of the season making 19 saves against Franklin Pierce on Saturday.
- Pannacciulli earned her first career point recording one assist on Saturday.
- DesLauriers notched her first career assist.
- DeAnzeris, Lewis, O'Hara, Charland, and Skoda all tallied one assist.
- DeAnzeris and Charland both recorded a tied game-high five shots on goal.
- Brochu and O'Hara both won a game high 12 faceoffs each.
- Natalie Zarcone registered a tied game-high three blocked shots.
- The Catamounts have scored first in every game so far this season.
- UVM outshot Franklin Pierce on goal 37 to 19.
- Vermont scored one power play goal and successfully killed all three of Franklin Pierce's power plays. UVM still remains perfect on the penalty kill so far this season.
- The Catamounts won 32 faceoffs to the Ravens' 23.
- With today's Win, Vermont Mutual Insurance Group will donate $100 to the Ronald McDonald House through the Cat's Win, Community Win's initiative. Vermont Mutual has donated over $6.4 Million Dollars since launching their Charitable Giving Fund.
UP NEXT
Following the weekend sweep over Franklin Pierce, the Catamounts will get ready for their second consecutive road series, traveling to Lynah Rink in Ithaca, N.Y. to face top 15 ranked Cornell. The two game weekend set begins on Friday (Oct. 16) at 6 p.m. and wraps up on Saturday (Oct. 17) at 3 p.m. All the action will be broadcast live on ESPN+.
Women's Hockey Alumnae are invited back November 6-7 to Gutterson and Burlington for an Alumnae Weekend around Pack the Gut, including two games, an alumnae game and family skate and an alumnae gathering at What Ales You! Please register at
go.uvm.edu/wihalum.
For news and updates about the Vermont women's hockey program, follow @UVMwhockey on Instagram, X, and Facebook, and visit UVMathletics.com.
The Windjammer Inn and Conference Center is the presenting sponsor of the UVM women's hockey program
