Vermont coach Mike Gilligan won his 400th career game as the Catamounts defeated Brown, 2-0, Friday night in ECAC Division I men’s ice hockey action at UVM’s Gutterson Fieldhouse.
Gilligan, in his 17th year at Vermont, is the 18th coach in NCAA history to win 400 career games. The Beverly, MA native is in his 24th year overall as a head coach.
“This means a lot,” Gilligan said after the game and an emotional meeting with his players in the locker room. “I think of all the great players who have played here, and all the great games, in Boston, in Albany, in Cincinnati, and all the great assistant coaches I’ve had.
“Certainly Roger Grillo (the Brown coach) was one of the guys who helped put this program on the map.”
Asked about the 17 other coaches he has now joined in that elite 400-win club, coaches like Ron Mason, Len Ceglarski, Jack Parker, Jerry York, John MacInnes, Jack Riley, John Kelley, Red Berenson and Charlie Holt, Gilligan was humble, as usual.
“The guys in that group are legends,” he said. “I’m just hoping we can springboard off this win, do some things on the road and get home ice for the playoffs. If we can win three of four on the road and then come home and do some things, we’ll have some jump in our step for the
playoffs.”
Ryan Cox got the scoring started for Vermont, 11-11-2 overall and 7-7-2 in ECAC play, at 16:57 of the first period, taking a pass from John Longo and beating Brown’s Yann Danis from right in front. Ryan Miller also assisted on the goal.
Vermont’s Andrew Allen was very sharp in the opening two periods, stopping all 10 shots in the first period and making a great glove save on Jason Wilson late in the second. Allen recorded 22 saves for his second career shutout.
Vermont got an insurance goal in the third when J.F. Caudron scored his 15th of the season.
ECAC.
