Vermont freshman Torrey Mitchell scored the game-winning goal, unassisted in overtime as the Catamounts contined their winning ways defeating St. Lawrence 4-3 at Appleton Arena Friday.
With the win, Vermont’s fourth in five games, The Cats keep an unblemished record in ECACHL play, moving to 3-0-0 on the year.
“We knew it was going to take a gritty effort to get the job done tonight,” Vermont coach Kevin Sneddon said. “I want to give credit to Joe’s [Marsh’s] team. That’s the best team we have played all year. They are a better team than we saw out in the WCHA, and that’s a huge win for us. We didn’t play great in the second period and I thought our guys did what they needed to do in the third period to give us a chance to win.
“They are an incredible team. Any time you can come up here to Appleton and get two points, it’s big.”
The two teams played an even first period, 2-2 at the end of one. Special teams played a big role with both Vermont goals coming on the power play while the Saints scored the first goal of the game on the power play.
Vermont’s Derek Wagar took an obstruction-interference penalty 4:12 in the game. Max Taylor banged home the rebound of a Drew Bagnall shot just over a minute later to give SLU a 1-0 advantage at 5:15. the goal, also assisted by Mike Madill was Taylor’s fourth of the year and second of two on the night.
Vermont evened the game at 0ne five minutes later on the power play. Sophomore Chris Myers tipped a Kenny Macaulay (two assists) shot past Saint goaltender Mike McKenna for his fifth of the year on the power play at 9:56. Mike Arcieri also assisted on the play.
Vermont then took lead with three and a half to play in the first. Again, the UVM power play cashed in. the Cats are clicking at 21.1% rate on the power play this season, good for ninth nationally. Vermont leading scorer and assistant captain Scott Mifsud potted his eight of the year from Macaulay and Brady Leisenring.
Off of the ensuring face off, 19 seconds later, Taylor tallied his second of the period unassisted on a knuckleball shot past Vermont goalie Joe Fallon to make it 2-2. The goal was a result of a handful of failed attempts to get the puck out of the zone.
Myers and the Cats, took the lead back in the early stages of the second as the so. Boston, Mass. Native tallied his second of the game after Joey Gasparini and Arcieri (1 goal, 1 assist) had chances to put the puck in the net. Vermont had the 3-2 lead at 1:47 of the period.
“Tonight they were our top line,” Sneddon said of the Arcieri-Myers Gasparini line. “Every shift out there they did something good.”
After Myers’ goal St. Lawrence hit its stride. Fallon had to make some tremendous saves to keep his team on top. He made three separate stops on T.J. Trevelyan in a six-minute span where the Saints controlled play.
SLU finally slipped one past Fallon on a shorthanded break. Madill found Colin FitzRandolph who cut to the net and squeezed a shot through Fallon’s pads at 13:50.
The pace slowed in the third period until the final minutes when Vermont was whistled for a penalty with 1:06 remaining. But the Cats’ penalty kill unit did what it need to and the game went into overtime.
After the last :54 ticked off the penalty, Mitchell lit the lamp on the game-winner at 1:17 of the extra session. Mitchell got a pass from Leisenring and lifted a shot that somehow found its way through McKenna for the win.
“And obviously just a clutch penalty kill late in the game and then a huge play by two big players at the end there,” Sneddon said. “Brady [Leisenring] made a nice indirect play and then Torrey just showed his speed, stripped the defenseman and got the job done.”
Fallon finished the night with 29 saves, and McKenna had 32 for SLU.
“It was a good game, it was an entertaining game. I think teams were pretty even,” said Saint’s coach Joe Marsh. “I think for a good portion of the game they outworked us. Theyir special-team play was way better than ours, that’s what hurts us. That was the difference in the hockey game tonight.”
Vermont was 2-5 on the power play. St. Lawrence found the back of the net on one power play opportunity in seven chances.
Vermont (5-4-1 plays at Clarkson Saturday, while St. Lawrence (5-5-1, 1-2-0 ECACHL) skates with Dartmouth.
