University of Connecticut Athletics
University of Connecticut
17-15-0, 13-10-0
Vermont
8-23-2, 6-15-2
Huskies Tripped Up by Vermont, 5-3
3/4/2022 11:13:00 PM | Men's Ice Hockey
HARTFORD, Conn. – The UConn Huskies dropped the opening game of a two-game Hockey East series, 5-3, to the University of Vermont Friday night at the XL Center in Hartford.
The loss, UConn's third-straight, drops the Huskies to 17-15-0 overall and 13-10-0 in the league. UVM improves to 8-23-2 and 6-15-2 in Hockey East.
Vermont got two goals and an assist from Porter Schachle and Will Zapernick and Jacques Bouquot had a goal and assist as the Catamounts erased a 3-2 UConn lead in the second period with three unanswered goals. UVM goaltender Tyler Harmon made 36 saves including 18 in the third period to hold the Huskies off the scoreboard for the final 20 minutes.
UConn senior Carter Turnbull (Nanaimo, British Columbia) scored his 10th goal on the season while grad student Kevin O'Neil (Latham, N.Y.) and sophomore Artem Shlaine (Moscow, Russia) had goals in the second period to give the Huskies a 3-2 lead.
UVM's Joel Maatta tied the game up and Schachle's second provided the game-winner late in the second. Bouquot scored on the empty net with 35 seconds to go to ice the win.
The Huskies held a 39-29 shot advantage and were 1-of-3 on the power play. Grad student Darion Hanson (East Bethel, Minn.) made 24 saves in the loss.
1st period:
The Catamounts got the night's first goal, coming just as their power play ended with Schachler scoring his first of the game at 11:15. The shot came in from Maatta at the high point with Schachle following the puck and getting the rebound home at the right post.
The Huskies tied it up just 44 seconds later with a power play goal off the stick of Turnbull. The puck cycled to Jonny Evans (North Delta, British Columbia) up high and he fed Turbull down on the goal line with the senior breaking to the front of the net and slipping one past Harmon for his 10th at 11:59.
UVM took the lead back at 18:15, converting on a UConn turnover deep in their zone. Schachle was able to pick an errant UConn pass out of the right corner and feed Zapernick in front who buried it for his fifth of the season and a 2-1 lead.
2nd period:
UConn need just 1:14 to tie the game back up as O'Neil collected a loose puck on the UConn blue line and race up ice for a wrap-around try but was denied by Harmon. O'Neil stayed with it and was able to bang in a loose puck rebound before the net got knocked off to make it 2-2 with his sixth of the season.
The Huskies took their only lead of the night at 7:09 as Shlaine scored his sixth of the season. The puck cycled up to John Spetz (Oak Ridge, N.J.) up top and he blasted on net with Shlaine in front to get a redirect past Harmon to make it 3-2.
UVM tied it up at 10:30, again taking advantage of a UConn turnover in their zone. Dallas Comeau picked up the puck on the right boards and fed Maatta who skated into the right circle and buried it for his second of the season.
The Catamouts got the game-winner at 14:37 as Schachle blocked a shot up near the blue line then chased down the loose puck to get free for a break-away and finished it off for his second of the night.
3rd period:
The Huskies doubled up UVM on shots in the final period but Harmon kept the sheet clean and UVM's Bouquot got the empty netter to seal it with 35 seconds left.
Next Up:
The two teams will close out the series and regular season on Saturday afternoon at the XL Center on Senior Day for the Huskies
