The men’s hockey team defeated the University of Maine Black Bears 2 to 1 this past weekend in an away game televised by CBS Sports Network. The following night, the teams had their second meeting of the weekend.  By the end of regulation, the Catamounts tied Maine 2-2.

Vermont picked up three points this weekend, moving to 3-7-3 overall this season.

“It’s a good sign for us to be up here in Maine getting on the bus with three points and feeling like we left one behind,” said head coach Kevin Sneddon. “We need to be the third period team we want to be. Brody was fantastic.”

In the first game of the series, rookies Yvan Pattyn and Robert Polosello each scored their first career goals in the jersey as the Catamounts snapped their three-game losing streak. 

“Both teams played their hearts out and our guys were excellent in the third after we were up 2-1,” said Sneddon. “We stayed aggressive but played smart. We looked comfortable with the lead.”

Maine opened up scoring later in the first period as they earned their third power play of the frame. Black Bear Joey Diamond curled into the slot patiently and wristed a shot on goal. The puck took a deflection and fluttered past goaltender Brody Hoffman to give Maine a 1-0 lead at the 16:53 mark.

Five minutes into the second period, Pattyn put the Catamounts on the board with a slapshot past Maine goalkeeper Martin Oullette to bring the score to a tie.

In the third period, Polosello gave the Catamounts the lead after he took a quick shot, which sailed past Oullette’s right shoulder. Junior Chris McCarthy got the assist on the play, his 50th career point with Vermont.

With only seconds to go, the Black Bears scored a game-tying goal, which was then waved off due to a crease violation. 

Hoffman finished the night with 31 saves for his third career victory. 

“We saw a lot of stuff going on at the net front, pretty aggressive on both our defenseman and Hoffman,” said Sneddon “When the shot was taken, we were pretty sure there was some contact and a crease violation type of thing. It was pretty evident there was some contact with the goalie.”

On Saturday,  junior Matt White and senior Tobias Nilsson-Roos were the lone Catamounts to get on the board in the 2-2 tie with the Black Bears.

Vermont’s defense stifled Maine during three straight power plays in the scoreless first period.

With the start of the second period, sophomore defenseman Nick Luuko broke through the barrier and fired an initially unsuccessful shot from the left side. 

The rebound was picked up by White who backhanded it to the back of the net to give the Catamounts the lead.

Soon after, the Black Bears tied the score 1-1. The Catamounts responded as Nilsson-Roos notched up the one point lead in the closing seconds of the middle period.

With seconds left in regulation, Maine went into a power play that earned them the match with Vermont.

In overtime, the Catamounts were unsuccessful in their multiple attempts on the goal, leaving the final score at a tie of 2-2.

Vermont returns to action on Dec. 15 as they head to Canton, NY. to face the St. Lawrence Saints in a 7 p.m. faceoff.

The last time the teams met, Vermont exited the ice carrying a 2-1 loss at the hands of the Saints.

In other news, Vermont landed a new recruit on Nov. 30.  Leading scorer in the Eastern Junior Hockey League Brendan Bradley, the 20-year-old, 6-foot, 165-pound forward on the Jersey Hitmen has committed to the University of Vermont.

“I cannot wait for next year to head up to Burlington and help UVM win a Hockey East Championship,” said Bradley in a recent press release.