Men’s hockey faced off with St. Lawrence University Friday night at Gutterson Fieldhouse, marking the first game of the season for the Catamounts. It was a chippy game between the two, who met once last season in an 8-1 blowout for Vermont.
In the 2024-2025 season, Vermont went 6-16-2, finishing in last place in its conference and falling in the first round of playoffs to the University of Massachusetts Amherst.
Friday was the start of a two-game series against the Saints, split between the teams’ home rinks. Prior to the game, the Cats secured a 5-2 win against the Brock University Badgers during their exhibition opener on Saturday, Oct. 4.
Both teams were on the penalty kill in periods one and two: St. Lawrence was down a player for roughing and hooking, while Vermont had one for cross-checking.
Despite 37 total shots on goal, the score remained 0-0 through 40 minutes, with both goaltenders making timely saves to bail their side out.
Vermont struck early in the first minute of the last period on a delayed penalty play that sent their first-year goaltender Aiden Wright to the bench in exchange for an extra Vermont forward. This allowed Vermont native and first-year defenseman Caeden Herrington to score his first goal as a Catamount.
It was a tight game, but the Cats broke through with an empty net goal from first-year forward Zach Filak with less than two minutes remaining to play, making it 2-0.
The Saints managed a goal with 30 seconds remaining, putting the final score at 2-1.
The game brought nearly 2,500 fans to the Gut for Vermont’s sixth opening win since 2015.
Among them was Tim Thomas, a UVM alum and former NHL goaltender for the Boston Bruins, who celebrated the win with the team postgame. Thomas played for UVM from 1993 until 1997 and was inducted into the UVM Athletic Hall of Fame in 2007.
It was an exciting night for Vermont, especially for Herrington, who spoke about what the game and goal meant to him in an emotional post-game interview.
“It means a lot. I’m a Vermont kid. You come to these games, you love going to the Gut. Just being here with my teammates, my whole family was here,” he said. “These are the things you dream about as a kid growing up in Vermont, so it’s an emotional night for me.”
Herrington was drafted 120th overall by the Los Angeles Kings in the fourth round of the 2025 NHL Draft this past June.
“I love this school and I love this program, and this team. There’s no place I’d rather be,” Herrington said.
The Cats face off against St. Cloud State for a back-to-back series on Friday, Oct. 17, and Saturday, Oct. 18, in Minnesota.
