Hockey Nipped by Vermont, 2-1

Team	1	2	3	F
Vermont	1	0	1	2
Massachusetts	0	1	0	1

Vermont

Massachusetts

THE BASICS:
RESULT: Vermont 2, Massachusetts 1
LOCATION: Mullins Center (Amherst, Mass.)
RECORDS: Massachusetts (3-5-1, 1-3-1 HEA); Vermont (5-3-1, 2-2-0 HEA)

THE LEAD: University of Massachusetts hockey erased an early 1-0 deficit, but Vermont netted the deciding goal with just over five minutes to play in regulation to defeat the Minutemen 2-1 on Saturday night at the Mullins Center. The contest was a preview of UMass' opening Friendship Four matchup as the teams will meet again in Belfast, Northern Ireland in 13 days.

FIRST PERIOD:
Vermont controlled much of the first period play, outshooting the Minutemen 10-2 in the frame. Rob Darrar gave the Catamounts a 1-0 lead 6:22 into the stanza, firing home a shot from the slot off feed from Brian Bowen below the goal line.

SECOND PERIOD:
Early in the second, UMass managed to tie the score up at 1-1. Streaking across the top of the crease, sophomore Kurt Keats redirected William Lagesson's shot from the point past goaltender Stefanos Lekkas at the 2:43 mark. Freshman Shane Bear earned an assist on the play, as well.

THIRD PERIOD:
In a back-and-forth third period that featured several scoring chances for both sides, Vermont ultimately pulled back in front with the deciding goal 14:46 into the frame. Matt Alvaro knocked in a rebound off a Kevin Irwin shot to give the Catamounts a 2-1 advantage. UMass narrowly missed tying the score up at two when junior Dominic Trento hit the post with around 2:40 to play.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS:

Vermont finished the night with a 25-14 shot advantage. Both teams went 0-for-5 on the power play.
UMass had a dominant night over the faceoff dots, winning 64.4% (29-for-45) of the draws, led by senior Steven Iacobellis' 14-for-17 (82.4%) performance.
Keats netted his third of the season, tying freshman Jonny Lazarus for the team scoring lead on the year.
Lagesson's assist marked his third in the past four games. Bear's assist was his fourth point in five games (2g, 3a).
Freshman Ryan Wischow (2-2-1) made his fifth start of the season and totaled 23 saves on the night.

UP NEXT: UMass will next travel to Durham, New Hampshire on Fri., Nov. 18, where the squad will face New Hampshire in a 7 p.m. Hockey East matchup.

For continued coverage of UMass hockey, follow the team on Twitter (@UMassHockey) and Instagram (@MassachusettsHockey) and on Facebook at facebook.com/UMassHockey.

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Players Mentioned

Shane Bear

Steven Iacobellis

Kurt Keats

William Lagesson

Jonny Lazarus

Dominic Trento

Ryan Wischow

Team Stats

Keats Kurt

Bear Shane

Lagesson William

Chukarov Ivan