MADORE, CATAMOUNTS SHUT OUT MINUTEMEN, 3-0
Sophomore Rob Madore earns shutout with 31 saves for Catamounts

Rob Madore made 31 saves for the Catamounts

AMHERST, Mass. - No. 17 Vermont salvaged a split of the weekend series with a 3-0 win over No. 15 UMass Hockey on Sunday afternoon at the Mullins Center. The Catamounts (12-8-2, 6-7-2 HEA) received a goal and an assist from Wahsontiio Stacey and 31 saves from Rob Madore to hand the Minutemen their first shutout loss of the season. Paul Dainton made 16 saves in goal for UMass (15-9-0, 10-7-0), who will travel to Boston next Friday for a matchup with Boston University at 7 PM.

Massachusetts outshot Vermont 31-19 for the game, while the Minutemen were 0-for-9 on the powerplay and 0-for-11 during the weekend. The Catamounts were 1-for-5 on the man advantage with 18 penalties called between the two teams.

With seven penalties called during the first period, both teams were forced to switch their lines to compensate for its power play and shorthanded situations; and although the Minutemen outshot Vermont 8-6 during the first period, only one of their shots came with UMass on the power play.

The Catamounts took a 1-0 lead with 7:29 left in the period when Drew McKenzie scored his first goal of the season with Vermont on the man-advantage. After taking a pass from Wahsontiio Stacey, McKenzie took a low shot from the point that appeared to hit something on its way through traffic before getting by Dainton for the score.

The Minutemen continued to outshoot Vermont during the second period, holding a 11-7 edge, but the Catamounts got a goal from Stacey in the eighth minute of the period to give Vermont a 2-0 lead. Chris McCarthy controlled the puck along the boards to the right of Dainton before threading a pass across the crease to a waiting Stacey at the backdoor for the tip in.

UMass couldn't solve Madore and the Vermont defense in the third period despite outshooting the Catamounts 12-6. Danny Hobbs rang a shot off the post early in the frame, and Justin Braun did the same with the Minutemen on the power play late in the stanza. UMass pulled Dainton in favor of the extra skater with just over one minute to play, but Madore continued to deny the Minutemen to preserve the shutout. Colin Vock tallied an empty net goal with 20 seconds remaining in regulation to ice the game.