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ENGINEERS AND CATAMOUNTS SKATE TO 2-2 TIE

Vermont mounts comeback in front of sold out Big Red Freakout! crowd

The University of Vermont climbed back from a two-goal deficit to earn a 2-2 tie with the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) men’s hockey team in front of a sold out Houston Field House in the 24th Annual Big Red Freakout! in Troy, NY.  A season-high crowd of 5,158 saw the homestanding Engineers improve their Freakout! unbeaten streak to 11 games (7-0-4) and thwart UVM head coach Mike Gilligan’s second effort to reach the 400-career win milestone.

Rensselaer freshman Ryan Shields gave the Engineers a 1-0 lead at 6:46 of the first period when he beat Vermont goaltender Andrew Allen with a wristshot from the left faceoff circle.  Shields took a pass from junior Jim Henkel, skated down the left side and scored to the goaltender’s glove side.  Hamish Cunning also earned an assist on Shields’s fourth of the year.

RPI’s lead grew to two goals at 16:43 of the second period when Henkel stole the puck at the UVM blueline, skated in alone and beat Allen for an unassisted goal.  The Catamounts pulled to within one goal under a minute later when freshman Patrick Sharp scored from close range with his team on a power play.  Graham Mink and Mike Torney each assisted on Sharp’s eighth tally of the season.

Vermont fought back to tie the game with their second power play goal of the game at 6:09 of the third period.  Freshman defenseman Oriel McHugh lifted the puck underneath the crossbar from the bottom of the right face-off circle.  Jeff Miles and J.F. Caudron assisted on McHugh’s second goal of the year.

Despite allowing the goal, RPI controlled the play in the third period, outshooting UVM, 14-11.  A senior from Vankleek Hill, Ont., Allen stopped all 14 shots he faced in the third, including several spectacular saves in one-on-one situations.  RPI freshman Nathan Marsters finished with 32 saves.

The Engineers, who have tied Vermont, 2-2, in their two previous
Freakout! meetings (1992, 1994), are now 13-9-2 overall and 7-5-2 in the ECAC.  They are currently in fifth place in the league with 16 points. Vermont, currently 10-11-2 overall and 6-7-2 in the ECAC, are tied with Dartmouth for sixth place with 14 points.

RPI returns to action on Friday night when they will play at St.
Lawrence in an ECAC game in Canton, NY.  The Catamounts will host Brown next Friday night in another ECAC contest.  Both games will begin at 7pm.

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  Kevin Beattie
  Sports Information Director
  Rensselaer