FINAL SCORE: Merrimack 4, Vermont 3
NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. – Caden Cranston scored the game-winning goal on the power play with 34 seconds left in regulation to lift Merrimack (13-16-1, 9-10-1) to a 4-3 win over Vermont (11-14-3, 6-10-2) Saturday night in Hockey East action from Lawler Arena.
 
RELATED LINKS
Box Score
 
COACH'S QUOTE
"Ups and downs," said Head Coach Steve Wiedler. "I could sit here and blame it on the officiating. I'm not going to. We have to be better than that as a program."
 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• Vermont started strong Saturday night outshooting the Warriors 7-1 in the opening five minutes. The Catamounts opened the scoring with their 11th shot of the game.
• Sebastian Törnqvist fired a shot from the point that deflected off Joel Määttä's pads in front of the net, Määttä played the rebound and tucked it past Merrimack's Max Lundgren for his third goal of the weekend at the 8:05 mark of the opening period.
• Merrimack responded with their own tally just 53 seconds later. With six players in front of the Vermont net Merrimack's Caelan Fitzpatrick pushed home a rebound for his fifth goal of the season.
• Philip Törnqvist reestablished the Vermont lead with 6:41 to play in the first period. Daniel Sambuco and Xavier Henry broke the puck out of the Vermont zone and fed the puck to Philip at the Vermont blue line. He cut into the Merrimack zone on a three-on-three rush and rifled a shot just inside the far post from the top of the circle for his second goal of the year.
• Nick Pierre equalized for the Warriors on a breakaway with 5:34 to play in the middle frame. Pierre skated in alone on UVM's Axel Mangbo and faked a move before sliding a shot through his legs for his fifth goal of the season.
• Sambuco grabbed the lead back for Vermont with his second goal of the year. Blake Steenerson fired a shot towards the Merrimack net, and it caromed off Thomas Sinclair and came righto Sambuco who tapped it home on the doorstep with 10:25 to play in the contest.
• The Warriors fought back again with a four-on-four tally to tie things up at three. In the Vermont zone Merrimack cycled the puck up top before Seamus Powell ripped a shot home from the top of the left circle.
• Cranston won the game for the Warriors on the power play in the last minute of regulation. Mangbo made an initial stop on the play, but Cranston got his own rebound and he was able to bounce the puck in off Mangbo to make it 4-3.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

• With tonight's 4-3 decision, Community Bank N.A. will donate $225 to Special Olympics Vermont. Community Bank, N.A. donates $75 per goal to Special Olympics Vermont for every goal the men's and women's team scores this season.
• Vermont's Isak Walther led all skaters with six shots on goal tonight.
• Tonight was Daniel Sambuco's first career multi-point game.

UP NEXT
After more than a month the Catamounts will return home next weekend to host No. 1 Boston College in a two-game Hockey East set. The defending Hockey East Regular Season and Tournament Champions will be making their first appearance at the Gut since October of 2022.
 
Friday, February 21 is Team IMPACT Night presented by Inspired Closets. Puck drop is set for 7 p.m. and the first 500 students will receive beanies courtesy of CED. Saturday is our annual Rally Against Cancer Game presented by Mascoma Bank. Saturday's showdown will begin at 7:30 p.m. The first 500 fans will receive rally towels. For UVM students the first 100 in attendance will receive a Riser or Shiner courtesy of the Kountry Kart Deli.
 
Both contests will be broadcast live on ESPN+ with Rob Ryan on the call and as always it will also be broadcast live on WVMT (96.3 FM/620 AM) with the voice of the Catamounts Adam Lafleur in the Handy Toyota Broadcast Booth.
 
For news and updates about the Vermont men's hockey program, follow @UVMmhockey on Instagram, X, and Facebook, and visit UVMathletics.com.
Handy Toyota is the presenting sponsor of the UVM men's hockey program