FINAL SCORE: Vermont 2, Merrimack 1 | Box Score
NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. – Senior Joe Fallon (Bemidji, Minn.) made 29 saves – including 14 in the first period – to help lift Vermont to a 2-1 win against Merrimack at Lawler Arena in Hockey East action on Saturday night. The victory was the first of the season for the Catamounts (1-4-1, 1-1-1 Hockey East) while Merrimack fell to 4-4-1 (1-4-1 Hockey East).

“It was big for us to get our first win of the season,” Fallon said. “We just played hard and kept it simple.”

Junior Peter Lenes (Shelburne, Vt.) and sophomore Brayden Irwin both scored goals for the Catamounts. The duo has combined for six of Vermont’s 11 goals this season.

Sophomore Patrick Kimball scored for Merrimack, who tied No. 7 Boston College 3-3 last night.

“I’m just really pleased for our guys,” Vermont head coach Kevin Sneddon said. “It was nice that we found a way to win. Merrimack is a vastly improved team and this was a pretty good battle tonight.”

Vermont took a 1-0 lead 5:34 into the first period when Lenes scored his third goal of the season. With the Catamounts on the power play, Lenes snapped a wrist shot from the top of the slot and beat Merrimack junior goalie Patrick Watson glove side. Sophomore Dean Strong (Mississauga, Ontario) setup the score and freshman Josh Burrows (Prairie Grove, Ill.) also earned the first assist of his career on the play. The Catamounts had been 0-for-22 on the power play this season prior to the goal.

Kimball knotted the game at one for the Warriors with four seconds left in the first when he scored from the slot on a feed from sophomore J.C. Robitaille. Merrimack outshot Vermont 15-8 in the period.

Irwin gave the Catamounts a 2-1 lead with his third goal of the season at 11:03 of the second period. During a 4-on-4 Irwin blasted a slap shot from the slot past Watson. Senior Slavomir Tomko (Zvolen, Slovakia) and sophomore Viktor Stålberg (Gothenburg, Sweden) both assisted.

Vermont took its one goal lead to the final period and managed to pick up the victory despite being outshot 9-2 in the third.

“We played textbook hockey in the last five minutes – especially in the last minute of the game,” Sneddon said. “We really showed some poise.”

The Catamounts held the Warriors to 0-for-3 on the power play. Vermont went 1-for-5 on the man advantage.

Watson made 19 stops for Merrimack after turning away 41 shots in yesterday’s tie at Boston College.

Vermont returns to action next Friday at Gutterson Fieldhouse at 7:30pm against Boston University. The game will be televised on CN8.

NOTES: Freshman Brett Leonard (South Burlington, Vt.) made his first career start for the Catamounts. Leonard is the eighth true freshmen to see action for the Catamounts this season and the 10th different player who has made his career debut this year … Peter Lenes has three goals and two assists in seven career games against the Warriors … UVM is 6-4-4 all-time against Merrimack … The Catamounts are 4-1-2 against the Warriors since joining Hockey East … MC outshot UVM 30-21.