VERMEULEN SCORES HAT TRICK, SAINTS NET THREE SHORTIES IN 8-3 WIN AT DARTMOUTH

Jan. 13: St. Lawrence University scored three third period shorthanded goals, two of them by sophomore Travis Vermeulen, and completed an ECAC Hockey weekend sweep with a 8-3 romp past Dartmouth before a national audience on ESPNU.

 

The eight goals were the most for a Saint team since SLU turned back Union 8-4 on March 3, 2000 in the ECAC playoffs. The Saints also had their second straight four-goal period in as many Sundays, after a four-goal fourth propelled them past New Hampshire a week ago.

 

“That was a wild one,” said Saint coach Joe Marsh following the game. “I thought we really did a good job of holding a very good Dartmouth team in check for two periods, and then when they worked back into it, we had just the right response.

 

“Its not very often you see three shorthanders in a month, but we had three in the game and four on the weekend, which says something about the kind of job we did on the kill,” Marsh added.

 

The Saints pulled even at 9-9-3 overall and 4-4-2 jumped into a tie for sixth in ECAC Hockey and are now 3-1-1 on the road in league play.

 

The Saints led 4-1 heading into the third period, but Dartmouth rallied with two goals by defenseman Evan Stephens, the first on a deep rebound off an initial save by Alex Petizian at 4:14 and the second at 8:42 on a power play shot from the point through traffic.

 

The Saints regained control when Mike McKenzie scored his second of the night on a three-on-one at 11:59 and then Vermeulen finished off his first collegiate hat trick with back-to-back shorthanders. He tied a league record and became the fifth player in league history to score two shorthanders in the same period and the first since Colgate's Jayson Greyerbiehl in 1989 . Vermeulen's first came at 14:20 after Alex Curran took the puck away from a Dartmouth player behind the Dartmouth net and fed Vermeulen, who was coming down the slot and blasted the puck past Dartmouth goalie Dan Goulding.

 

Petizian was then called for a delay of the game penalty at 15:31 and the Saints scored twice on the ensuing Dartmouth power play. First Shawn Fensel broke up a Big Green rush and fed Vermeulen who hit an empty net from near center ice as Dartmouth had pulled Goulding for an extra attacker on the power play at 16:06. Then Brock McBride scored his second of the game from Zach Miskovic on the same penalty kill, walking in on Goulding before snapping the puck into the upper corner.

Dartmouth scored first in a fast-paced first period as J.T. Wyman was credited with his 10 th of the season after his shot along the ice right after a faceoff in the Saint end hit the skates of a Saint defender and deflected inside the far post at 6:54.

 

The Saints responded quickly as freshman Nick Pitsikoulis took the puck from Zach Miskovic and cut to the net. While Dartmouth goalie Mike Devine was able to thwart Pitsikoulis with a stretched out glove, the rebound stayed in the crease and Vermeulen poked it into the net for his first of the season at 7:50 to tie it at 1-1.

 

SLU took the lead just 2:09 later when Jeremiah Cunningham took the puck from Charlie Giffin along the sideboards and broke in on a two-on-one with Kevin DeVergilio. Cunningham made the goal-mouth pass and DeVergilio one-timed the puck past Devine for his sixth of the season and a 2-1 Saint lead.

 

It could have been an even bigger lead as Devine had to come up big on Cunningham right in front with 5:30 to play and Brock McBride had a great bid off a Sean Flanagan set-up, but Devine managed to get a glove on it.

Mike McKenzie gave the Saints a 3-1 lead on the game’s first power play at 4:06 of the second. Zach Miskovic gunned a shot from the point which went high and off the glass after Sean Flanagan sent it back to the point, but bounced right back into the short slot where McKenzie was waiting to bury his fourth of the year, all of which have come in the last six games.

 

Another big bounce off the end boards made it a 4-1 game as the second period wound down. Matt Generous blasted a high shot from the point and it came back out to Brock McBride, who was all alone in front of an empty net after Devine was caught out of position. McBride scored his eighth of the year at 19:21.2 to make it 4-1 after two.