By james art 
HARTFORD, Connecticut – The UConn men’s hockey team fell to Vermont on Friday night in overtime by a 1-0 final. Vermont’s Axel Mangbo made 30 saves in the win.
From the first puck drop, the Huskies and Catamounts were locked in a defensive battle as neither team was able to generate much offense early. The Huskies eventually found their stride as they took some spicy shots against Vermont’s Axel Mangbo, who stood strong, keeping the Huskies scoreless. UConn had two opportunities to take the lead on the man advantage on the power play, but a Vermont penalty kill kept the game tied. Vermont’s best chance of the afternoon came on a breakaway with time running out in the first, but Jr Tyler Muselik managed to save to enter the break level.
The second period followed the first with neither team able to generate much offense. The Huskies’ best chance after that came as sophomores Jake Richard fired a shot that ricocheted off the crossbar and bounced wide. The Huskies continued to battle, outscoring the Catamounts 20-8 after two periods, but neither team could find the back of the net. The trend continued in the third period as neither team was able to find the winning goal. UConn had 10 shots on goal in the period to Vermont’s eight, but the goaltenders deflected every shot.
In overtime, UConn looked the best to win with multiple chances, but Vermont’s defenders put their bodies on the line, blocking all of the Huskies’ shots. After a Jake Percival penalty, Vermont would have the man advantage and with the man advantage scored the game-winning goal with just 59 seconds left in overtime.
NEXT: UConn will return to Storrs to close out the weekend series against the Catamounts. Puck drop is scheduled for 3:00 p.m. and can be streamed live on ESPN+.