Brown got two goals and two assists from sophomore Adam Saunders and 23 saves from senior goaltender Brian Eklund in a 5-1 ECAC Division I men’s ice hockey win over Vermont Saturday night at UVM’s Gutterson Fieldhouse.
The Bears, 2-1-0 overall and in the ECAC, took a 1-0 lead at 15:30 of the first period when Tye Korbl scored on a rebound after a shot from the point by Paul Esdale. Keith Kirley also assisted on the play.
Esdale scored on the power play early in the second to give Brown a two-goal lead, firing a shot from the point that deflected past Vermont goalie Shawn Conschafter. Adam Saunders and Scott Ford picked up the assists on the goal, Esdale’s first of the year.
Eklund was sharp for Roger Grillo’s team, making a number of outstanding saves. The best might have been late in the second period with Vermont on the power play, when Bryson Busniuk took a pass on the doorstep from Jeff Miles and appeared to have a wide-open net to shoot at before Eklund moved across the crease for the save with the left pad.
Vermont, 1-4-0 overall and 1-1-0 in the ECAC, finally solved Eklund early in the third period when Brady Leisenring, the leading scorer for the Catamounts, buried a shot from the crease after taking a pass from Scott Mifsud. John Longo also assisted on the goal, Leisenring’s third of the year and his second in two games.
Brown regained a two-goal lead at 5:01 of the third when Shane Mudryk scored after a scramble in front of the net. The Bears took a 4-1 lead moments later when Saunders banged in a goal from crease to the right of Conschafter.
Saunders added a 5-on-3 goal 10:57 of the third, banging in a rebound of a shot from Esdale.
Conschafter finished with 32 saves for Vermont, while Sortal stopped three in relief.
