St. Lawrence, Vermont Will Clash in a Skating Exhibition

This year, St. Lawrence has had the right formula to defeat Vermont in the regular season. The Saints have had no problem in handling the Catamounts. No problem at all.

St. Lawrence crushed the Catamounts, 9-3, at home November 13, and then defeated them, 4-1, up in Burlington January 30.

But the regular season ended two weeks ago.

Tonight at the Boston Garden, these two teams will battle it out for a trip to the ECAC Championship game tomorrow night.

And this time Vermont won't be such an easy opponent for the second-seeded Saints.

"We have been dominated twice," Vermont Coach Mike Gilligan said. "But now, we are a different team, a better team."

The Catamounts have definitely changed. Vermont has not lost in 10 games and has found new confidence over the past few weeks.

"We are happy that we knocked off Colgate and think we can have success against teams that have beaten us," Gilligan said.

Gilligan, who has lead Vermont to the semifinals for the first time since 1975, was named ECAC Coach of the Year yesterday afternoon. He shared this honor with Harvard's Bill Cleary.

"Vermont is now the hardest team to play," St. Lawrence Coach Joe Marsh said. "We are cautiously optimistic. We learned a pretty good lesson against Harvard."

St. Lawrence (25-7-1) had the most productive offense during the regular season, averaging 5.6 goals per game. In their two playoff games against Princeton, the Saints were even more explosive, scoring a total of 15 goals.

Leading St. Lawrence's attack is senior Tri-Captain Pete Lappin, this year's ECAC Player of the Year. He has 14 goals and 34 assists, for a total of 48 points. In the two games against Vermont, Lappin scored two goals and dished out four assists.

The Saints are also strong behind their own blue line. They gave up only two goals in as many games against Princeton. Senior defenseman Brian McColgan is a first-team All-ECAC selction. Senior Tri-Captain Hank Lammens was named to the second team, and senior Tri-Captain Pete McGeough earned honorable mention.

The Catamounts (21-7-2) rely on the line of Ian Boyce (15-22--37), Kyle McDonough (17-21--38) and Toby Ducolon (20-17--37), one of the league's best starting lines. Juniors Boyce and McDonough both earned second team All-ECAC honors.

Freshman center John LeClair (12-22--34) also is an offensive threat for Vermont. He has been named to this year's ECAC All-Rookie Team.

But with all this firepower, both teams know that goaltending can make the difference in one game.

"All the little things come into play in playoff games. We need to concentrate on both ends of the ice," Marsh said. "A lot is riding on both goaltenders."

Paul Cohen will start in goal for St. Lawrence. This year the junior, who is in his final year of eligibility, has posted a save percentage of .897 and a 2.99 goals-against average.

Freshman Mike Millham will be guarding the net for Vermont. He set a new Vermont record with a 2.76 g.a.a. in ECAC regular-season play. This mark placed him second among all ECAC goalies. Last weekend, he shutout Colgate in the first game, 8-0, and then turned away the Red Raider charge at the end of the second game, preserving a 3-3 tie.

Vermont is looking to qualify for its first ever ECAC Championship game.

"We need to stay out of the penalty box, limit the number of shots and play a tight defensive game," Gilligan said.

The Saints finished second to Harvard in the tournament last year and are looking to advance to the finals once again.

"Vermont's offense has really come on strong in the last 10 games, but our bench is strong and hopefully that will make the difference," Marsh said.

ECAC Fast Fact

The top-seeded team has reached the championship game 17 times, winning 11 titles. When the top seed has skated against the number-two seed in the finals, the lower-ranked team has captured four crowns, while the number-one seed has won three. In 1985, Mike Addesa's top-ranked RPI beat number-two Harvard, 3-1.