A first period goal from the Catamounts made the difference, as the University of Vermont edged the seventh-ranked St. Lawrence University women's hockey team 1-0 on Friday night at Gutterson Field House in Burlington, Vermont.

The Catamounts got the jump on the Saints, as Lara Beecher pulled the puck out of the left corner, skated into the slot and beat Saints' goaltender Emma-Sofie Nordström blocker side, giving Vermont an early 1-0 lead.

Vermont held onto their 1-0 lead after the first 20 minutes, while St. Lawrence led 9-3 in shots on goal.

Both teams had their fair share of chances in the second frame, but neither team found the back of the net, as UVM held onto their one goal advantage.

Abby Hehl looked to find the equalizer for the Saints midway through, but after a lengthy review, the call on the ice stood, no goal.

After the second period, the Saints led 25-14 in shots on goal.

With 2:23 to play, head coach Chris Wells pulled Nordström for the extra attacker. St. Lawrence pinned the Catamounts in their own zone for the entirety of the two minutes and 23 seconds and produced multiple chances, but just couldn't get the right bounce.

"Tonight was a good reminder how tough it is to win," said Wells. "Vermont played with good pace and was able to break some of our pressure. We had some good chances all night, but it wasn't meant to be. Gervais didn't give up much, she was on her angles and swallowed up our good chances."

"We had good effort all night and battled right to the end, where we had them hemmed in for the last few minutes after pulling Emma for an extra skater."

Nordström made 20 saves for the Saints, while Jane Gervais finished with 36 for Vermont.

St. Lawrence finished with a 36-21 advantage in shots on goal. Neither team was able to capitalize on the power play, as the Saints went 0-for-4 and the Catamounts finished 0-for-2.

"This is a resilient group and after the sting wears off they will be ready to go tomorrow," added Wells.

The two teams will meet for game two of the weekend series tomorrow at 2 p.m. at Gutterson Field House.