Vermont and 14th-ranked Providence traded first period goals to skate to a 1-1 tie on Friday night.
Spenser Young gave the Friars a 1-0 lead at 10:23 of the first period. Vlad Dzhioshvili put the Catamounts on the board just five minutes later.
Providence finished the night with a 38-33 advantage in shots. Both teams went 0-for-3 on power play chances.
The Cats will face the Friars again on Saturday. Puck drop is slated for 7:05 p.m. at Gutterson.