MEN'S HOCKEY NOTEBOOK
10th-ranked Vermont closes the first half of the season this weekend at Gutterson Fieldhouse against No. 12 Union on Saturday (Dec. 17) at 7:05 p.m. and Sunday (Dec. 18) at 4 p.m. Tickets are available by logging on to UVMathletics.com/Tickets or by calling the UVM Athletic Ticket Office at 802-656-4410. 

Live HD video of the series against the Dutchmen is available for free via CatamounTV.com. Pre-game radio coverage begins 30 minutes prior to faceoff on WVMT 620-AM and Catamounts All-Access with Alastair Ingram on the call.

RELATED LINKS
Video | Audio | Live Stats | Tickets
CatamounTV Preview | Coaches Show | Game Notes (.pdf) 

RALLY'S BIRTHDAY PARTY
On Sunday, Vermont will host Rally's Birthday Party and Able Paint and Glass Family Fun Night. Kids can receive an invitation to Rally's Birthday Party, including a free ticket to the game, by signing up for Rally's Round Up Kids Club presented by Essex Family Dental. Rally and his mascot friends will be holding a special pre-game birthday party at 2:30 p.m. Families are encouraged to come early to enjoy a face painting station and family photos with Rally.

SIX-GAME HOLIDAY PLAN
This week, fans can purchase a special six-game holiday plan presented by the UVM Bookstore for just $60. The final six games of Vermont's eight-game homestand are included in the plan, beginning this weekend against No. 12 Union and followed by Bentley, No. 17 St. Lawrence and Northeastern. Fans can purchase the holiday plan by clicking here. Please note that the New Year's Eve game originally scheduled for 3 p.m. against Bentley is now a 4 p.m. faceoff.

SETTING THE SCENE
UVM split a two-game set with No. 5 Boston University last weekend but had its seven-game unbeaten streak (6-0-1) snapped on Saturday night by the Terriers. Union and Vermont are currently sixth and seventh nationally in scoring margin, and both teams have identical records (6-1-1) over their last eight contests. The Catamounts are 5-1-1 in non-conference games this season, 10-4-2 overall, and 5-3-1 in Hockey East play. 

SCOUTING THE DUTCHMEN
Union has won four games in a row, all coming on the road. The Dutchmen lead ECAC Hockey at 8-1-1 and own the fourth-highest scoring offense in the nation at 4.0 goals per game. Senior Mike Vecchione leads the nation in goals (17) and points (35), while Spencer Foo is tied for the NCAA lead in assists (19). Senior goalie Alex Sakellaropoulos is 11-1-1 in 13 starts and has the second-best winning percentage (.885) in the country with a 2.52 goals against average and .916 save percentage. Rick Bennett is in his sixth year as the head coach at Union and led the Dutchmen to the 2014 NCAA title in Philadelphia. 

SERIES HISTORY
Vermont leads the series with Union 18-12-2 and enters the 33rd all-time meeting having won four of the last six matchups. The Catamounts own a 14-3-0 record against the Dutchmen at Gutterson Fieldhouse and have won three in a row in Burlington. Last December, Vermont fell 3-2 in overtime at Messa Rink as Union stormed back from a 2-0 deficit and Spencer Foo scored the game-winner at 2:54 of the extra session. Kevin Sneddon is 4-3-0 against his former team since taking the head Vermont job prior to the 2003-04 season.

CLIMBING THE RANKINGS
This week marks Vermont's first top-10 ranking since being ranked ninth in the USA Today/USA Hockey poll on Jan. 12, 2015. The Catamounts cracked the top-10 in this week's USA Today/USA Hockey poll after only receiving votes three weeks ago. UVM has climbed from No. 20 all the way to No. 11 over the last three weeks in the USCHO.com national poll.

WHO'S NEXT
Vermont breaks for the holidays following the Union series but returns to Gutterson on Dec. 30 at 7:05 p.m. and Dec. 31 at 4 p.m. (originally listed as 3 p.m.) to host Bentley as it continues an eight-game homestand. For tickets, log on to UVMathletics.com/Tickets or call the UVM Athletic Ticket Office at 802-656-4410. 
 
Handy Toyota is the presenting sponsor of the 2016-17 men's hockey season