No. 12 Vermont at Maine | Nov. 28-29, 2014, 7 p.m.
TV (Saturday): FCS, WVII, WPME | Radio: WVMT 620-AM
Video ($) | Audio | Live Stats: Friday | Saturday | Game Notes (.pdf)
VERMONT MEN'S HOCKEY NOTEBOOK12th-ranked Vermont (9-3-1, 7-3-1 HEA) hits the road over Thanksgiving for a two-game non-conference series against the Maine Black Bears at 7 p.m. on Friday (Nov. 28) and Saturday (Nov. 29) in Orono. Radio coverage on WVMT 620-AM and
SportsJuice.com begins at 6:30 p.m. each night with
Alastair Ingram and Andy Merritt on the call. The Saturday game will be televised on Fox College Sports and by WVII and WPME in Maine. Live pay-per-view video is available via
GoBlackBears.com each night.
SETTING THE SCENEUVM is 5-2-1 in November and owns sole possession of first place in the Hockey East standings with 15 points through the first half of the league slate. The Catamounts are coming off a home-and-home sweep over UMass Amherst by the combined score of 14-2 on Saturday and Tuesday. Vermont is ranked 12th in the most recent USA Today/USA Hockey Poll and sits 13th in Monday's USCHO.com Poll.
HOME-AND-HOME UMASS SWEEP | Tuesday HighlightsUVM exploded for 11 goals in a 10-goal win over UMass last Saturday in Amherst, then skated past the Minutemen 3-1 at home on Tuesday. On Saturday, nine players scored a goal, nine Catamounts had multi-point games, and 16 of Vermont's 18 skaters scored at least one point. Rookie
Jarrid Privitera netted first his career game-winning goal on Tuesday as seniors
Colin Markison and
Mike Paliotta also lit the lamp.
Brody Hoffman stopped 55 of 57 shots for a .965 save percentage in the sweep and was 31 seconds from his third career shutout on Tuesday.
SCOUTING THE BLACK BEARS | WebsiteMaine enters the weekend at just 3-9-1 overall and 2-5-0 in Hockey East. Beginning with Vermont's two-game sweep on Nov. 7-8, Maine has lost five consecutive games including two in overtime. Last weekend the Black Bears blew a 2-0 lead and fell 3-2 in overtime at Boston University, then dropped a 4-1 road decision against Boston College. Cam Brown leads the squad with five goals and 11 points, and he is tied with Steven Swavely for the team-lead in assists with six. Matt Morris and Sean Romeo have split time in net and have combined for a 3.41 goals against average and a .888 save percentage.
SERIES HISTORYThis weekend marks the 47th and 48th meetings of the all-time series, which is tied 21-21-4. The Catamounts swept the Black Bears with 4-3 (OT) and 4-1 wins in a Hockey East series at Gutterson Fieldhouse back in early November. Vermont is 9-7-2 overall at Alfond Arena and has split each of the last three weekend series against Maine in Orono. The Cats have won five in a row and six of their last seven contests against the Black Bears.
TWO-HEADED MONSTER IN NETVermont's goalie tandem of
Brody Hoffman and
Mike Santaguida has combined for a 1.60 goals against average and a .937 save percentage this season. Hoffman is tied for third nationally with an .833 winning percentage (7-1-1) and 10th with a 1.74 goals against average in his nine starts. Santaguida ranks second in the country in goals against average (1.34) and fourth in save percentage (.950) in four starts.
BALANCING ACT20 different Vermont skaters have recorded at least one point this season and 16 players have scored at least one goal. There are also 21 different Catamounts with a positive plus-minus rating and six with at least one game-winning goal. Forwards
Jonathan Turk,
Mike Stenerson, and
Mario Puskarich have each scored a pair of game-winners to share second place in Hockey East.
TOP PAIR LEADS THE WAYTop defense pair
Mike Paliotta and
Alexx Privitera both rank second in Hockey East and eighth nationally in scoring among defensemen with 11 points. The blueline duo has combined for 22 points, 61 shots on goal, five power play goals, and a plus-17 rating through its first 13 games.
WHO'S NEXT | ScheduleVermont is idle next weekend before closing the first half of the season with a home-and-home series against St. Lawrence on Friday, Dec. 12 and Saturday, Dec. 13. The Catamounts host the Saints on Friday at 7:05 p.m. before traveling to Appleton Arena in Canton, New York on Saturday at 7 p.m. Tickets for the Dec. 12 home game are available online at
UVMathletics.com/Tickets, in person at the UVM Athletic Ticket Office in Patrick Gym, or over the phone by calling 802-656-4410.
