Ninth-Ranked Men's Hockey Faces Northeastern at Gutterson This Weekend

VERMONT MEN'S HOCKEY NOTEBOOK
The ninth-ranked Vermont men's hockey team (15-5-1, 7-3-1 HEA) plays its first Hockey East game since Nov. 25 on Friday (Jan. 16) at 7:05 p.m. as it hosts Northeastern to begin a two-game series at Gutterson Fieldhouse. The teams will play a non-conference game on Saturday (Jan. 17) at 7:05 p.m. to close the weekend. The games will be streamed for free in high definition via CatamounTV.com, and radio coverage begins at 6:30 p.m. each night on WVMT 620-AM and SportsJuice.com with Alastair Ingram on the call.

TICKETS & PROMOTIONS
Reserved tickets are still available for both games this weekend. Reserved seats are $22 for adults and $17 for children 17 and under. Tickets can be purchased 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. The Gutterson ticket office will open at 6 p.m. prior to each game. The National Guard, Pascolo Ristorante, Vermont Cancer Center, Otter Creek Awnings, Vermont Custom Closets, Healthy Living, TD Bank, and Stowe will have promotional tables throughout the weekend.

SKATING STRIDES AGAINST BREAST CANCER
Vermont will wear special pink jerseys on Friday night for the Hockey East Skating Strides Against Breast Cancer Initiative. The team's game-worn jerseys are being auctioned off now at auction.uvmathletics.com with all proceeds going to the University of Vermont Cancer Center. The jersey auction ends on Saturday at noon. Hockey East pink merchandise will be on sale in the main lobby, and pink paper skates will also be on sale for $1 and will be hung in the Hockey Hall of Honor. Entering its ninth season, the Hockey East Skating Strides program has raised over $240,000 for various breast cancer charities.

SETTING THE SCENE
UVM is 5-2-0 in its last seven meetings against the Huskies and beat NU 6-2 on the road in the season opener back on Oct. 11, 2014. Vermont has lost just four times since the start of November, posting an 11-4-1 record in that span and out-scoring opponents by 21 (37-16). The Catamounts moved up two spots in each national ranking to ninth in the USA Today/USA Hockey poll and 10th in the USCHO.com poll. UVM sits third in the league standings with 15 points, one behind Boston University and UMass Lowell.

LAST TIME OUT: VERMONT 4, DARTMOUTH 1
Vermont snapped a brief two-game skid with a three-goal victory at Dartmouth last Sunday at Thompson Arena. Mike Santaguida stopped 26 shots, including 14 saves in the first period, to pick up his fifth win of the year. Mario Puskarich registered his team-high 10th goal and an assist in the win, Colin Markison and Brady Shaw each had two assists, and Nick Luukko scored the eventual game-winning goal at 16:41 of the second period. The Catamounts out-shot the Big Green 30-27, including a 24-13 edge in the final 40 minutes of play.

SERIES HISTORY
This weekend marks the 57th and 58th meetings between Vermont and Northeastern in the all-time series, which dates back to 1969. Vermont posted a four-goal road win in the season opener at Matthews Arena as Jonathan Turk scored his first career hat trick and added an assist. The Catamounts used a four-goal second period to blow the game open, and Turk's final goal late in the third sealed the win. UVM is 13-10-4 all-time at home against the Huskies but has dropped three of the last four, including a 3-0 shutout defeat last season on Dec. 17, 2013.

SCOUTING THE HUSKIES | Website
Northeastern is 6-2-2 in its last 10 games and earned one point last weekend in a home-and-home Hockey East series against Boston College. Kevin Roy leads the team with 21 points on the year; He shares the team-lead in goals (8) with Mike Szmatula and the lead in assists (13) with Dalen Hedges. Clay Witt has started 13 games in net with a 5-6-2 record, 2.75 goals against average, and .909 save percentage. Jim Madigan is in his fourth season as the head coach at NU and enters the weekend just two wins shy of 50 during his tenure.

HISTORIC START
With a 15-5-1 overall record, Vermont has posted the best 21-game start to a season since the 1995-96 campaign (15-4-2) when the Cats reached the NCAA Frozen Four for the first time in school history. A win Friday would give the Catamounts their best 22-game record since the 1973-74 Division II squad went 18-4-0 and finished 28-5-0. UVM is 7-1-0 at home and came within one victory of matching the 1987-88 team, which won each of its first eight games at Gutterson. The Catamounts' 7-3-1 record in Hockey East play marks the fastest league start since their final season in the ECAC in 2004-05 (7-2-2).

WHO'S NEXT | Schedule
Vermont hosts the No. 2 Boston University Terriers next weekend at Gutterson on Friday (Jan. 23) and Saturday (Jan. 24) at 7:05 p.m. Both games will be streamed for free in high definition via CatamounTV.com, and all the action can be heard on WVMT 620-AM and SportsJuice.com with pre-game coverage beginning at 6:30 p.m.

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Players Mentioned

#25 Nick Luukko: D; 6' 2"; Senior; R

#6 Colin Markison: F; 5' 10"; Senior; R

#21 Mario Puskarich: F; 5' 9"; Sophomore; L

#1 Mike Santaguida: G; 5' 9"; Sophomore; L-C

#22 Brady Shaw: F; 6' 1"; Sophomore; L

#8 Jonathan Turk: F; 5' 9"; Junior; L

Players Mentioned

#25 Nick Luukko
: 6' 2"; Senior; R
: D

#6 Colin Markison
: 5' 10"; Senior; R
: F

#21 Mario Puskarich
: 5' 9"; Sophomore; L
: F

#1 Mike Santaguida
: 5' 9"; Sophomore; L-C
: G

#22 Brady Shaw
: 6' 1"; Sophomore; L
: F

#8 Jonathan Turk
: 5' 9"; Junior; L
: F

University of Vermont Athletics

Players Mentioned

Players Mentioned