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No. 18 Vermont vs. Merrimack | Feb. 20-21, 2015, 7:05 p.m.
Video | Audio | Live Stats | Tickets | Game Notes | CaTV Preview

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VERMONT MEN'S HOCKEY NOTEBOOK
The 18th-ranked Vermont men's hockey team (17-11-2, 9-8-1 HEA) returns to Gutterson Fieldhouse for Senior Weekend to host the Merrimack Warriors on Friday (Feb. 20) and Saturday (Feb. 21) at 7:05 p.m. Pre-game radio coverage begins at 6:30 p.m. on WVMT 620-AM and SportsJuice.com with Alastair Ingram on the call, and free high definition video is available both nights via CatamounTV.com.
 
TICKETS
Reserved tickets are still available for both games at a cost of $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 box office opens at 6 p.m. prior to each game.
 
PROMOTIONS
Friday is Student Group Night, and fans can vote on Twitter for the promotion they would like to see during the first intermission using hashtags VCats and UPickThePromo to gather votes. The National Guard, Dunkin Donuts, Ashley Furniture, TD Bank and The Bagel Place will have tables in the main lobby throughout the weekend.

SENIOR NIGHT
Saturday is Senior Night at Gutterson as the Catamounts honor their five-member senior class of Jake Fallon, Nick Luukko, Colin Markison, Mike Paliotta, and Kyle Reynolds with a special pre-game ceremony. The class has combined to skate in more than 550 games with nearly 275 points, and helped lead Vermont to its sixth NCAA Tournament appearance last season.

SETTING THE SCENE
The Catamounts are seventh in the Hockey East standings with 19 points, while the Warriors sit in 11th with 12 points. Vermont is just three points behind third-place UMass Lowell with one game in hand on the River Hawks. UVM is currently 16th in the Pairwise Rankings with just four games remaining in the regular season. The Cats are ranked 18th in this week's USCHO.com poll and receiving votes in the USA Today/USA Hockey poll.

LAST FRIDAY: VERMONT 3, BOSTON COLLEGE 2 (OT)
Anthony Petruzzelli beat Thatcher Demko into the upper left corner at 1:47 of overtime to lift Vermont to a dramatic Hockey East victory. The Catamounts earned their first win in Chestnut Hill since Nov. 15, 2009 and beat Boston College for the first time since Nov. 13, 2010. UVM led 2-1 for the majority of the third period, but Alex Tuch scored an extra attacker goal to tie the game with just 9.6 seconds remaining. Brady Shaw and Kevin Irwin also lit the lamp, while Mike Santaguida made 22 saves in net for his sixth win of the year.

LAST SATURDAY: BOSTON COLLEGE 6, VERMONT 5
Vermont cut a three-goal deficit to one late in the third period but the comeback fell short and Boston College held on for the split. Brady Shaw scored a pair of goals in the third period to increase his team-leading total to 14 for the season. Malcolm McKinney and Jonathan Turk each collected a goal and an assist in a losing effort, while Mike Paliotta posted a pair of assists. Travis Blanleil scored his first career goal, while Ori Abramson collected his first collegiate point with an assist. UVM posted a season-high 45 shots on goal and out-shot BC by 14.

SCOUTING MERRIMACK | Website
Merrimack is 1-7-1 in its last nine games and has lost five straight overall. The Warriors were swept by Maine 4-3 and 5-3 last weekend at home. Brett Seney leads the Warriors in goals (11), assists (15), and points (26), while Hampus Gustafsson, Brian Christie, and Jace Hennig have all added 10 goals. Rasmus Tirronen has started 22 games in net with a 10-9-2 record, 2.29 goals against average, and .923 save percentage. Mark Dennehy is in his 10th season as the head coach at Merrimack. Bill Gilligan, the brother of former Vermont head coach Mike Gilligan, is in his first year as an associate head coach for the Warriors.

SERIES HISTORY
Friday night marks the 34th all-time meeting between the schools. The Catamounts snapped a 12-game winless streak (0-9-3) against Merrimack last season with a weekend road sweep on Feb. 21-22, 2014. Vermont is trying to end a six-game winless streak (0-4-2) against Merrimack at home, last beating the Warriors at Gutterson on Nov. 16, 2008. UVM is 7-7-3 overall against Merrimack in 17 all-time meetings in Burlington.

WHO'S NEXT | Schedule
Vermont closes the regular season next weekend with a trip to No. 16 UMass Lowell on Friday (Feb. 27) at 7:15 p.m. and Saturday (Feb. 28) at 7 p.m. Pre-game radio coverage begins 30 minutes prior to faceoff each night on WVMT 620-AM and SportsJuice.com, and pay-per-view video is available via GoRiverHawks.TV.