BURLINGTON, Vt. – Vermont head men's hockey coach
Kevin Sneddon officially announced his team's schedule for the upcoming season on Thursday. The Catamounts will face all four teams from last year's NCAA Frozen Four during the 2015-16 campaign, including three weekend home series at Gutterson Fieldhouse.
UVM will once again be tested by a slate of 22 Hockey East contests and a non-conference schedule that features six NCAA Tournament teams from the 2014-15 season. Vermont also travels to the Wells Fargo Center after Thanksgiving for the fourth annual Philadelphia College Hockey Faceoff against Penn State.
"We are excited to announce our upcoming schedule as it is filled with outstanding competition," said Sneddon. "With 21 home contests against many of last year's NCAA tournament teams, our fans will be treated to great college hockey. Our team and staff are busy preparing for September and the arrival of a new season."
RELATED LINKS
2015-16 ScheduleAfter an exhibition game against Acadia at Gutterson on Oct. 4, Vermont opens the regular season against Minnesota at Mariucci Arena in the Hall of Fame Game on Oct. 10. The matchup with the Golden Gophers is followed by two-game home series against 2015 Frozen Four participants Nebraska Omaha (Oct. 16-17) and North Dakota (Oct. 23-24).
The Hockey East schedule begins on Oct. 29 and Oct. 31 with a home-and-home series against Northeastern, beginning in Boston. League contests against UMass Lowell (Nov. 6-7), UConn (Nov. 13), and UMass Amherst (Nov. 15) round out a stretch in which the Catamounts play nine of 10 games in Burlington.
UVM heads to Orono to play Maine on Nov. 20-21, followed by its annual matchup with Penn State in Philadelphia on Nov. 29. After a trip to face NCAA runner-up Boston University at Agganis Arena on Dec. 4-5, a home-and-home with St. Lawrence (Dec. 11-12) and a road date with Union (Dec. 20) close the first half of the season.
The annual Sheraton/TD Bank Catamount Cup will be held on Dec. 29-30 at Gutterson Fieldhouse and features Lake Superior State, Colgate, and Brown. The Catamounts face off against Lake Superior State on the opening night and battle Colgate on night two. UVM has played both schools in the Catamount Cup over the last four years. After New Year's, the non-conference slate concludes with home games against New Hampshire (Jan. 2) and Dartmouth (Jan. 8).
Vermont faces challenging opponents in its final three home series in the form of defending national champion Providence (Jan. 15-16), Notre Dame (Feb. 5-6), and Boston College (Feb. 19-20) on Senior Weekend. The road schedule wraps up with Hockey East games against UConn (Jan. 22), UMass Amherst (Jan. 23), UNH (Feb. 12-13), and Merrimack (Feb. 26-27).
The Hockey East First Round (Mar. 4-6) and Quarterfinals (Mar. 11-13) will he held on campus sites, while the league championship returns to TD Garden in Boston on March 18-19. The 2016 NCAA Frozen Four will be hosted at Amalie Arena in Tampa Bay.
