MEN'S HOCKEY NOTEBOOK
For the first time since early December, Vermont returns to Hockey East play as defending national champion and No. 3 Providence travels to Gutterson Fieldhouse for a 7:05 p.m. faceoff on Friday (Jan. 15) and Saturday (Jan. 16). The series will be streamed live for free at CatamounTV.com, and radio coverage begins at 6:30 p.m. on WVMT 620-AM, SportsJuice.com, and the TuneIn app with Alastair Ingram on the call. Reserved and general admission tickets are still available at UVMathletics.com/Tickets or by calling 802-656-4410.

GAME COVERAGE
Video | Audio | Live Stats | Game Notes | CatamounTV Preview

RALLY'S BIRTHDAY PARTY
Rally will be celebrating his birthday with local mascots and Rally's Round Up members on Friday. There will be a mascot scrimmage during the first intermission. For more information on how to attend, please email rallycat@uvm.edu or call 802-656-8454. Rally's Round Up is presented by Essex Family Dental.
 
MILITARY APPRECIATION NIGHT
Saturday is Military Appreciation Night presented by Casella. UVM is excited to offer all military members and their families tickets at the group rate of $10 by contacting the ticket office at 802-656-4410. The team's game-worn camouflage jerseys from Military Appreciation Night are being auctioned off at UVMathletics.com/auctions to benefit the Vermont Veterans Fund (VVF). The auction will close at 12 p.m. on Monday (Jan. 18). Bids start at $150 per jersey.

Special camouflage Vermont merchandise will be sold at the UVM Bookstore in the lobby of Gutterson during the game to benefit the charity organization Operation Hat Trick, which generates awareness, support, and funding for the recovery of America's wounded warriors, both active service members and veterans.

SETTING THE SCENE
Vermont rides a season-best four-game winning streak into a Hockey East weekend series against defending NCAA champion Providence. The Catamounts have allowed only three goals during their winning streak, while the third-ranked Friars are 1-3-1 in their last five and have given up 15 goals in their last three contests (0-2-1). Providence won the season series 2-1-0 last year, including a 3-0 win to clinch the Catamount Cup and snap a seven-game UVM win streak. This weekend marks the end of a six-game homestand for the Catamounts, who are 4-0-0 thus far.
 
8 RAISED TO THE RAFTERS
Prior to last Friday night's game against Dartmouth, UVM honored its all-time leading scorer at center ice on Martin St. Louis Night. For the first time in program history, the Catamounts retired a jersey and raised St. Louis' No. 8 to the rafters during a pre-game ceremony. Senior Jonathan Turk handed St. Louis his No. 8 sweater prior to the game and will wear No. 88 for the rest of the 2015-16 season. During his four-year career at UVM, St. Louis registered 267 points on 91 goals and 176 assists in 139 games. A three-time All-American and Hobey Baker finalist, St. Louis led the Catamounts to their first-ever NCAA Frozen Four berth in 1996. Click below for full coverage.

MARTIN ST. LOUIS NIGHT COVERAGE
Video: Full Ceremony | Press Conference
Audio: Highlight Montage | WVMT Interview
Photo: Gallery | Storify | Exposure

CATS SHUT OUT BIG GREEN | CatamounTV Highlights
Packy Munson posted a career-high 39 saves for his third shutout in the last five home games as Vermont shut down Dartmouth 1-0 last Friday during Martin St. Louis Night at Gutterson Fieldhouse. Junior Brendan Bradley picked up the game-winning goal late in the second period with assists to Brady Shaw and Mario Puskarich. Vermont killed off two Dartmouth power plays in the third period and finished the night a perfect 4-for-4 on the kill. The Catamounts won their fourth straight game overall and improved to 6-1-1 in their last eight contests against the Big Green.

SCOUTING THE FRIARS
Providence is ranked third in the country in both national polls this week and posted a loss and tie last weekend during a Hockey East home-and-home series against No. 4 Boston College. Sophomore defenseman Jake Walman leads the Friars with 12 goals and 21 points, including seven power play tallies, while senior forwards Nick Saracino and Trevor Mingoia have each registered 13 assists. Junior Nick Ellis has started 19 games in net with a 12-3-4 record, 2.12 goals against average, .926 save percentage, and two shutouts. Nate Leaman is in his fifth season as the head coach at PC and is eight wins shy of 100.

SERIES HISTORY
Friday marks the 57th all-time meeting in series history as Vermont holds a 26-23-7 advantage overall in a series which dates back to 1969. Vermont is two games over .500 at 14-12-1 in 27 home games against the Friars but has lost three in a row and five of the last six. UVM is just 2-7-1 in its last 10 games against Providence, with the lone home win coming during a 2-0 shutout on Nov. 3, 2012 in Burlington. The schools split a Hockey East series at Schneider Arena in November of last season as Vermont fell 3-0 on Nov. 14 before rebounding for a 2-1 win on Nov. 15.

ANOTHER WEEK, ANOTHER AWARD
For the third time in the last month, Packy Munson earned a Hockey East weekly award on Monday as the league's Co-Defensive Player of the Week. The rookie registered a career-high 39 saves last Friday, including 17 in the third period, in a 1-0 shutout of Dartmouth during Martin St. Louis Night. Munson owns a perfect 5-0-0 record at Gutterson this year with a miniscule 0.60 goals against average, .976 save percentage, and three shutouts. In only seven starts, he is already tied for ninth nationally in shutouts.

MILESTONE WATCH
Brendan Bradley will skate in his 100th collegiate game on Friday, becoming the second Catamount to reach the milestone this season (Alexx Privitera). Head coach Kevin Sneddon is just two away from his 200th victory behind the UVM bench and his 250th career NCAA win. Brady Shaw eclipsed the 50-point plateau with two points against UNH on Jan. 2, while Bradley hit the half-century mark on Dec. 5 at No. 11 BU. Alexx Privitera is only three assists away from 50 in his career. Mario Puskarich, the program's active leading scorer, is two shy of 80 career points and scored his 35th collegiate goal at Maine on Nov. 11. 

WHO'S NEXT
Vermont hits the road next weekend with league matchups against UConn on Friday (Jan. 22) at 8:30 p.m. on NESN and Saturday (Jan. 23) against UMass at 7 p.m. Pre-game radio coverage begins 30 minutes prior to faceoff each night on WVMT 620-AM, SportsJuice.com, and the TuneIn app with Alastair Ingram and Andy Merritt on the call.

BUS WITH US TO UNH | Register
UVM will offer a "Bus With Us" trip to the road game at New Hampshire on Saturday, Feb. 13 at 5 p.m. The "Bus with Us" package includes transportation to UNH, a ticket to the game, pizza, cookies courtesy of the DoubleTree, a hat, bus raffles, and more! The day trip costs $70 per person. The bus will leave from Gutterson Fieldhouse at 12 p.m., arrive at New Hampshire before the game starts at 5 p.m., and return to Burlington following the game. The registration deadline is Friday, Feb. 5. Victory Club members receive a 10 percent discount on all trips. For more information please contact Katie Dowd at cdowd@uvm.edu or 802-656-8454.