MEN'S HOCKEY NOTEBOOK
Following an idle weekend after winning the 2016 Friendship Four in Northern Ireland, 12th-ranked Vermont begins an eight-game homestand and welcomes No. 5 Boston University to Gutterson Fieldhouse this weekend on Friday (Dec. 9) and Saturday (Dec. 10) for a two-game Hockey East series at 7:05 p.m. each night. Live HD video of the series is available for free via CatamounTV.com. Pre-game radio coverage begins at 6:30 p.m. on WVMT 620-AM and Catamounts All-Access with Alastair Ingram on the call.

RELATED LINKS
Video | Audio | Live Stats | Tickets
CatamounTV Preview | Game Notes (.pdf)

LIMITED TICKETS
A limited number of tickets are available for both nights of the series. Log on to UVMathletics.com/Tickets or call the UVM Athletic Ticket Office at 802-656-4410. 

TEDDY BEAR TOSS ON SATURDAY
Vermont will host its annual Teddy Bear Toss presented by Vermont Teddy Bear Company during the Saturday night game against BU. Fans are encouraged to bring extra teddy bears and stuffed animals to toss onto the ice during the second intermission. The bears will be delivered by the men's and women's hockey teams to local organizations in need during the holiday season. 

SETTING THE SCENE
UVM is riding a six-game unbeaten streak (5-0-1) while posting a plus-14 goal differential during that span and ranks fifth overall in the country in scoring margin. The Catamounts moved up to 12th in both the USCHO.com and USA Hockey/USA Today polls this week, while the visiting Terriers sit fifth in each national poll. Vermont ranks second overall in Hockey East behind only BU with a 2.14 team goals against average, which is sixth nationally.

SCOUTING THE TERRIERS
Boston University is 4-1-1 over its last six games and comes off a three-point weekend in a home-and-home against Providence. The Terriers won the road half 2-1 on Friday before coming back with two goals in the final 5:10 on Saturday for a 2-2 home tie at Agganis Arena. On Tuesday, BU had an NCAA-leading seven players selected to the preliminary roster for the 2017 U.S. National Junior Team.

Nashville Predators draft pick Patrick Harper leads the Terriers with 17 points and 48 shots on goal as a true freshman. Harper is tied with Jordan Greenway for the team-lead in goals (6) and with Charlie McAvoy for the top mark in assists (11). Rookie Jake Oettinger is 6-4-2 in 12 starts between the pipes with a 1.92 goals against average and a .930 save percentage, ranking second in Hockey East behind Stefanos Lekkas in both categories. 

David Quinn is in his fourth year as head coach of the program and led BU to the national title game two years ago in Boston before falling to Providence. Quinn's Terriers are 8-4-2 overall and 3-1-2 in league play.

SERIES HISTORY
Friday marks the 77th meeting between Vermont and Boston University in the all-time series, which dates back to 1972. Last year, the Catamounts were less than four minutes away from sweeping BU at Agganis Arena, but the Terriers scored three goals in the final 3:29 of the second game to salvage a split. The teams' last meeting in Burlington was a 2-1 overtime win for BU in 2015, won by a tip from Hobey Baker winner Jack Eichel. 

BELPOT TROPHY | Highlights
The Catamounts coasted past No. 3 Quinnipiac 5-1 on Nov. 26 to win the second annual Belpot Trophy as champions of the 2016 Friendship Four at SSE Arena in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Ross Colton had a three-point night with two goals and an assist, while Stefanos Lekkas made a career-high 40 saves and was named the Most Outstanding Player of the tournament. Mario Puskarich registered a goal and an assist against the Bobcats and now sits just two points shy of 100 for his NCAA career. UVM picked up its fourth win over a ranked team this season as the schools met for just the second time in series history. 

HOCKEY EAST HONORS
Following the Friendship Four championship, Colton was selected as the Hockey East Rookie of the Week, while Lekkas won his second straight Defensive Player of the Week honor and was tabbed the Goaltender of the Month for November. Since the start of November, Colton ranks fifth in the entire country in rookie scoring and leads UVM with 12 points. Lekkas stopped 73 of the 76 shots he faced in the Friendship Four for a .961 save percentage and was named the Most Outstanding Player of the tournament. 

YOUTH MOVEMENT
UVM is tied for the seventh-highest scoring freshman class in the country with 2.71 points per game. Rookies have accounted for nearly a third of the team's scoring this season with 38 of the squad's 120 total points. Every first-year skater has at least one point on the year, and rookies account for three of the Catamounts' top seven scorers. 

WHO'S NEXT
Vermont hosts Union for a two-game series next weekend on Saturday (Dec. 17) at 7:05 p.m. and Sunday (Dec. 18) at 4 p.m. For tickets, log on to UVMathletics.com/Tickets or call the UVM Athletic Ticket Office at 802-656-4410. 

Handy Toyota is the presenting sponsor of the 2016-17 men's hockey season