MEN'S LACROSSE NOTEBOOK
Vermont men's lacrosse returns to Burlington for back-to-back home contests, starting with its conference opener on Saturday (March 26) against UMass Lowell. Faceoff at Virtue Field against the River Hawks is set for 1 p.m.
 
GAME COVERAGE
Video
 
TICKETS
Tickets to the game can be purchased online at UVMathletics.com/Tickets, in person at the UVM Athletic Ticket Office located in Patrick Gymnasium (M-F: 9 a.m.-5 p.m.), via the phone at 802-656-4410, or in person one hour before game time at the Gutterson Fieldhouse Box Office.

PROMOTIONS
Student-Athlete Faculty/Staff Appreciation Day - Each student-athlete on the men's lacrosse team can invite one faculty/staff member to the game to be placed on the complimentary ticket list. Email whurd@uvm.edu to ensure a place on the ticket list.
 
ABOUT VERMONT
After beating Sacred Heart on March 12 at home to snap a three-game skid, UVM (3-5) fell in overtime to nationally-ranked Hofstra on Tuesday night. Offensively, the Catamounts rank 17th in the nation averaging 12.13 goals per game and are outscoring opponents 97-88 this season, including 53-43 in the second half.
 
Junior Luc LeBlanc returned to the faceoff X for Vermont against Hofstra on Tuesday and went 19-of-27 (.704) in the Catamount effort. The Vermont native currently ranks 15th nationally in faceoff win percentage (.603) and boasts a team-high 29 ground balls.
 
Classmates Ian MacKay and Cam Milligan each moved into the top-10 in program history in a pair of offensive categories on Tuesday. MacKay's four goals landed him 10th all-time in career goals scored (89), and Milligan's four assists lifted him to ninth in program history for all-time assists (54).
 
Milligan is second on the team in points (28) on 16 helpers and 12 goals, and ranks 10th in the NCAA in assists per game (2.29), while also sitting 19th overall in points per game (4.0).
 
MacKay is currently on a 36-game point streak as the midfielder has posted a point in every game but his Catamount debut. The Port Elgin, Ontario native paces UVM in points (31) and goals (20), while sitting five points shy of ranking among the top-10 in career points at Vermont.  
 
James Leary and Ben Cox have been a strong force on the defensive end for the Catamounts in 2016. Each have caused eight turnovers, while Leary has picked up the second-most ground balls on the team (22) and Cox has registered 16.
 
LAST TIME OUT
Hofstra's Josh Byrne tied the game with 20 seconds remaining on the clock to send Vermont into overtime for the second straight game, but the Catamounts fell to the 19th-ranked Pride 13-12 in the extra session at James M. Shuart Field on Tuesday evening.
 
Juniors Ian MacKay and Cam Milligan combined for 10 of Vermont's 21 points. MacKay tallied four goals and an assist, while Milligan dished out four helpers and also recorded a goal. Seven more Catamounts put points on the board for UVM, as Jon Kaplan recorded his third double-figure effort in net this season with 11 saves.  
 
Hofstra jumped out to an early 4-0 lead in the opening minutes of the first quarter. James Barlow came around the back of the cage and forced a shot into the bottom corner of the net and gave Vermont its first score of the game. Hofstra responded with another pair of goals for a 6-1 advantage over the Catamounts after 15 minutes.
 
After another score by the Pride in the second quarter, MacKay responded with a pair of goals in the final minutes of the second quarter (7-4), and opened up scoring after the half for his fourth hat trick of the season.
 
Two unanswered Hofstra scores in the fourth quarter were halted by Milligan and MacKay who traded goals to bring Vermont within one score of the Pride (11-10). Cam Stafford knotted the score once again at 11 before Karl Weller gave UVM its first lead with 4:30 remaining in the game. Byrne halted a 4-0 UVM run and sent the game into overtime with just 20 seconds on the clock, and Brian von Bargen sealed the victory for the nationally-ranked Pride 2:11 into the extra period.
 
SCOUTING UMASS LOWELL
UMass Lowell (2-7) comes to Burlington for the first time in program history. The River Hawks most recent matchups ended in a 9-8 triple overtime loss in the conference opener against Hartford last Saturday, and a 15-11 loss to Providence on Tuesday. As a team, UMass Lowell is averaging 8.56 goals per game on 30.8 shots.
 
Sophomore Sean Tyrrell's has piled up 14 points in the last three games. Last year's leading scorer now has 25 points on the year and leads the team in goals (15) and assists (10).
 
Goaltender Grant Lardieri picked up his second career win in last Tuesday's victory over Wagner. The freshman how has a 2-7 record with a 10.66 goals against average and 45.9 (.459) save percentage.
 
ALL-TIME SERIES
The Catamounts and River Hawks went head-to-head for the first time ever last season. Cam Milligan tallied a career-high 10 points on four goals and six assists to lead Vermont past UMass Lowell 18-10 in UVM's America East opener.
 
ATTENTION LACROSSE ALUMNI
Be sure to mark your calendar for Men's Lacrosse Alumni Weekend on April 15-16 when the Catamounts take on UMBC. Details will be released shortly. Please contact our Victory Club office at 802-656-0956 or Victory.Club@uvm.edu with any questions or to ensure that you receive the information as it becomes available.
 
NEXT UP
Vermont hosts Dartmouth on Tuesday (March 29) in the first men's lacrosse game under the lights at Virtue Field. Faceoff against the Big Green is set for a 6 p.m. and all the action can be viewed for free via AmericaEast.tv.
 
Tickets to the game can be purchased online at UVMathletics.com/Tickets, in person at the UVM Athletic Ticket Office located in Patrick Gymnasium (M-F: 9 a.m.-5 p.m.), via the phone at 802-656-4410, or in person one hour before game time at the Gutterson Fieldhouse Box Office.