WOMEN'S HOCKEY NOTEBOOK
The Vermont women's hockey team (10-9-7, 6-5-5 WHEA) heads south to face Hockey East rival Connecticut (11-12-3, 6-9-1 WHEA) this Friday and Saturday (Jan. 27-28). Both games will be played in Storrs at the Freitas Ice Forum, with the 7 p.m. series opener followed on Saturday at 2 p.m.
 
HuskyVision will stream both games (subscription required) and live stats will be available via GameTracker.
 
RELATED LINKS
Friday: Video | Live Stats
Saturday: Video | Live Stats
 
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ALUMNAE WEEKEND SCHEDULED FOR FEBRUARY 3-4
All women's hockey alumnae are invited to Alumnae Weekend on Feb. 3-4, taking place around Pack The Gut presented by The Windjammer. On Friday night (Feb. 3), alumnae are invited to attend the annual Pack The Gut game against New Hampshire, which begins at 7 p.m. Saturday's slate will include an alumnae game based on interest, along with another showdown between UVM and UNH at 4 p.m. Following the game, a reception will be held for alumnae and families in the Montreal Room at the Best Western Plus in South Burlington.
 
To RSVP or for more information, please contact the Victory Club office by Friday, Jan. 27 at Victory.Club@uvm.edu or (802) 656-0956. You can also register online by clicking here. Alumnae attending and in need of hotel accommodations are encouraged to contact The Windjammer and Best Western Plus at (802) 862-6585, requesting the Pack The Gut room block.
 
For additional updates on this and other alumnae events, please contact the Victory Club office via phone at (802) 656-0956 or email at Victory.Club@uvm.edu with your updated contact information.
 
'PACK THE GUT' PRESENTED BY THE WINDJAMMER SCHEDULED FOR FEB. 3
The Catamounts on Friday, Feb. 3 will host the 4th annual 'Pack The Gut Challenge' presented by The Windjammer in conjunction with the team's 7 p.m. game against New Hampshire. All tickets are just $2 and fans are encouraged to team up in an attempt to break the Hockey East attendance record of 2,028, set in the inaugural iteration of Pack the Gut in November 2013. UVM students will be admitted to the game free with valid ID.
 
For additional details on Pack The Gut, click here.
 
CATAMOUNTS RECAP
Melissa Black tied a season-high with 38 saves, but Boston College's Makenna Newkirk scored just 39 seconds into overtime as Vermont fell to the sixth-ranked Eagles by a 3-2 score at Gutterson Fieldhouse last Friday afternoon (Jan. 20). Amanda Drobot gave UVM an early advantage and a lucky sequence following a rebound resulted in a 2-0 lead on a goal credited to Victoria Andreakos. The Green and Gold carried a one-goal margin into the last minute of regulation but Megan Keller netted the equalizer for BC to force the extra session.
 
BC on Saturday (Jan. 21) buried three pucks in the second period, which included a goal and a helper off the stick of Kali Flanagan.
 
SCOUTING CONNECTICUT
Entering the weekend seventh in Hockey East, UConn is currently batting a four-game slide after being swept by both Providence (Jan. 14-15) and Northeastern (Jan. 20-21). Most recently, Northeastern handed UConn a 5-3 setback at Matthews Arena despite 33 saves from goalie Annie Belanger. UConn battled back from two different one-goal deficits, but McKenna Brand and Denisa Krížová each lit the lamp 26 seconds apart in the third period to lift NU to the victory.
 
Leah Lum continues to chair the UConn offense with a team-high 22 points on 14 points and eight assists. Following closely is freshman Briana Colangelo, whose seven goals and 13 helpers put her fifth in points (20) among Hockey East rookies. Goalie Annie Belanger (8-10-3, 2.17 GAA) has compiled a .932 save percentage, which trails only Madison Litchfield (.941) for the lead in Hockey East and is seventh in the country.
 
INSIDE THE SERIES
This weekend's series follows the initial meeting this season between UVM and UConn on Nov. 20 at Gutterson Fieldhouse. That day, the sides skated to a 1-1 draw after Rachael Ade and the Huskies' Justine Fredette scored only 2:04 apart in the first period. Madison Litchfield turned aside 31 shots.
 
Although the Huskies lead the all-time series, Vermont emerged on top of UConn in its first five meetings under head coach Jim Plumer as well as six of its first seven, outscoring the opposition by a 23-3 margin in the latter timeframe. UVM's most recent win came on Nov. 2, 2014 in a 6-0 decision in Burlington. Six different Catamounts scored and then-freshman Taylor Willard recorded her first collegiate goal, while Litchfield earned her second consecutive shutout.
 
CATAMOUNTS FEATURED BY USCHO
USCHO columnist Nicole Haase profiled the Catamounts last week, discussing the team's recent success and the steps taken to reach its current stage. Click here to read the story.
 
CATS AND DOGS
After coming away with two draws over the weekend of Jan. 14-15, UVM sealed a 1-0-2 record against Boston University in this year's regular season series. It is the second time under Coach Plumer that the Catamounts have won the series and first time in program history that the Green and Gold went undefeated against the Terriers in the regular season.
 
RULES AND REGULATIONS
Last Saturday's result against BC marked UVM's first regulation loss since Nov. 26, when the Catamounts fell to then-No. 5 Clarkson in the Windjammer Classic Championship Game. Between those two games, UVM was 6-2-3, with both setbacks coming in overtime at Merrimack (Jan. 3) and against BC (Jan. 20).
 
Specifically in regulation, that period saw Vermont go undefeated in 11 consecutive games, stringing together its longest stretch of the program's Division I era (since the 2001-02 season). That surpassed a seven-game run from Feb. 2-March 1, 2014 in which the Catamounts rattled off seven straight wins.
 
LITCHFIELD CLIMBING THE RECORD BOOK
Madison Litchfield received the win in goal on Sunday, Jan. 8, notching the 27th victory of her career to enter a tie with former Catamount goaltender Roxanne Douville (2010-14) for the Division I program record in that category. Only Tiffany Hayes sits ahead of her for the all-time program lead, gathering 28 wins from 1999-2003, during which UVM elevated to Division I competition.
 
A local product from Williston, Vermont, Litchfield also has registered 1,958 saves donning the Green and Gold, which stands fourth all-time. She boasts a .941 save percentage which ranks fifth in the country to go in hand with her 1.55 goals against average, also fifth across Division I. Both figures lead Hockey East.
 
NEXT UP
UVM welcomes New Hampshire to Gutterson Fieldhouse next weekend (Feb. 3-4) as part of Alumnae Weekend as well as the Pack The Gut Challenge presented by The Windjammer. Friday's Pack The Gut game is slated for 7 p.m. and the regular season series finale will begin at 4 p.m. on Saturday.
 
For additional details on Pack The Gut, click here.
 
The Windjammer and Upper Deck Pub is the presenting sponsor of the 2016-17 women's hockey season