WOMEN'S HOCKEY NOTEBOOK
Following a midweek matchup at Merrimack on Tuesday (Jan. 3), the Vermont women's hockey team returns to the Green Mountain State to close out the season series with conference rival Maine. The weekend set kicks off at 2 p.m. on Saturday (Jan. 7) before wrapping up at the same time on Sunday (Jan. 8) at Gutterson Fieldhouse.
Live video of each contest will be available free of charge and in high definition via CatamounTV.com with Rob Ryan manning play-by-play responsibilities. Fans can also follow along with live stats through SIDEARM Stats.
RELATED LINKS
Video | Live Stats | Tickets
ALUMNAE WEEKEND SCHEDULED FOR FEBRUARY 3-4
All women's hockey alumnae are invited to save the date for Alumnae Weekend, taking place Feb. 3-4 around Pack the Gut presented by The Windjammer. Alumnae attending and in need of hotel accommodations are encouraged to contact The Windjammer Inn at (802) 862-6585, requesting the Pack the Gut room block. Further details regarding Alumnae Weekend will be announced shortly.
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.
CATAMOUNTS RECAP
The Catamounts saw their first action of the new year this past Tuesday (Jan. 3), making the trip down to North Andover, Massachusetts for a matchup with Merrimack.
Ève-Audrey Picard brought UVM back from an early 1-0 deficit but Merrimack's Madison Morey scored just 54 seconds into overtime, lifting the Warriors to a 2-1 win at Lawler Rink.
UVM did have one final chance in regulation when
Sarah Kelly put a one-timer on net in the waning seconds, but Warriors goalie Samantha Ridgewell turned aside the attempt.
Melissa Black tallied 24 saves on the night for the Green and Gold.
SCOUTING MAINE
Despite sitting ninth in Hockey East, the Black Bears (6-12-1, 2-8-1 WHEA) are riding a three-game win streak after non-conference victories over Dartmouth (Nov. 29) and Union (Dec. 9-10). Most recently, the squad pocketed a 3-1 decision against Union behind a six-point effort by the trio of Brooke Stacey, Vendula Pribylová and Tereza Vanišová.
With 1.16 points per game, Vanišová is atop Hockey East freshmen as well as third nationally among all rookies. She leads the charge offensively for the Black Bears, tallying a team-high 22 points on 12 goals and 10 helpers. Stacey and Pribylová follow closely with 14 and 13 points, respectively. At the other end, freshman Carly Jackson has compiled a 2.73 goals against average to go with four wins.
Maine has seen some struggles of late on the road as the Black Bears have yet to win this season outside the confines of Alfond Arena.
INSIDE THE SERIES
This weekend will mark Vermont and Maine's second and third meetings of the season. On Oct. 30, the Catamounts headed home from Orono with a 3-2 win in hand after
Kourtney Menches broke a 2-2 tie in the third period to complement
Madison Litchfield's 27 stops.
UVM's history with Maine dates back to the Catamounts' first game in program history–a Nov. 18, 1995 duel at Gutterson Fieldhouse. The teams have met each season since 2001-02 after taking a break from 1998 to 2001. Vermont is unbeaten (4-0-1) in its last five games against the Black Bears and gathered five straight wins from February 2013 to March 2014.
DON'T 'MIND' IF WE DO
After posting a 2-0-1 mark in the month of December with a 1.60 goals against average,
Melissa Black was honored by Hockey East as the league's Goaltender of the Month. The Newmarket, Ontario native helped the Catamounts to a pair of victories at then-No. 10 Northeastern over the weekend of Dec. 3-4, then preserved a 2-2 decision at Gutterson Fieldhouse as UVM skated to a tie with Yale (Dec. 30). Black's recognition also coincided with
Alyssa Gorecki's selection as the runner-up Warrior Hockey Player of the Month.
With a season-long goals against average of 1.53, Black's fellow netminder
Madison Litchfield leads Hockey East and ranks fifth in the nation. The senior last appeared on Dec. 31 and made 25 saves in a 2-1 win over Yale in Burlington.
CATS CLIMBING THE RECORD BOOK
Between the pipes, Litchfield ranks among the top-3 winningest goaltenders in program history with 26 victories to her name. Only Roxanne Douville (2010-14) and Tiffany Hayes (1999-2003) sit ahead of her with 27 and 28, respectively. She also has made 1875 saves donning the Green and Gold, which stands fifth all-time.
PRETTY SPECIAL IF YOU ASK US
Vermont has enjoyed recent success on special teams, particularly with its penalty killing unit. Catamount opponents have netted just seven goals on 82 power play opportunities, putting UVM at 91.5 percent on the kill and in a rough tie for fifth nationally with Ohio State. The Cats last surrendered a power play goal on Nov. 20 against Connecticut, constructing a perfect stretch of 536 minutes, 44 seconds of game time and eliminating 31 power plays since then. It is the longest active stretch in the country, with Ohio State clocking in at second with 29 straight since Oct. 15.
GET OUT THERE AND VOTE!
Vermont received a vote in the most recent USCHO Division I Women's Poll, announced on Dec. 12. It is the fourth time in program history that the Catamounts have been featured and first time in back-to-back polls.
UVM previously received a vote in the poll during the weeks of Nov. 3, 2014 and Oct. 26, 2009. The former came in the aftermath of the team's best start in program history (6-2-1), while the Catamounts first were mentioned shortly after upsetting No. 4 Clarkson at Gutterson Fieldhouse on Oct. 17, 2009.
NEXT UP
Vermont heads back to the Bay State next weekend (Jan. 14-15) for two contests at Boston University. Both games are scheduled for 3 p.m. at Walter Brown Arena.
'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.
Additional information regarding Pack the Gut will be announced shortly.
The Windjammer and Upper Deck Pub is the presenting sponsor of the 2016-17 women's hockey season
