MEN'S HOCKEY NOTEBOOK
UVM travels to Maine this weekend for its final Hockey East series of the first half. The Catamounts and Black Bears face off at 7 p.m. on Friday (Dec. 1) and 5 p.m. on Saturday (Dec. 2) at Alfond Arena. Live video is available via GoBlackBears.com, and the Saturday contest is available on Fox College Sports. Pre-game radio coverage begins 30 minutes before faceoff each night on WVMT 620-AM and CatamounTV.com with Alastair Ingram and Pavel Navrat '97 on the call. 

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

MOVEMBER | Donate
Members of the Catamounts have raised more than $7,000 in their Movember campaign this month, growing mustaches in November to raise money and awareness for men's health issues such as prostate cancer, testicular cancer, mental health and suicide prevention. The Movember Foundation is the only global charity focused solely on men's health.

To donate online to the team or to an individual player before tomorrow, please visit go.uvm.edu/movember. Fans who donate at least $25 and use the phrase "Go Cats Go" in the "include a message with your donation" section will be entered to win four (4) tickets to the Brown game next Saturday, Dec. 9 at 7:05 p.m. or a stick signed by the entire team. 

LAST TIME OUT
Rookie Max Kaufman deflected a pass from Craig Puffer inside the left post 20 seconds into overtime last Saturday night, lifting Vermont to a 2-1 victory over former ECAC rival Dartmouth at Thompson Arena. UVM snapped its four-game losing streak in the process while posting its fourth straight win over the Big Green.

Jarrid Privitera also collected an assist on the game-winner for his team-leading sixth helper of the year. Alex Jasiek gave Dartmouth the lead on a first period power play goal, pouncing on a rebound at the 7:39 mark of the frame. Alex Esposito tied the game 1-1 early in the second period as he snapped a shot to light the lamp for the third consecutive game.

The Catamounts out-shot the Big Green 39-23, including a 18-7 edge in the third period, as Stefanos Lekkas picked up the win with 22 saves.

SCOUTING THE BLACK BEARS
Maine is 3-2-0 in its last five games and is back on American soil after competing in the third annual Friendship Four in Belfast, Northern Ireland last weekend. The Black Bears dropped a 3-0 league contest against Providence on Friday before beating RPI 4-2 in the consolation game Saturday.

Maine's top four scorers this season are underclassmen, led by rookie forward Eduards Tralmaks with nine points. Tralmaks is tied with Mitchell Fossier for the team-lead in goals (5), while Chase Pearson has tallied a team-high eight assists. Freshman Jeremy Swayman has started seven of 12 games in net with a 2.51 goals against average and a .921 save percentage. 

Red Gendron is in his fifth season as the head coach in Orono; he guided BFA St. Albans to four Vermont high school state titles in the 1980's. Last year, the Black Bears finished with a record of 11-21-4 (5-15-2 HEA) and lost to UVM in the Hockey East First Round as the 11-seed.

SERIES HISTORY
This weekend marks the 59th and 60th meetings of the all-time series against Maine. Vermont carries a four-game unbeaten streak into the weekend, with all four meetings coming at Gutterson last season. UVM won those four contests by the combined score of 18-5, which included convincing 5-0 and 5-1 playoff victories.

The Cats were swept in their last trip to Orono in November of 2015 after going 9-1-0 in their previous 10 games against the Black Bears, which included a series-high eight-game winning streak. UVM has defeated Maine at home in the Hockey East First Round twice in the last three years, sweeping the Black Bears last season and taking Game 3 in 2015 by a 3-2 final in overtime.

KAUF AND RUNNING
Max Kaufman was named the Pro Ambitions Hockey East Rookie of the Week following his first career game-winning goal on Saturday. The Rochester, New York native is tied for second on the team in goals with four, which is tied for seventh among Hockey East rookies. He also ranks sixth in the league among all first-year skaters with a 52% success rate on faceoffs. The Catamounts are 3-2-0 this year when he records a point.

FOREVER YOUNG
Vermont's last four goals have all been scored by freshmen. Four of the team's top-5 goal scorers and seven of the top-9 point producers this year are underclassmen. In addition, nine of the squad's 10 power play goals on the season have been netted by an underclassman. Esposito scored his first NCAA goal on Nov. 17 at Northeastern, joining classmates Kaufman, Christian Evers and Owen Grant as the four rookies who have scored this season.

WHO'S NEXT
Vermont closes the first half against the ECAC's Brown Bears next Saturday, Dec. 9. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. Saturday also marks the annual Teddy Bear Toss at Gutterson Fieldhouse. Fans are asked to bring a teddy bear to toss on the ice between the second and third periods, and all bears will be donated to local kids in need this holiday season.

Handy Toyota is the presenting sponsor of the 2017-18 men's hockey season