MEN'S LACROSSE NOTEBOOK
The Vermont men's lacrosse team (4-4, 0-1 AE) hits the road this weekend and will take on conference rival Binghamton (5-1, 1-0 AE). Opening faceoff is scheduled for noon on Saturday (March 25) at the Bearcats Sports Complex. This game is also part of a doubleheader as both women's squads will follow the men at approximately 3 p.m.
 
Fans can watch the game for free and in high definition on AmericaEast.TV and live stats will also be available free of charge.
 
RELATED LINKS
Video | Live Stats
 
40th ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION SCHEDULED FOR APRIL 1
Vermont Athletics will host a celebration of the 40th anniversary of varsity men's lacrosse on Saturday, April 1 as the Catamounts host Hartford at Virtue Field in a rematch of the 2016 America East Championship. All lacrosse alumni, fans and friends of UVM are encouraged to join us for the game as well as the announcement of the 40th Anniversary All-Time Team.
 
For additional details on the celebration, click here.
 
CATAMOUNTS RECAP
Eighth-ranked Albany's Connor Fields had seven points (4 goals, 3 assists) and the Great Danes opened with a 5-0 run that Vermont was unable to overcome last Saturday (March 18) at Virtue Field. Charlie Cobb and Dawes Milchling each had two goals for the Catamounts in the setback. Jon Kaplan made 13 saves in goal after entering in relief of Nick Washuta (5 saves). Defensively, James Leary caused three turnovers for the Green and Gold, also scooping up four ground balls which was matched by Charlie Erdmann.
 
SCOUTING BINGHAMTON
Binghamton is receiving votes this week in both the USILA/Nike Coaches Poll and Maverik Media Poll. The Bearcats are currently riding a four-game winning streak, taking down Hobart (March 5), Siena (March 7), Delaware (March 11) and UMass Lowell (March 18). In the UMass Lowell win (15-8), Binghamton trailed for just 21 seconds all day and received five goals from Tom Moore.
 
Moore, a redshirt senior, has been a key offensive component this year, boasting a team-high 21 goals and 13 assists for 34 points. His career also includes time at Denver and Jacksonville, reaching the 2013 NCAA Final Four with the former. Defensively, fans should keep an eye on senior Garrett Waldron, who leads the team with nine caused turnovers, including five in a season-opening win over Colgate. Senior Tanner Cosens will man goalie duties and has a GAA of 7.87.
 
This is Kevin McKeown's first season as head coach of the Bearcats after spending two years at Bellarmine (Kentucky) as defensive coordinator. A Binghamton alum, he was named a USILA All-American in 2004. That season, the team allowed no more than eight goals per game in conference play and reached the America East Championship Game. He was inducted into the Binghamton Athletics Hall of Fame in 2014.

INSIDE THE SERIES
A Vermont win on Saturday would even the all-time series between the Catamounts and Bearcats at eight-all. UVM has won back-to-back meetings as well as five of the last seven in a series that ultimately dates back to the spring of 2002. Under the lights last season at Virtue Field, the Green and Gold rallied back from a 5-0 deficit, stringing together nine consecutive goals over the final three quarters. Jon Kaplan also made 13 saves as the Catamounts finished with a 17-9 win on Senior Night.
 
UVM FEATURED IN NEW ENGLAND LACROSSE JOURNAL
Phil Shore of the New England Lacrosse Journal has a piece on the Catamounts and senior Cam Milligan in the publication's March issue. Click here to read the story.
 
I TIP MY HAT TO YOU, SIR
Five different Catamounts have accounted for a total of 10 hat tricks throughout the 2017 season. The group includes Braiden Davis, Ben French (3), Dawes Milchling (3), Cam Milligan (2) and Alex Stanko.
 
YOU'VE MADE YOUR POINT
The Catamounts starting attack line of Ben French, Dawes Milchling and Cam Milligan have positioned themselves among the nation's leaders in points, combining for 77 (48 goals, 29 assists) up to this point in the season. That ranks eighth in the country, just behind Rutgers (78), Bryant (79) and Richmond (80) for a spot in the top-5.
 
TURN DOWN FOR WHAT?
Junior James Leary has caused 14 opponent turnovers this season (1.75/game) and ranks second in America East in the per game column, short only of UMBC's Billy O'Hara (2.0). His single-season career-high in that category is 22, set during his sophomore season in 2016.
 
BENNIE AND THE JETS
Ben French has scored a team-high 20 goals after finding the cage in six of his first eight games as a Catamount. That included five-goal performances against both Holy Cross (Feb. 18) and Dartmouth (Feb. 28) and has helped the Toronto, Ontario product post an average of 2.5 goals per game. That statistic is fourth in the nation among all freshmen and is fifth in America East of all players.
 
At his current pace, French would be on track to finish the season as the first Catamount rookie to lead the team in scoring since Drew Philie did the same in 2010.
 
FRENCH COLLECTS AMERICA EAST WEEKLY HONOR
French's America East Rookie of the Week nod on February 20 marked the attackman's first time receiving the honor as well as the second time in three weeks that Vermont was represented in the conference's weekly laurels. Following the Mercer win on February 4, Milligan picked up mention from the league as the Offensive Player of the Week, while goalie Nick Washuta completed the awards sweep as both the Defensive Player and Rookie of the Week selection.
  
UVM ANNOUNCES 2017 CAPTAINS
Seniors Ben Cox, Cam Milligan, and Ian MacKay along with junior James Leary and redshirt junior Hayden Jenkins will captain the Catamounts this season.
 
WELCOME TO VERMONT, COACH
The seventh head coach in program history, Chris Feifs arrives in Burlington following a seven-year run at North Carolina as defensive coordinator and faceoff coach. During his time in Chapel Hill, the Tar Heels captured the 2016 NCAA National Championship and were ACC regular season co-champions on two occasions. In 2013, UNC claimed the conference title.
 
He also spent two seasons in an assistant coaching capacity at VMI and played his collegiate lacrosse at Maryland, becoming the first scholarship athlete from North Carolina to play lacrosse for the Terrapins.
 
FEIFS ANNOUNCES COACHING STAFF
Jake Bernhardt and Chris Miller have also come to the Green Mountain State as assistant coaches under Feifs, while Brian Kavanagh has joined the Catamounts as a volunteer assistant. Bernhardt plays professionally for the Ohio Machine of Major League Lacrosse and scored 14 goals last season en route to an appearance in the MLL Championship Game. Miller was most recently associate head coach at Washington College (Maryland) and, from 2008-10, worked with Feifs as an assistant at VMI.
 
A 2014 graduate of Princeton and former goalie with the Tigers, Kavanagh made eight appearances in his career and was part of a 2012 team that reached the Ivy League Championship and ultimately punched a ticket to the NCAA Tournament.
 
NEXT UP
Vermont continues America East play next Saturday (April 1) with a noon contest against Hartford. That game serves as UVM's annual Rally Against Cancer Game presented by Otter Creek Awnings and Vermont Custom Closets. In addition, the Catamounts will host a special celebration honoring the 40th anniversary of varsity men's lacrosse at the University of Vermont. Additional details regarding the 40th Anniversary Celebration can be found here, while further Rally Against Cancer information will be announced early next week.