WOMEN'S HOCKEY NOTEBOOK
The Vermont Catamounts (5-13-4, 3-9-3 HEA) travel to Minneapolis, Minnesota to take on the fifth-ranked Minnesota Golden Gophers (16-5-2, 10-4-2 WCHA) this weekend to close out the non-conference slate at Ridder Arena.  
 
On Friday (Jan. 12), the puck drops at 6:07 p.m. central time before a 4:07 p.m. central time start on Saturday (Jan. 13).
 
RELATED LINKS
Friday: Video ($) | Audio | Live Stats
Saturday: Video ($) | Audio | Live Stats
CatamounTV Preview
 
PROVIDENCE RECAP | CatamounTV Highlights: Saturday | Sunday
Vermont took on eighth-ranked Providence last weekend at Gutterson Fieldhouse, falling 4-1 on Saturday (Jan. 6) before playing the Friars to a 1-1 tie on Sunday (Jan. 7).
 
Kristina Shanahan scored less than four minutes into the final period to tie the game at 1-1 on Saturday, but the Friars scored a pair of goals and added an empty netter to take the game 4-1. Melissa Black made 32 saves for the Catamounts in the loss.
 
On Sunday, the Cats took a 1-0 lead early in the second period off of Saana Valkama's goal. She was assisted by Anna Erickson, who picked up her first collegiate point, and Amanda Drobot. PC evened the score with just under 15 minutes remaining in regulation, and the teams remained tied through the overtime period for a 1-1 tie. Sydney Scobee made 24 saves for the Cats.
 
SCOUTING MINNESOTA
Minnesota enters the weekend as the fifth-ranked team in the nation and sits second in the WCHA standings, behind top-ranked Wisconsin.
 
The Gophers opened the season as hosts against Hockey East foe Merrimack, losing 4-3 before taking the second game 4-1. They hold a 3-0-1 record against Minnesota Duluth, the other common opponent they share with Vermont.
 
Freshman Grace Zumwinkle leads Minnesota in scoring, is fourth in the nation among freshmen, and sits 19^th in the nation with 11 goals and 15 assists. Zumwinkle is one of 11 Gophers with double digit points on the season. Between the pipes, Sidney Peters and Alex Guistene have both seen significant minutes. Peters holds a 1.92 goals against average, a .916 save percentage, and a 10-4-1 overall record. Guistene has posted a 2.18 goals against average, a .904 save percentage, and a 6-1-1 overall record to this point of the season.
 
Minnesota is ninth in the nation with 3.35 goals per game and tied for eighth in scoring defense, allowing 2.04 goals per game. On special teams, the Golden Gophers are fourth in power play, going 18-for-71 for a 25.4% success rate, and sixth in penalty kill with an 89.1% rate (57-for-64).
 
FIRST TIME MEETING
This will be the first meeting between the Golden Gophers and Catamounts. The Gophers stand as one of the most storied programs in the NCAA, having won six national championships since 2004, including four of the last six. The Gophers have made it to the Frozen Four an additional four times in that span.
 
CATS AGAINST MINNESOTA SQUADS
After this weekend, the UVM women's hockey program will have faced all five Division I schools from the state of Minnesota. In previous years, UVM has faced off against Bemidji State, Minnesota State Mankato, and St. Cloud State. In this year's Windjammer Classic, the Catamounts played against Minnesota-Duluth for the first time.  
 
Vermont makes its sixth trip to the North Star State and first since a 2014 trip to the University of North Dakota and Bemidji State to open the season.
 
CATAMOUNT HOMECOMING
Four Catamounts will be returning to their home state this weekend against the Gophers. Anna Erickson, Taylor Flaherty, Olivia Kilberg, and Sydney Scobee all hail from the Minneapolis area. It is the first chance for Erickson, Kilberg, and Scobee to return to Minnesota in their collegiate careers.
 
INSIDE THE STANDINGS
Through 15 conference games, the Catamounts currently sit in a tie for sixth place in Hockey East. With nine conference game remaining, the Cats are tied with the Terriers of Boston University at nine points, BU holds the tiebreaker with two wins against Vermont with one head-to-head matchup remaining.
 
Boston University plays home-and-home series against the now seventh-ranked Providence Friars this weekend.
 
NEXT UP
Vermont returns to Hockey East play and travels to Boston, Massachusetts to take on the Eagles of Boston College. The games are scheduled for Friday, Jan. 19 at 7 p.m. and Saturday, Jan. 20 at 2 p.m. at Conte Forum. The games will air on ESPN3 in the United States and on TSN GO in Canada.
 
The Windjammer and Upper Deck Pub is the presenting sponsor of the 2017-18 women's hockey season