MEN'S HOCKEY NOTEBOOK
The Vermont Catamounts (1-1-0, 0-0-0 HEA) open Hockey East conference play tomorrow night at 7 p.m. against New Hampshire (0-3-1, 0-0-0) at the Whittemore Center in Durham, New Hampshire. On Sunday, Vermont takes on Brown (0-0-0, 0-0-0 ECAC) at 5 p.m. at Meehan Auditorium in Providence, Rhode Island.
 
Saturday's game is available through YouTube Live. Sunday's game at Brown will air on NESN and stream through ESPN+. Live stats for both games are available using the links below.
 
RELATED LINKS
CatamounTV Preview
New Hampshire: Video | Live Stats | Game Notes
Brown: Video ($) | Live Stats

SCOUTING THE WILDCATS
New Hampshire enters Saturday's contest with a 0-3-1 overall record after Colgate swept the Wildcats in Hamilton, New York two weekends ago. Both games were 2-1 Raider victories. Colorado College hosted the Wildcats for a pair last weekend. The Tigers and Wildcats tied the first game 3-3 before a 4-3 Tiger win in game two.
 
Max Gildon leads the team in assists (5) and points (6). Eight different Wildcats have scored this season, with no player finding the back of the net twice through four games. Sophomore Mike Robinson leads the team between the pipes with a 2.11 goals against average and .933 save percentage.  Freshman Ty Taylor has played over 67 minutes in goal behind Robinson.
 
INSIDE THE SERIES 
Saturday's game is the 115th meeting in a series dating back to Vermont's first varsity collegiate season in 1963-64. The Wildcats dominated the series through the first decades, and hold a 78-26-10 all-time record against UVM. However, UNH's lead shrinks to 20-12-8 since Vermont joined Hockey East prior to the 2005-06 season. The rivalry has been renewed each season since the first meeting in 1963-64, with the 1985-86 campaign as the lone exception.
 
SCOUTING THE BEARS
Brown opens its 2018-19 season this weekend as hosts against the Yale Bulldogs (Oct. 26) and the Vermont Catamounts (Oct. 28). Brown finished the 2017-18 season with an 8-19-4 overall record and 7-14-1 ECAC mark. Brown and Vermont skated to a 2-2 tie at Gutterson Fieldhouse last season (Dec. 9).
 
Tommy Marchin is the top returning scorer for the Bears this season. He enters the 2018-19 campaign after tallying 18 points last year. Junior Zach Giuttari anchors the blue line for the Bears this season, returning for his junior season after leading all Brown defensemen in scoring a season ago (5-11-16).
 
INSIDE THE SERIES
An ECAC rivalry of old is renewed once again Sunday evening at Meehan Auditorium. Brown and Vermont met annually from 1978 through Vermont's final ECAC season in 2004-05. Last year's meeting was the first time the Catamounts and Bears met since UVM joined Hockey East.
 
Brown looks to even the all-time series on Sunday. UVM holds a 27-26-5 edge over the Bears since the first meeting, a 16-2 Brown win, in 1966. The teams skated to a 2-2 tie last December at Gutterson Fieldhouse.
 
SATURDAY'S FAMILY AFFAIR
Sophomore Alex Esposito squares off against his younger brother, Eric, tonight at the Whittemore Center. Eric is a freshman at UNH. The Espositos played together for years - spending the 2013-14 and 2014-15 seasons together at Loomis Chaffee School. The two spent the next seasons as members of the USHL's Youngstown Phantoms (2015-16, 2016-17). Catamount captain Matt Alvaro was also on the 2015-16 Youngstown roster with the Esposito brothers.
 
Freshman Joey Cipollone will also see a familiar face on the UNH bench - his cousin Joseph. Both Joey and Joseph grew up in Purchase, N.Y., but the pair did not spend any significant time on the same rosters.
 
Handy Toyota is the presenting sponsor of the 2018-19 men's hockey season