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Vermont rides a three-game winning streak into a Hockey East weekend series against No. 8 Providence at Gutterson Fieldhouse. Faceoff is set for 7:05 p.m. on Friday (Feb. 2) and Saturday (Feb. 3) between the Catamounts and Friars.

Tickets are available by logging on to UVMathletics.com/Tickets or by calling 802-656-4410. Pre-game radio coverage on WVMT 620-AM and CatamounTV.com begins at 6:30 p.m. each night with Alastair Ingram on the call. Free video and live stats are available via CatamounTV.com at the links below.

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

PROMOTIONS
Friday at Gutterson is TD Bank Night, while Saturday is the annual Skating Strides Against Cancer Game presented by Otter Creek Awnings and Vermont Custom Closets. The Catamounts will be wearing pink jerseys to support the efforts occurring at the University of Vermont Cancer Center. Fans are encouraged to wear pink to show their support. Game-worn pink jerseys are being auctioned off now through Thursday, Feb. 8 at UVMathletics.com/auctions.

SWEEP AT LAWLER
Vermont swept a series against Merrimack at Lawler Rink last Friday and Saturday with come-from-behind 2-1 wins both nights. UVM rallied for two goals in the second period on Friday and held on for a one-goal victory on night one. Ross Colton and Alex Esposito both had two-point nights, with the former netting the game-winner on a breakaway.

On Saturday, the Cats tied the game through Matt Alvaro in the second period, and Esposito's overtime shot deflected off Colton's skate with 55 seconds left for his second straight game-winner. Vermont registered its first weekend sweep of the season and first on the road since Nov. 28-29, 2014 at Maine.

Stefanos Lekkas grabbed a pair of wins in net, stopping 50 of the 52 shots he faced for a .962 save percentage. The victories pushed UVM into a three-way tie for eighth place in the Hockey East standings with UNH and UMass.

BACK-TO-BACK
A week after junior Liam Coughlin was named the Hockey East Player of the Week, sophomore Ross Colton earned the honor on Monday following the Catamounts' sweep over Merrimack. Colton registered a four-point weekend on the road that included two game-winning goals to beat the Warriors.

The forward has now scored in three consecutive games, which were all wins, and ranks fourth in Hockey East in total goals (14) this season. Colton's line, along with Alvaro and Esposito, combined for all four goals in the Merrimack series and 11 of the team's 12 points.

SCOUTING THE FRIARS
Providence enters the series ranked eighth in the USCHO poll with a 17-10-3 record and a 7-2-1 mark in its last 10 games. The Friars took three points from Northeastern in a home-and-home series last weekend and sit third in the Hockey East standings at 10-5-3, three points behind first-place Boston College.

Winnipeg Jets prospect Erik Foley paces the offense in goals (13), assists (17), and points (30). Hayden Hawkey has the fifth-most wins in the country (17) for a 17-8-2 record in 28 starts with a 2.19 goals against average and .913 save percentage.

The Friars boast the fifth-ranked penalty killing unit in the nation at 87%, yielding 24 goals on 138 attempts. Providence features nine NHL-drafted players, led by Pittsburgh Penguins second round selection Kasper Bjorkqvist.

Nate Leaman is in his seventh season as head coach, leading PC to its first National Championship in 2015 over Boston University. Last year, the Friars finished the season at 22-12-5 (12-7-3 HEA) and were eliminated in the NCAA East Regional Semifinal by Harvard.

SERIES HISTORY
Vermont enters the 61st and 62nd meetings of the all-time series with an overall record of 27-26-7 and a 14-14-1 mark at Gutterson Fieldhouse. The Catamounts are just 2-7-1 in their last 10 matchups against Providence, dating back to Dec. 20, 2012.

UVM secured a 4-3 victory last year at Schneider Arena on two-point nights from Trey Phillips, Alvaro, and Colton. Lekkas stopped 33 shots the following night, but Foley scored the eventual game-winner during a three-goal third period as Providence split the series with a 4-1 win.

STRONG DISCIPLINE
Since the holiday break, Vermont has been the most disciplined team in Hockey East with just 8.4 penalty minutes per game. The mark ranks seventh in the country during that time span. The Catamounts tied a season-low with only one penalty last Friday at Merrimack, doing so for the third time this season. During the first half, UVM was the fifth-highest penalized team in the league with 13.4 PIM per contest.

WHO'S NEXT
Vermont travels to face longtime rival New Hampshire next weekend on Friday, Feb. 9 at 7 p.m. and Saturday, Feb. 10 at 7:15 p.m. at the Whittemore Center. Both games will air live on ESPN3 in the U.S. and TSN GO in Canada.

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