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Tied for the final home ice playoff spot in Hockey East with six games remaining, longtime rivals Vermont and New Hampshire square off in an important two-game series this weekend at the Whittemore Center. Faceoff is set for 7 p.m. on Friday (Feb. 9) and 7:15 p.m. on Saturday (Feb. 10) in Durham.

Both games will air live on ESPN3 and the WatchESPN app in the U.S. and on TSN GO in Canada. Pre-game radio coverage on WVMT 620-AM and CatamounTV.com begins 30 minutes prior to faceoff each night with Alastair Ingram and USCHO's Jim Connelly on the call.

RELATED LINKS
ESPN3 | Audio | Live Stats
CatamounTV Preview | Game Notes (.pdf)

RALLY AGAINST CANCER AUCTION
Game-worn pink jerseys are being auctioned off through tonight for last week's annual Rally Against Cancer Game presented by Otter Creek Awnings and Vermont Custom Closets. Fans can bid on jerseys at UVMathletics.com/auctions with proceeds to benefit the University of Vermont Cancer Center.

PROVIDENCE RECAP | Highlights: Friday | Saturday
Vermont took three out of four points last weekend at home against No. 8 Providence with a 2-2 tie on Friday and a 4-3 win Saturday, extending its unbeaten streak to five games at 4-0-1.

The Friars stormed back from 2-0 down through 40 minutes to earn a point on Friday as Stefanos Lekkas registered a career-high 44 saves. Second period goals from Derek Lodermeier and Liam Coughlin helped UVM jump out to a 2-0 lead heading into the third. Coughlin produced the NCAA's No. 1 Hockey Play of the Week as he fought off two defenders before sniping a shot high.

Vermont collected three power play goals on Saturday night and came from behind three separate times, with two markers from Craig Puffer and the game-winner from Alex Esposito with just 6:33 remaining in regulation. The Cats' victory was their first win over a top-10 opponent since Dec. 9, 2016 against fifth-ranked Boston University.

A WEEKLY OCCURANCE
Lekkas was named the Hockey East Defensive Player of the Week on Monday, marking the third straight week that a Catamount has won a weekly league award. The sophomore netminder stopped a league-high 74 shots in the Providence series while recording a career-high 44 saves on Friday night.

Over the last month, Lekkas leads Hockey East with a .929 save percentage and is 4-2-2 during that span. Coughlin was the Hockey East Player of the Week on Jan. 22 with a four-goal weekend including a hat trick against UMass Lowell. Ross Colton earned the same honor on Jan. 29, scoring both game-winners in the Catamounts' road sweep over Merrimack.

BLOCK PARTY
Over the last three weekends, UVM ranks second in the nation behind only Penn State in blocked shots (112). The Catamounts blocked a season-high 30 shots last Saturday in their 4-3 win over eighth-ranked Providence. Vermont now leads Hockey East in blocks per contest (14.2).

Jake Massie is the league's second-best shot blocker with 52, while his D-partner Matt O'Donnell is 15th with 42 on the year. Massie is also tied for 21st nationally in shot blocking, and Corey Moriarty had a career-high five blocks last Saturday.

SCOUTING THE WILDCATS
New Hampshire enters the series at 10-13-5 (5-9-4 HEA), sitting in a tie for eighth place in Hockey East with UVM. The Wildcats took three of four points last weekend with a 1-1 tie against No. 11 Northeastern and a 3-1 win over UMass. The victory was New Hampshire's first since Dec. 6 to snap a 12-game winless streak.

Freshman defenseman Max Gildon paces the offense in goals (8) and points (22), while Michael McNicholas leads UNH in assists (17). Danny Tirone has seen action in 26 of 28 games this season with a 10-11-5 record, .918 save percentage, and 2.57 goals against average. The Wildcats boast the fourth-ranked penalty killing unit in the nation at 88.4%, which leads Hockey East.

UNH features five NHL-drafted players, led by Gildon who was a third round pick for Florida in 2017. Dick Umile, who will be honored by UNH this weekend, is in the final season of his 28-year career as head coach, registering a 596-366-113 record for 13th on the all-time wins list among Division I coaches.

SERIES HISTORY
Friday night marks the 112th all-time meeting in the series, which dates all the way back to UVM's first varsity season in 1963. Vermont has faced New Hampshire more often than any other school, with St. Lawrence ranking second at 95 all-time meetings. UVM has just two losses in its last 10 meetings against UNH, holding an overall record of 6-2-2 in that span.

The Catamounts fought back from 4-2 down in the third period to tie the Wildcats 4-4 back on Oct. 28 at Gutterson Fieldhouse. O'Donnell scored both the third and tying goals, and UVM registered a season-high 45 shots on goal. Matt Alvaro and Puffer also lit the lamp for Vermont, while Ara Nazarian had a pair of goals for UNH. 

WHO'S NEXT
Vermont returns to Burlington next weekend for a home series against 11th-ranked Northeastern on Senior Weekend (Feb. 16-17). Prior to next Saturday's game, UVM will honor the six-member Class of 2018: Drew Best (graduating early), Travis Blanleil, Rob Darrar, Anthony Petruzzelli, Trey Phillips, and Jarrid Privitera. Tickets are available by logging on to UVMathletics.com/Tickets or by calling 802-656-4410. 

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