WOMEN'S HOCKEY NOTEBOOK
The Vermont Catamounts (2-1-3, 0-1-1 HEAW) hit the road for their first conference road trip of the season when they visit the Merrimack Warriors (2-4-1, 0-4-1 HEAW) on Friday (Oct. 25) and Saturday (Oct. 26) at Lawler Rink in North Andover, Massachusetts. Both games are slated for 2 p.m. opening puck drops.
 
RELATED LINKS
Friday (Oct. 25) – Watch | Live Stats | Game Notes (.pdf)
Sunday (Oct. 26) – Watch | Live Stats

SCOUTING THE WARRIORS (2-1-3, 0-1-1 HEAW)
Merrimack enters the series in a tie with Vermont for sixth in Hockey East standings, but has played three more conference games than the Catamounts.
 
Mikyla Grant- Mentis leads the Warrior offense with six points (4 goals, 2 assists) through seven games this season. The senior forward also has 32 shots on goal, which is the third highest total in Hockey East. In 111 career games, Grant-Mentis has tallied 90 points (40 goals, 50 assists).
 
Merrimack lost one of Hockey East's top goaltenders to graduation last year, but have senior Léa-Kristine Demers in net this season. Demers has 49 career games under her belt and has registered a .906 save percentage and 2.96 goals against average in six starts this season.
 
INSIDE THE SERIES
The Catamounts are 4-7-1 in the all-time series as they take on Merrimack for the 13th and 14th times in the history of the two programs. Vermont is 2-2-1 in the last five games at Lawler Rink with a sweep in the 2017-18 season. The two-game sweep in North Andover was the last time that Vermont swept a series on the road.
 
Merrimack took two of the three games played last year between the two Hockey East programs. The Warriors won 2-1 at Lawler Rink on October 26, and followed it up with a 4-1 victory in Burlington (Jan. 11). Vermont won 5-4 in the final game of the season series the next day with third-period goals by Olivia Kilberg and Alyssa Gorecki '19 to complete the comeback.

LOOKING BACK AT LAST WEEKEND
Vermont hosted New Hampshire and seventh-ranked Boston College last weekend to open up the conference slate.
 
The Catamounts jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first period on goals by Lilly Holmes, Corinne McCool, and Ali O'Leary against the Wildcats (Oct. 18). New Hampshire clawed back to force a 3-3 tie.
 
Vermont struck first against the nationally-ranked Eagles (Oct. 20), but BC answered with three goals to take a 3-1 lead. Theresa Schafzahl's third-period goal led to a final push as the Catamounts outshot the Eagles 35-29 in the 3-2 loss. UVM wore lavender jerseys to support the fight against all cancers, as they played the Eagles in the Rally Against Cancer Game, presented by Inspired Closets.
 
FIVE-GAME UNBEATEN START
The Vermont Catamounts started the 2019-20 campaign with a five-game unbeaten streak, which is the best start in program history. The 2-0-3 start came with wins and ties against RIT, St. Lawrence, and conference foe New Hampshire, but was snapped against No. 7 Boston College. UVM's previous best start (4-0-0) came in the 2007-08 campaign with wins over Sacred Heart and Union.
 
TOO McCOOL FOR SCHOOL
Sophomore Corinne McCool has started the 2019-20 season at a point per game pace with three goals and three assists in the young season. McCool opened up the season with a four-point performance at RIT, which included game-winning and game-tying goals. The right-shooting forward has nine points in her last 10 collegiate games, dating back to the 2018-19 season.
 
HOLMES SHORTHANDED
Lilly Holmes netted her second career goal in Friday's tie against New Hampshire. Coincidentally, the first-period marker was also the second shorthanded goal of her career. Holmes' registered her first goal on her first career shot last season against UConn. The Saratoga Springs, New York native is one of only seven players in Division I women's hockey to record a shorthanded goal this season.  

The Windjammer and Upper Deck Pub is the presenting sponsor of the 2019-20 women's hockey season