WOMEN'S HOCKEY NOTEBOOK
Vermont (7-7-5, 4-5-3 HEAW) returns from the holiday break for a conference matchup at third-ranked Northeastern (14-2-0, 11-2-0 HEAW) on Monday (Dec. 30). Puck drop is slated for 4 p.m. at Matthews Arena.
 
TELEVISION INFORMATION
Monday's game will be televised on NESN and the NESNgo app by logging in with your television provider. DirectTV viewers can find the game on channel 628 while Dish Network users can catch the game on channels 434 (SD) and 5434 (HD). For local Xfinity subscribers, NESN is located on channels 39 (SD) and 773 (HD). Click here for the NESN listings in your area.

RELATED LINKS
NESNgo | NESN Channel Listings | Live Stats | Game Notes

SCOUTING THE HUSKIES
Northeastern enters Monday's game with a 14-2-0 (11-2-0 HEAW) mark for first in the conference standings. The Huskies are currently third in the USCHO national poll. Northeastern's two losses have come to conference foes Providence (1-0) and Maine (3-2 OT).
 
Alina Mueller paces the offense for the second consecutive year with team-highs in assists (23) and points (32). Mueller has the most points in Hockey East and has the sixth-hightest total in the country. The sophomore was named Hockey East's Rookie of the Year a season ago, and was a Patty Kazmaier Top-10 Finalist.
 
Aerin Frankel has been the Huskies' go-to goaltender with a 0.79 goals against average (GAA) and a .965 save percentage (SV%) in 14 starts. Her GAA and SV% are both the second-best in the nation. The junior netminder represented Team USA in the 2019 Rivalry Series, recording 27 stops in a 2-1 win over Team Canada.
 
INSIDE THE SERIES
Monday marks the 48th all-time meeting between Vermont and Northeastern, dating back to Oct. 20, 2001. The Catamounts are 8-35-4 in the series and 4-6-0 in the last 10 meetings. The conference counterparts meet for the first time since the Hockey East Quarterfinals last season at Matthews Arena. The Huskies took the series in two games. UVM's last win over Northeastern came on Jan. 27, 2018 when Ève-Audrey Picard registered a hat trick that included the game-winning goal with 11.7 seconds left in regulation. Vermont took Northeastern to overtime last season, but fell 2-1 in the extra frame.
 
McCOOL NAMED HOCKEY EAST PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Prior to the holiday break, Corinne McCool was named Hockey East Player of the Week after netting a pair of game-winning goals in a two-game sweep at Maine. The sophomore scored the clinching goal late in the third period to seal a 3-2 win (Dec. 6). McCool then tallied the game-winner and added an assist the following day for her fifth two-point game of the season. In 18 games played this season, McCool is tied for the team lead with 16 points on eight goals and eight assists. McCool has recorded 23 points in her last 25 collegiate games.
 
CATS ALL-TIME AT THE BREAK
UVM is off to its third-best start at the holiday break in Division-I program history. Vermont currently has a .500 winning percentage. Only the 2016-17 (.529) and 2013-14 (.526) teams have had higher winning percentages at the break. The Catamounts made trips to the Hockey East Semifinals in both of those seasons.
 
CATS ON THE ROAD
The Catamounts are 5-2-3 on the road this season with a 3-1-1 mark in their last five games away from Gutterson Fieldhouse. Vermont averages 2.9 goals per game on the road and has the league's second-best road power-play unit (26.8%). The Cats only allow 18.8 shots per game on the road, which is the fewest in Hockey East.

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