MEN'S HOCKEY NOTEBOOK
Vermont (11-13-2, 4-10-2 HEA) hosts New Hampshire (10-9-8, 6-6-5 HEA) for a pair of critical Hockey East games this weekend at Gutterson Fieldhouse.
 
The puck is scheduled to drop at 7:05 p.m. on both Friday (Feb. 8) and Saturday (Feb. 9) in Burlington. Friday's game is Community Bank Night at Gutterson Fieldhouse. Fans will receive foam pucks. Play-by-play voice Michael Lehr is on the call for both games through WVMT 620-AM and CatamounTV.com.
 
RELATED LINKS
CatamounTV Preview
Friday: Tickets | Watch | Listen | Live Stats | Game Notes (.pdf)
Saturday: Tickets | Watch | Listen | Live Stats
 
FAN APPRECIATION NIGHT | Tickets
Saturday's game is Fan Appreciation Night at Gutterson Fieldhouse. Fans will have a chance to win several different prizes, including NHL tickets, TVs, Cabot Cheese for a year, and much more. The first 500 fans in attendance will receive a free hockey jersey, courtesy of People's United Bank. All fans in attendance will receive chocolate thanks to Lake Champlain Chocolates. Click here for a full list of prizes.
 
SCOUTING THE WILDCATS
New Hampshire enters the weekend in Burlington with a 10-9-8 overall record and 6-6-5 Hockey East mark. The Wildcats sit in seventh in the standings with 17 points in 17 games. UNH is 8-2-3 in its last 13 games dating back to early December.
 
Junior Liam Blackburn leads the team in points (24), senior Ara Nazarian leads the team in goals (12), and sophomore Charlie Kelleher leads the team in assists (17). Sophomore Mike Robinson has made 21 starts between the pipes for the Wildcats. He ranks 21st nationally in goals against average (2.27) and 22nd nationally in save percentage (.921) with a 9-7-7 record. UNH's power play ranks 13th nationally with a 22.0% success rate (20-for-91). Its penalty kill ranks 15th in the nation at 84.8% (95-for-112).
 
LAST TIME AT THE GUT | CatamounTV Highlights
Vermont and New Hampshire skated to a 4-4 tie in the last meeting at Gutterson Fieldhouse on October 28, 2017.
 
UNH, the 12th-ranked team in the nation, entered the third period with a 2-1 lead, but Craig Puffer's shorthanded tally 45 seconds into the frame tied the game at 2-2. The Wildcats responded quickly, scoring 37 seconds later to retake a 3-2 lead and adding another to make it 4-2 at 6:10 of the period. Vermont's Matt O'Donnell took the game into his own hands, scoring at 8:52 of the period and firing home a rebound with 35 seconds left to tie the game. The Catamounts held a 6-1 shot advantage over the Wildcats in overtime, but could not find the winner.
 
67th WALTER BROWN AWARD
The Gridiron Club of Boston named Lekkas one of 20 semifinalists for the 67th Walter Brown Award, presented annually to the best American-born college hockey player in New England. Lekkas is one of three goalies nominated for the regional honor, along with Quinnipiac's Andrew Shortridge and Providence's Hayden Hawkey. There are 11 Hockey East players nominated for the award. Northeastern's Adam Gaudette won the 2018 Walter Brown Award.
 
HOBEYLEKKAS | Vote for Stef
Stefanos Lekkas is one of 83 nominees for the 2019 Hobey Baker Memorial Award fan vote. Voting is open to fans through March 10, with a maximum of one vote allowed per day. Lekkas leads in the NCAA in saves per game (31.3) and is second in the nation in total saves (813). He ranks ninth in the nation in save percentage (.929).
 
Lekkas is one of eight goaltenders nominated for the award. Ryan Miller was the last netminder to win college hockey's top individual prize as a sophomore at Michigan State in 2001. Vermont's most recent Hobey Baker finalist was Viktor Stalberg in 2009.
 
HOCKEY EAST 35th ANNIVERSARY TEAM | Vote
Joe Fallon '08 and Viktor Stälberg '09 are Vermont's nominees for the Hockey East 35th Anniversary team. Fans can vote on the all-Hockey East squad using the link above.
 
Handy Toyota is the presenting sponsor of the 2018-19 men's hockey season