WOMEN'S HOCKEY NOTEBOOK
Vermont (9-10-6, 6-8-4 HEAW) hosts third-ranked Northeastern (19-3-1, 16-2-0 HEAW) for a two-game home series that kicks off on Friday (Jan. 24). Puck drop is slated for 6 p.m. at Gutterson Fieldhouse. The Catamounts and the Huskies then square off on Saturday (Jan. 25) for the Rally Around Mental Health game at 4 p.m.

RELATED LINKS
Friday (Jan. 24) – Watch | Live Stats | Game Notes
Saturday (Jan. 25) – Watch | Live Stats

SCOUTING THE HUSKIES
Northeastern enters the series on a four-game shutout streak with a quartet of wins over Boston College and UConn. The last goal scored against the Huskies came in overtime on January 5, by Wisconsin's Caitlin Schneider. NU allows the second lowest goals against per game (0.87) with goaltender Aerin Frankel posting the nation's best save percentage (.961).
 
Alina Mueller leads Hockey East in scoring with 38 points (14 goals, 24 assists), which is the seventh highest total in the country. Linemate Chloé Aurard has 29 points this season, which is the second highest total in the conference.
 
INSIDE THE SERIES
The weekend series will mark the 49th and 50th all-time meetings between Vermont and Northeastern, dating back to October 20, 2001. UVM visited Northeastern earlier this season and skated to a hard-fought 4-2 loss in Boston. Corinne McCool and Maude Poulin-Labelle scored for Vermont place the Cats in a 2-2 in the third period. The Hockey East counterparts also met in the Hockey East Quarterfinals last season at Matthews Arena.
 
LAST WEEKEND AT BC
The Catamounts came out of last weekend's series with one Hockey East point after earning a tie on Saturday (Jan. 25) at Boston College. BC took Friday's high-scoring contest 7-5. Kristina Shanahan had a pair of goals while Theresa Schafzahl and Ève-Audrey Picard dished out two assists each. Corinne McCool, Val Caldwell, and Maude Poulin-Labelle also scored for Vermont. UVM erased a two-goal deficit the next day to earn a 2-2 tie. McCool and Schafzahl were the Cats' goal scorers in the comeback.
 
2020 SCHAFZAHL
Theresa Schafzahl has posted eight points (4 goals, 4 assists) in five games since the calendar flipped over to 2020. The sophomore leads all Hockey East skaters in points in the month of January with a one-point edge over Kristina Shanahan and Providence's Sara Hjalmarsson. The Weiz, Austria native has the nation's sixth-most points in the new calendar year.
 
HEADWAY FOUNDATION'S NEW TOUGH PACT
On Friday, the Catamounts are supporting the Headway Foundation by making the New Tough Pact. The Headway Foundation has worked to provide a platform for athletes of all ages and sports to positively change the athletes' approach to concussions. Fans can visit the Headway Foundation to make the New Tough Pact.
 
RALLY AROUND MENTAL HEALTH
Saturday is Rally Around Mental Health Day, an initiative that was created to help increase awareness and reduce stigma surrounding mental health. Led by student-athletes, the Rally Around Mental Health Committee offers educational programming and activities to promote mental health, resources for seeking help, and supports ongoing conversations about mental health. Fans are encouraged to stop by the table for more information, or to discuss why they Rally Around Mental Health.

PACK THE GUT
The Catamounts will be hosting the seventh annual Pack the Gut game on Friday (Feb. 7). The goal is to break the Hockey East attendance record, which was set by Vermont on Feb. 3, 2017 in the fourth annual Pack the Gut challenge. All tickets are on sale for $2. Presented by The Windjammer and Upper Deck Pub, this year's push to break the record will benefit Kayla's Directory. Kayla has been a member of the Vermont women's hockey team since 2015 through Team Impact. There will be an ice cream social after the game for fans to interact with their favorite Catamounts.  

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