MEN'S HOCKEY NOTEBOOK
The Catamounts continue their season-opening six-game home stand this weekend as they host RPI. The single game will be played at 7 p.m. on Saturday night. The broadcast will air live for free on CollegeSportsLive. The new voice of the Catamounts, Adam LaFleur, will broadcast the action live on WVMT (FM 96.3 / AM 620).
RELATED LINKS
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CatamounTV Weekly Press Conference: Coach Woodcroft | Hamre
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PROMOTIONS
All UVM students in attendance will be entered to win a free season's pass to Smugglers Notch Ski Resort.
RPI REUNION FOR BABICHUK AND MOSER
Saturday night will be a reunion with Rensselaer for Assistant Coach
Scott Moser and sophomore defenseman
Cory Babichuk. Moser spent the last two seasons in the same role at RPI. In Moser's first season at RPI, the Tonawanda, N.Y., native helped the Engineers to one of their best seasons as they went 17-15-2. Their 13-8-1 ECAC Hockey record was good enough for a fourth-place finish.
During the 2019-20 season Babichuk skated in 27 games for the Engineers, registering four goals and 12 assists. He was a finalist for the ECAC Rookie of the Year and earned the teams Freshman of the Year award.
SCOUTING THE ENGINEERS
RPI will be making its first road trip of the season this weekend. The Engineers sit at 1-2-1 this season after two home weekends against Canisius and Bowling Green. Three of RPI's four games this season have gone to overtime. Their win came last Friday in a 6-2 decision over Canisius.
RPI's 12 goals this season have come from 10 different goal scorers. Senior forward Ottoville Leppanen and junior forward Ryan Mahshie are tied for the team lead with two goals apiece.
Graduate goaltender Linden Marshall has seen the majority of time in net for the Engineers. He's 1-1-1 this season with a 2.25 goals-against average and a .892 save percentage.
SERIES HISTORY
Vermont is 32-33-7 in 72 all-time meetings against the Engineers. The former ECAC rivals have played just four times since UVM joined Hockey East in the fall of 2005. Vermont has won five of the last six meetings in the series but it was RPI who won their last meeting 1-0 on February 1, 2020.
Vermont has played only seven teams (Boston University, Boston College, Clarkson, Dartmouth, UMass, New Hampshire, St. Lawrence) more in program history than RPI. The Catamounts will travel to Houston Field House on December 30 to face the Engineers on the road.
DRAFT CAPITAL
The Catamounts enter the new season with five NHL Draft picks on the roster. It is the first time in the 2000s UVM has had more than three players drafted on the roster at one time.
Robbie Stucker (Columbus, 2017 7th Rd.),
Andrei Buyalsky (Colorado, 2021 3rd Rd.), Luca Mu¨nzenberger (Edmonton, 2021 3rd Rd.),
Isak Walther (Nashville, 2019 6th Rd.) and
Timofei Spitserov (San Jose, 2020 7th Rd.) are sure to bring NHL attention to the program this season.
NEW FACES AT THE GUT
Second year Head Coach
Todd Woodcroft will field a significantly different team this year in Catamount Country. 14 Catamounts are eligible to make their debut for Vermont tomorrow night. UVM's newcomers include 10 first years, two juniors, one senior and a grad transfer.
GUT HOCKEY GOES INTERNATIONAL
The Vermont roster is comprised of student-athletes from nine different countries. There is at least one player from Finland, Latvia, Russia, Slovakia, Sweden, Germany, Kazakhstan, Canada and the United States. UVM features five players from Ontario the most of any province or state. Vermont's eight players from outside North America is tied for the second most of any Division I program with Lake Superior State. Only Alaska has more with 14.
VETERAN LEADERSHIP AMONGST CATAMOUNT CAPTAINS
Junior defenseman
Andrew Lucas will continue as the 62nd captain in program history this season. Senior
Carter Long and juniors
Jacques Bouquot and
William Lemay will serve as alternate captains.
WOODCROFT HEADED TO 2022 OLYMPICS WITH SWEDEN
Vermont Head Coach
Todd Woodcroft has been named an assistant coach with the Swedish national men's team for the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, China. The men's ice hockey competition at the 2022 Winter Olympic Games is slated for February 9-20, 2022. Games will be played at the National Indoor Stadium and the Wukesong Sports Centre in Beijing.
This past season he served as an assistant coach remotely with the 2021 Sweden national junior team at the IIHF World Junior Championships hosted in Edmonton, Alberta.
WINTER 2021 FAN AND VISITOR POLICY
The University of Vermont is now requiring anyone in a campus building to wear a face covering - regardless of vaccination status. The policy went into effect on August 5 to aid in protecting our community from the spread of COVID-19. In order to ensure the safety of students, staff and the community, UVM is now also expecting that all vaccine eligible visitors to campus, including fans attending athletic events, will be fully vaccinated.
Due to the ongoing health and safety protocols, concessions will be closed for the time being. No outside food will be permitted but fans are allowed to bring a reusable water bottle (maximum size 2 liters). Our policy will be reevaluated as circumstances evolve.
Handy Toyota is the presenting sponsor of the 2021-22 men's hockey season
