MEN'S HOCKEY NOTEBOOK
The Vermont (1-5-0, 1-1-0) men's hockey team hits the road for the first time this season as they travel to face New Hampshire (3-6-0, 1-4-0) in a two-game Hockey East series. Friday night's action is set for 7 p.m. and will be broadcast on NESN with Tim Neverett and Jim Connelly on the call. Saturday the teams will do it again at 7 p.m. with the broadcast airing live for free on CollegeSportsLive. The voice of the Catamounts, Adam LaFleur, will broadcast the action both nights live on WVMT (FM 96.3 / AM 620).
Friday's contest will also be available on CollegeSportsLive outside of New England and the NESN broadcast territory.
RELATED LINKS
CatamounTV Weekly Press Conference: Coach Woodcroft | Zapernick
Friday: Live Stats | Live Video (outside New England)
Saturday: Live Stats | Live Video
LAGUNOV MAKING AN IMPACT
Graduate forward
Philip Lagunov has made an immediate impact with the Catamounts, he leads the team in scoring with four goals this season. On November 1, he was named Hockey East Co-Player of the Week after scoring twice in UVM's 5-4 overtime win over No. 9 Boston College, including the game-winner.
A NIGHT OF FIRSTS
In UVM's 5-4 win over Boston College 13 days ago it was a milestone night for several Catamounts. First years
Simon Jellus and
Isak Walther scored their first career goals and sophomore goaltender
Gabe Carriere earned his first career win. It was also the Catamounts first win over a ranked opponent in the
Todd Woodcroft era.
HARMON STRONG IN THE BLUE PAINT
Graduate goaltender
Tyler Harmon is 19th in the NCAA and fourth in Hockey East with a .923 save percentage. He has played 251:48 of game action this season and made 108 saves for the Catamounts. His goals-against average sits at 2.14, which is 21st in the NCAA.
SCOUTING THE WILDCATS
After starting the season with two wins over Union the Wildcats have won just one game in their last seven. On October 30, they defeated Providence 2-1 in overtime with a Jackson Pierson game-winner. Last weekend they were swept by No. 17 Northeastern in a home-and-home series by 4-1 scores in each contest.
Senior forward Tyler Ward leads the team in scoring with five points, he has one goal and four assists. Four players are tied for the team lead in goals with two for UNH. The Wildcats have killed 28 of 31 penalties this season and their 90.3 percentage is third in Hockey East and ninth nationally.
SERIES HISTORY
Friday marks the 120th meeting between Vermont and New Hampshire. UNH holds an 82-27-10 record in the series, bolstered by a 32-4-0 record to begin the series. The series dates back to UVM's first varsity season. Vermont played New Hampshire in its third-ever game, losing 6-3 in Durham.
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.
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.
Handy Toyota is the presenting sponsor of the 2021-22 men's hockey season
