MEN'S HOCKEY NOTEBOOK
The Vermont (1-6-1, 1-2-1) men's hockey team returns to Gutterson Fieldhouse this weekend to host No. 11 Providence (8-5-0, 4-3-0) in a two-game Hockey East series. The Catamounts will host the Friars at 7:30 p.m. Friday and 7 p.m. on Saturday. Saturday night is the Catamounts annual, Military Appreciation Game presented by Milton CAT. Both games will be broadcast for free on CollegeSportsLive. The voice of the Catamounts, Adam LaFleur, will broadcast the action live on WVMT (FM 96.3 / AM 620).
 
RELATED LINKS
CatamounTV Weekly Press Conference: Coach Woodcroft | Vitolins
Live Stats
Live Video
Tickets
 
CAN FOR COFFEE FOOD DRIVE
At this Friday's game UVM will be hosting a Can for Coffee Food Drive presented by Keurig Dr Pepper to support the Vermont Foodbank. The first 250 fans to bring in a non-perishable food donation to the game will receive a free box of coffee!
 
COMPLIMENTARY TICKET SATURDAY FOR MILITARY PERSONNEL
All military personnel will receive a complimentary ticket for Saturday's game with a valid military ID.  A special group rate of $10 per general admission ticket is available for all military family members.
 
SPECIAL EDITION JERSEYS
Saturday is the Catamounts annual, Military Appreciation Game presented by Milton CAT. The Catamounts will wear special edition Military Appreciation jerseys for their game against the Friars on Saturday. These game-worn jerseys will be auctioned off starting at $125 per jersey. The auction will end on Saturday November 27, 2021 at 12 p.m. Proceeds from this jersey auction will go to the Josh Pallotta Fund.
 
The Josh Pallotta Fund was created by a group of Veterans, family, and community members in memory of Joshua R. Pallotta. It is a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting Veterans and Service Members by combining local and national resources, emergency services, and research to provide Veterans the resiliency, transition and reintegration tools to help them sustain or return to full and healthy lives. Please consider a donation to the Josh Pallotta Fund by visiting their joshpallottafund.org
 
UVM APPAREL DISCOUNT FOR MILITARY PERSONNEL
Active and retired military personnel in attendance Saturday evening will receive 20% off all apparel at the UVM Bookstore kiosk with valid identification. A camo long sleeve shirt and Operation Hat Trick caps and knit hats will be available this weekend.
                                                          
SCOUTING THE FRIARS
The Friars are 8-5-0 this season but their only regulation losses have come to teams ranked in the top-10 in the country. Last weekend at home Providence defeated AIC 2-1 in overtime on Friday and then defeated UConn 6-4 on Saturday. Sophomore forward Nick Poisson picked up his second four-point game of the season against the Huskies with four primary assists. For his efforts Poisson was named Hockey East Player of the Week for the second time this season.
 
First year PC defenseman Guillaume Richard was named Hockey East's Defensive Player of the Month for October. The fourth round Columbus Blue Jackets draft pick had a goal, four assists and a league-best +10 rating in October.

SERIES HISTORY
The all-time series between the two teams is tied at 28-28-11. UVM is 15-15-3 at home against the Friars. The teams last played each other at Gutterson Fieldhouse February 15, 2020, a 3-2 Friars win. This weekend will mark the 68th and 69th all-time meeting between the two. Both teams are 3-3-4 in the last 10 games against each other.

HAPPY MEMORIES FOR HARMON
Last season senior goaltender Tyler Harmon earned his first career shutout against the Friars on January 1 in a 0-0 tie. Harmon made 33 saves in net for UVM. It was the third scoreless tie in program history.

ESPOSITO RETURNS TO THE GUT
Providence graduate forward Alex Esposito will be making his return to Gutterson Fieldhouse this weekend. Esposito played 106 games over his four-year career as a Catamount registering 23 goals, 29 points and 52 points. This season he has one assist in six games for the Friars.

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.
 
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