MEN'S HOCKEY NOTEBOOK
The Catamounts continue the 2022-23 regular season this weekend as they travel to face the defending Hockey East Regular Season Champions and eighth ranked Northeastern Huskies. The two-game series will be played at 7:30 p.m. on Friday and 7 p.m. on Saturday. The voice of the Catamounts, Adam LaFleur, will broadcast the action live on WVMT (FM 96.3 / AM 620) and the Varsity Network App, which you can download
here. Friday and Saturday's action will also be streamed live on ESPN+.
Friday's broadcast will also be available on NESN with Tyler Murray and Jim Connelly on the call. It will be one of three regular season appearances on NESN for the Catamounts. All games on NESN or NESN+ can also be streamed on the NESN 360 app with a direct subscription or by logging in with a participating TV provider.
RELATED LINKS
CatamounTV Weekly Media: Coach Woodcroft | Määttä
Live Video: ESPN+ | International Streaming ($)
Listen Live on the Varsity Network App
MÄÄTTÄ DOMINANT AT THE DOT
Sophomore forward Joel Määttä is 13th in the NCAA with a 67.3%-win rate at the faceoff circle for the Catamounts. His 33 won draws is third-best in the NCAA.
SCHACHLE EMERGING FOR THE CATAMOUNTS
Sophomore forward
Porter Schachle has six points in his last seven games against Hockey East opponents dating back to last season. Sunday, he had the Catamounts lone tally against UConn and he had five points over a four-game stretch at the end of last season.
SIZE MATTERS
The Catamounts as a team have an average height of 6'1.6" which makes them the tallest team in college hockey. Boston University (6'0.9") is the only other team in Hockey East in the top-10. Vermont is also fourth in the NCAA in average weight at 191.0 pounds.
SCOUTING THE HUSKIES
Northeastern is the only team in college hockey with two returning All-Americans in Devon Levi (2021-22: 21 wins, .954 save percentage) and Aidan McDonough (2021-22: 25 gl, 14 ast). There were only 10 returning All-Americans in Division I this season and UVM has played three of them (UConn – Ryan Tverberg) in the first two weekends of the season.
The Huskies opened the campaign last weekend with a single game at Matthews Arena against LIU. Northeastern defeated the Sharks 3-2 in overtime Saturday night with a breakaway goal from first year Vinny Borgesi.
SERIES HISTORY
The Catamounts lead the all-time series with Northeastern 35-32-8. UVM is 17-26-1 at Matthews Arena. Vermont's last win at Matthews Arena came in a 3-2 decision October 30, 2016. Vermont defeated Northeastern 1-0 on the strength of a
Will Zapernick game-winning goal on March 1 in the teams' last matchup.
CATAMOUNTS 2022-23 LEADERSHIP GROUP
Head Coach
Todd Woodcroft named senior forward
Jacques Bouquot the 63rd captain in program history earlier in September. Bouquot will be joined by alternate captains Joel Määttä,
Carter Long, William Zapernick and
William Lemay.
TRANSFERS LOOKING TO MAKE AN IMMEDIATE IMPACT
After the impactful transfers of
Philip Lagunov (2021-22) and Tristan Mullin (2020-21) over the last two seasons UVM is again looking to add experience to the roster.
Oskar Autio (Goalie – Penn State),
Eric Gotz (Defenseman – Michigan Tech) and
Finn Evans (Forward – Princeton) all made their Catamounts debut last weekend against UConn.
VERMONT CONNECTION SHINES AT 2022 WORLD JUNIORS
Joel Määttä became the first Catamount in program history to medal at the highest level of the World Juniors in August. He earned a silver medal with Finland, with three goals and an assist in seven games. Head Coach
Todd Woodcroft earned a bronze medal as an assistant coach with Sweden.
Ralfs Bergmanis (Latvia) and Luca Münzenberger (Germany) also competed at the 2022 IIHF World Juniors. Assistant Coach
Scott Moser served in the same role for Slovakia as well.
RECORD NUMBER OF CATAMOUNTS ATTEND NHL ROOKIE CAMPS
Vermont had a program-record 11 student-athletes (committed or enrolled) participate at NHL Development Camps this summer. Joel Määttä who was selected by the Edmonton Oilers in the seventh round of the 2022 NHL Draft attended Oilers camp with his UVM teammate Luca Münzenberger. Locally
Porter Schachle and
Gabe Carriere were invitees to the Boston Bruins development camp.
DRAFT CAPITAL
The Catamounts enter the new season with six NHL Draft picks on the roster.
Robbie Stucker (Columbus, 2017 7th Rd.),
Andrei Buyalsky (Colorado, 2021 3rd Rd.), Luca Munzenberger (Edmonton, 2021 3rd Rd.),
Isak Walther (Nashville, 2019 6th Rd.),
Timofei Spitserov (San Jose, 2020 7th Rd.) and Joel Määttä (Edmonton, 2022 7th Rd.) are sure to bring added NHL attention to the program this season.
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.
TRANSFORMATIONAL FACILITIES UPGRADE
This season is the Catamounts first year in their brand-new facilities in Gutterson Fieldhouse. Vermont will be using a newly built theater style video room, locker room and lounge and Athletic Medicine space this fall. UVM Athletics paired with AMI Graphics to complete the spaces. Watch the locker room reveal
here.
NEW SEASON, NEW JERSEYS
This season the Vermont men's and women's hockey teams are wearing new jerseys by Gemini Athletic Wear. Replica versions of the new men's road green jerseys are available now through the UVM Bookstore -
https://go.uvm.edu/newgreen. The Catamounts new green jersey will make its official debut Friday night at Northeastern.
Handy Toyota is the presenting sponsor of the 2022-23 men's hockey season
