MEN'S HOCKEY NOTEBOOK
The Catamounts will host Yale at 2 p.m. on Sunday from Gutterson Fieldhouse in their first action of 2023. Sunday's action is presented by Community Bank who has partnered with Special Olympics Vermont. There will be tables in the lobby with small giveaway items, an on-ice shootout promotion with Special Olympics Vermont Athletes, and a swag toss during the first intermission. Following the game there will also be a Postgame Skate with the Cats, fans are encouraged to bring a helmet and their skates to participate.
Sunday's contest will air live on ESPN+ with Rob Ryan on the call. The voice of the Catamounts, Adam LaFleur, will broadcast the action from the Handy Toyota Broadcast Booth on WVMT (FM 96.3 / AM 620) and the Varsity Network App.
RELATED LINKS
Listen Live on the Varsity Network App
Live Stats
Live Video: ESPN+ | International Streaming ($)
Tickets
POWER PLAY CLICKING IN CATAMOUNT COUNTRY
Overall the Catamounts power play has converted on 11.4% of its opportunities this season. But in its last eight games Vermont is 7-for-32 on the power play good for 21.9%.
Jacques Bouquot, Vermont's leading scorer, has three power play goals for Vermont over its last eight games. Vermont is undefeated this season when scoring two or more goals on the power play this season.
CATAMOUNTS ARE FAST STARTERS
Vermont's best period this season has been the opening 20. The Catamounts are outscoring its opponents 17-6 in the first period. UVM has scored first in 12 of their games this season. In the first period UVM is outshooting its opponents 187-172, while in the other two periods it is 410-318 in favor of their opponents.
MASSIMO LOMBARDI MAKES CATAMOUNTS DEBUT
New first year forward
Massimo Lombardi from Beaconsfield, Quebec made his collegiate debut last Saturday against Lindenwood. The 5'10" 187-pound forward was a +1 with one shot on goal. Lombardi comes to Vermont after playing the last two seasons with the Cowichan Valley Capitals of the BCHL. This season he had nine goals and 16 assists for 25 points in 26 games. During the 2021-22 campaign, he had 20 goals and 27 assists for 47 points in 52 games, including the regular season and playoffs.
MOSER AND SLOVAKIA FINISH SIXTH AT 2023 WORLD JUNIORS
Vermont men's hockey assistant coach
Scott Moser served in the same capacity with the Slovakia National Junior Team at the 2023 IIHF World Junior Hockey Championship in Atlantic Canada. The Slovaks went 2-0-1-1 in the preliminary round including a 6-3 upset of the United States. In the quarterfinals, they pushed Connor Bedard and the host Canadians to overtime before falling 4-3.
SCOUTING YALE
Yale is 2-10-2 this season but in their second game of the New Year they tied No. 8 Merrimack 3-3 on the road Friday night. Junior forward Ian Carpentier scored his first two goals of the season for the Bulldogs in the tie. Yale hosted and defeated Army 5-1 on Monday night.
Yale is 0-4-0 against common opponents with Vermont having fallen twice to Dartmouth and to Colgate and Providence. First year forward David Chen leads Yale in scoring with four goals and four assists for eight points this season. Cole Donhauser also has four goals to share the team lead in that category. All four of Donhauser's goals have come this week, he earned his first career hat trick Monday against Army and scored Friday at Merrimack as well.
Sophomore goaltender Luke Pearson has started four of the Bulldogs last five games. He has maintained a .949 save percentage and 1.66 goals-against average this season and carries a 1-1-2 record into Sunday's action. Yale has the worst power play in the NCAA, converting just 8.3% of its opportunities.
SERIES HISTORY
Vermont and Yale meet for the 63rd time in series history Sunday afternoon at the Gut. The Catamounts hold a 26-31-5 all-time record against the Bulldogs. Last season the Bulldogs defeated Vermont 4-2 at home on November 24.
Will Zapernick and
Robbie Stucker scored the Catamounts goals. In Vermont's run to the 2009 Frozen Four the Catamounts defeated Yale 4-1 in the East Regional Semifinal in Bridgeport.
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.
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.
NOMINATE A HERO OF THE GUT PRESENTED BY MILTON CAT
Do you know of a Hometown Hero who has gone above and beyond in the community and would like to nominate and honor them as a
Hero of the Gut? We are looking to highlight active or retired military members as well as other Heroes of our community such as police officers, firefighters, EMTs, teachers, doctors and nurses just to name a few at our Men's and Women's Hockey games.
We invite anyone to submit their Hometown Hero to be our
Hero of The Gut. Recipients will receive tickets to their choice of a UVM Men's or Women's Hockey game, exclusive bench access pre-game, in-venue recognition (optional) and a token of appreciation.
Hero of the Gut is presented by
Milton Cat. Nominate today at
https://go.uvm.edu/hotg22.
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.
Handy Toyota is the presenting sponsor of the 2022-23 men's hockey season
