WOMEN'S HOCKEY NOTEBOOK
After a weekend split with St. Lawrence the 12th-ranked Catamounts begin Hockey East play traveling to Merrimack. The teams face off Friday afternoon at 2 p.m. and then again Saturday at 4 p.m. All the action will be streamed live on ESPN+.

RELATED LINKS
CatamounTV Weekly Media: Plumer | Beecher
Live Stats
Live Video: ESPN+ | International Streaming ($)
 
PLUMER IN CONFERENCE OPENERS
The Catamounts are 7-3-1 all-time in Hockey East Openers under Head Coach Jim Plumer. UVM suffered a narrow 2-1 defeat to Holy Cross in last year's conference opener, with Natálie Mlýnková contributing an assist on Vermont's lone goal of the game.

CATAMOUNTS MAINTAIN RANK
For the third consecutive week, the Catamounts retain their No. 12 position in the USCHO poll. In the USA Today/USA Hockey poll, UVM also maintains its 12th rank for the second consecutive week.
 
BEECHER, MCPHERSON HOCKEY EAST STANDOUTS
Lara Beecher, the reigning Rookie of the Year, showcased her prowess with two goals and an assist in Saturday's impressive 6-2 victory over No. 11 St. Lawrence. Over the weekend, she had a plus-four rating for the 12th-ranked Catamounts.
 
Jessie McPherson delivered an outstanding performance, making 58 saves over the weekend, including 32 saves on Friday to anchor Vermont to a victory. This marked her second consecutive game with 30 or more saves and her seventh career outing with this achievement.

VERMONT SELECTED SECOND IN HOCKEY EAST PRESEASON POLL
The Catamounts also matched their highest ever ranking in the Hockey East Coaches' Preseason Poll. After finishing in second last season with a conference mark of 16-8-3 UVM was selected by the coaches to place second again this year. The reigning six-time defending champion Northeastern was picked first.
 
CATAMOUNTS LEADERSHIP GROUP
Head Coach Jim Plumer has selected five student-athletes to lead the Catamounts during the 2023-24 campaign. 2023 World Championship bronze medalist Natálie Mlýnková will serve as captain for Vermont. The Catamounts will have four alternates this season with Hailey Burns, Sara Levesque, Maddy Skelton and Alaina Tanski. Skelton served as an alternate captain last season as well.
 
CZECH CAPTAIN IS BACK FOR MORE
Senior captain Mlýnková is the top returning scorer in Hockey East this season. She set new career highs in goals (23), assists (19) and points (42) last year.
 
OFFENSIVE TOUCH KEY TO HISTORIC CAMPAIGNS
Vermont scored over 100 goals in each of the last two years for the first time in program history on their way to back-to-back second place finishes in Hockey East with a program record of 22 wins in each campaign. Vermont returns 56.1% of its scoring from a year ago.

SCOUTING THE WARRIORS
Merrimack stands at 4-2-1 on the season after a 1-0 victory against No. 7 Northeastern Friday night and skating to a 3-3 tie with New Hampshire Saturday. Calli Hogarth was named Hockey East Player of the Week after posting a 29-save shut out against the Huskies and delivering a 20-save game to secure the draw with UNH. In her last four starts, Hogarth boasts a 3-0-1 record, including two shutouts and an impressive .952 save percentage.
 
Celine Tedenby and Alex Ferguson lead the Warriors with three goals each this season. Mary Edmonds is the top contributor on the team in assists (four) and points (five).
 
SERIES HISTORY
The Catamounts are 11-8-2 all-time against Merrimack, including seven straight victories. Their last encounter was in February of last season, where Vermont defeated Merrimack with a score of 6-2, and four current Catamount skaters found the back of the net in that game. 

The Windjammer Inn and Conference Center is the presenting sponsor of the UVM women's hockey program