MEN'S HOCKEY NOTEBOOK
The Vermont (3-6-3) men's hockey team is back in action Sunday afternoon as they host undefeated, and 14th ranked Dartmouth (5-0-1) at 4 p.m. from Gutterson Fieldhouse. Sunday is the Catamounts annual Postgame Skate with the Cats, bring a helmet and skates to join the team on the ice following the contest. It is also Team Poster Day presented by UVM Print & Mail, the team will be signing autographs during the skate. In addition, the first 200 Kids (12 and under) Eat Free Courtesy of McKenzie Country Classics. Vouchers for free hot dogs will be distributed at door.
The game will be broadcast live on ESPN+ and TSN+ with Brian McLaughlin and Saint Michael's College Head Coach Damian DiGiulian on the call. Sunday's contest will also be broadcast on WVMT with the voice of the Catamounts Adam Lafleur in the Handy Toyota Broadcast Booth.
RELATED LINKS
Buy Tickets
CatamounTV Weekly Press Conference: Coach Wiedler
Watch Live: ESPN+
Listen Live
Live Stats
International Steaming
FIRST YEARS PRODUCING EARLY ON FOR UVM
- Two of the Catamounts top-three scorers are first years.
- Max Strand (1 Gl, 8 Ast) leads the team in scoring and Colin Kessler (4 Gl, 4 Ast) is tied for second on the team.
- 27 of Vermont's 82 points, 32.9%, have come from first years.
SPECIAL TEAMS HELPING LEAD WAY
- The Catamounts are ranked second in the NCAA with a 93.3% penalty kill this season.
- UVM has successfully killed off 28 of their opponents 30 opportunities with the extra man.
- The Catamounts have also scored six power play goals in their last seven games.
MANGBO SHUTTING THE DOOR
- Sophomore goaltender Axel Mangbo is one of two goalies (Jacob Fowler – BC) with two shutouts in league play this season.
- He shutout UMass on Nov. 9 (26 saves) and UConn on Nov. 2 (30 saves).
- He was named HEA Defensive Player of the Week on Nov. 4 and HEA Co-Goaltender of the Week on Nov. 11.
- He made a career-high 38 saves last Sunday in the Catamounts 3-2 win over No. 20 UMass.
FIRST CAREER MULTI-GOAL GAME FOR WALTHER
- Senior forward Isak Walther, a 2019 Sixth Round Draft Pick of the Nashville Predators, scored twice in the Catamounts 3-2 win over No. 20 UMass last Sunday.
- It was Walther's first career multi-goal game.
- Vermont is 3-1-2 in when Walther has a multi-point game in his career.
- Walther had a goal and an assist in Dartmouth's last trip to Gutterson Fieldhouse, a 5-1 loss on December 11, 2022.
SCOUTING THE BIG GREEN
- Dartmouth travels to No. 3 Boston College for a Black Friday matchup at 7 p.m. from Conte Forum.
- The Big Green are the only remaining undefeated team in Division I men's or women's hockey.
- The Big Green have been ranked in the national polls for the last three weeks, they have moved up in the poll in each of the three weeks. It is their best start to a season through six games since the 1957-58 campaign.
- The Big Green lead the nation in power play percentage at 41.2%. They've scored seven times on 17 opportunities.
- Dartmouth hasn't been unbeaten in the first eight games (Vermont contest will be their eighth game) of the season since the 1942-43 season when they finished the season 14-0-1.
- Dartmouth's leading point getter this season is sophomore forward Nikita Nikora he has 11 points (2 Gl, 9 Ast) this season to lead the Big Green. Nikora leads the country in points per game at 1.83.
- Sunday marks the 85th meeting between Vermont and Dartmouth in series history.
- The twin-state rivals have met annually since the 1977-78 season, except for the 2020-21 campaign due to COVID-19.
- Vermont holds a 52-25-7 all-time record against Dartmouth. UVM has won seven of the last nine meetings.
- Philip Törnqvist and Thomas Sinclair scored their first career goals against the Big Green on December 11, 2022.
CATAMOUNTS LEADERSHIP GROUP
Vermont men's hockey head coach
Steve Wiedler announced his team's leadership group for the 2024-25 campaign,
Will Zapernick and
Joel Määttä will serve as captains while
Jens Richards will be an alternate.
ALWAYS READY TO GO
Among players returning this season to Catamount Country, two players played in all 35 games during the 2023-24 season
Will Zapernick and
Timofei Spitserov. Zapernick has also played in all 12 contests this season.
For news and updates about the Vermont men's hockey program, follow @UVMmhockey on Instagram, X, and Facebook, and visit UVMathletics.com.
Handy Toyota is the presenting sponsor of the UVM men's hockey program
