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Vermont (4-8-3, 3-4-2 HEA) returns for more non-conference action this weekend as they travel to Schenectady, NY to face Union (9-5-1, 3-3-0 ECACH) for a weekend series with the Garnet Chargers. On Friday (Dec. 13), puck drop is scheduled for 7 p.m. while Saturday (Dec. 14) has a puck drop slated for 4 p.m. Both games will be played from Messa Rink at Achilles Center. Both games will air live on ESPN+ and as always, the games will also be broadcast on WVMT with the voice of the Catamounts Adam Lafleur in the Handy Toyota Broadcast Booth. Friday's matchup will also be aired live on TSN+.

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FIRST YEARS PRODUCING EARLY ON FOR UVM

• Two of the top three scorers for the Catamounts are first years.
• Max Strand leads the team in scoring with 12 points on three goals and a team high nine assists. Colin Kessler isn't far behind, producing 10 points on a team high five goals and five assists.
• 33 of Vermont's 111 points, 29.7%, have come from first years.
• First year blue-liner Jax Wismer tallied his first collegiate goal in a 7-4 win over LIU on Saturday (Dec. 7).
• Strand has recorded a point in four straight games, tallying two goals and two assists. Strand hasn't gone longer than two games this season without recording a point or more. He currently is tied for the eighth most points scored during Hockey East play.

SPECIAL TEAMS HELPING LEAD WAY

• The Catamounts are ranked fourth in Hockey East, 13th in the NCAA with an 87% penalty kill this season.
• Vermont has scored nine powerplay goals in the last 10 games.
• UVM notched their first shorthanded goal of the season against LIU on Saturday (Dec. 7), seeing Will Zapernick finish a breakaway opportunity pinning his shot five-hole. Joel Määttä and Luca Münzenberger each earned assists on the short-handed goal.

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 in the Catamounts last win over No. 20 UMass on Nov. 24.

OFFENSIVE SURGE

• UVM is coming off a nine goal weekend series with LIU, the highest scoring weekend series of the season thus far.
• Vermont's 7-4 win on Saturday (Dec. 7) over the Sharks was the first time the Catamount's scored seven goals in a single game since the 2016-17 season when UVM defeated Bently on December 30, 2016, winning by a score of 7-1.
• 15 different Catamounts registered a point or more on the way to their 7-4 victory over LIU. Six Catamounts notched a multi-point game highlighted by Thomas Sinclair recording his first career multi-goal game, scoring two goals against LIU.
• Määttä has earned four points in four games on four total assists. Münzenberger is on a point streak of his own, tallying five points in four games on one goal and four assists.

SCOUTING UNION

• Union is 9-5-1 overall this season and 3-3-0 in ECAC play.
• The Garnet Chargers most recently lost both games last weekend, falling to Princeton 2-1 on Friday (Dec.6) and #18 Quinnipiac 3-1 on Saturday (Dec.7). Both games were on the road, bringing Union's record to 4-3-0 on away games.
• Union returns home, concluding a four-game road-trip, posting a 2-2 record throughout that duration. The Garnet Chargers two wins came in a weekend sweep of Niagara during the final two games of November, defeating the Purple Eagles 4-2 and 5-3.
• The Garnet Chargers hold the fifth best scoring offense in the NCAA, scoring 3.40 goals per game, good for first in the ECACH. Union also has the second most power-play goals (13) and short-handed goals (2) in the ECACH.
• First year forward Ben Muthersbaugh leads the team with 17 points on eight goals (team high) and nine assists. He is one of 18 players in the NCAA who have recorded a hat trick so far this season.
• Union also leans on junior forward Nate Hanley, who's posted 15 points on five goals and a team high 10 assists.
• Vermont is 20-14-2 all-time against the Garnet Chargers, posting a 5-8-2 record when facing Union in Schenectady, NY.
• The teams last matchups came in a weekend series last year from Gutterson Fieldhouse, seeing each program deliver a win. Union took the first victory in the weekend series 5-4 on December 8, 2023, followed by the Catamounts winning the second game, 4-1, the next day.
• 11 different returning Catamounts registered a point or more throughout last season's home weekend series with the Garnet Chargers.

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, Zapernick and Timofei Spitserov. Zapernick has also played in all 15 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