MEN'S HOCKEY NOTEBOOK
Vermont (11-16-3, 6-12-2 HEA) embarks on its final road trip of the 2024-25 campaign this weekend as they travel to No. 5 Maine (19-6-5, 11-4-5) for a two-game series. The teams will faceoff at 7 p.m. on Friday and Saturday night from Alfond Arena. Both contests will air live on ESPN+ the games will also be broadcast on WVMT with the voice of the Catamounts Adam LaFleur, joined by Tyler Hewey in the Handy Toyota Broadcast Booth.
 
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MAATTA GOING OUT WITH SCORING BANG

• Senior co-captain Joel Määttä has five goals and four assists for nine points over UVM's last six games. over that stretch.
• With his recent form he is now the Catamounts leading scorer this season with nine goals and 16 assists for 25 points.

SPITSEROV HEATING UP

• Senior forward Timofei Spitserov is now tied for the team lead in scoring with 11 goals this season.
• UVM is 6-1-1 this season when Spitserov scores.

PLAYING WITH THE LEAD

• Vermont is 8-0-3 this season when leading after two periods.
• When leading after the opening frame the Catamounts are 6-3-1.
• The Catamounts have won three games this season when tied after the first period and second period.

ROAD WARRIORS

• The Catamounts 4-2 road win over Merrimack Feb. 14 was their eighth road win of the season.
• The eight road wins are the most by UVM since they had nine during the 2015-16 campaign.

SHOOT TO SCORE

• The Catamounts are shooting at a 11.1% clip this season which is tied for 10th in the NCAA. Only Boston University (11.9%) is scoring on a higher percentage of their shots in Hockey East.
• UVM is averaging 3.10 goals per game which would be their highest output since the 2016-17 campaign.
• Vermont has scored 93 goals this season already, their best output since the 2016-17 campaign. Their 53 goals in Hockey East play are also their best since 16-17.

CATAMOUNT FIRST YEARS FEATURED IN HOCKEY EAST MAGAZINE

• Hockey East Graduate Intern Allison Ouellette, a 2024 UVM grad and former intern with the men's hockey program, was recently on campus to interview Head Coach Steve Wiedler, Colin Kessler and Max Strand for the cover story of the third edition of the Hockey East Magazine.
• Read about the Catamounts transformational first year student-athletes at go.uvm.edu/heamag

PLAYOFF PICTURE

• The Catamounts enter the weekend in 10th place in Hockey East with 22 points. They are one point behind Northeastern and six back of UMass in eighth place. Seeds six-through eight in Hockey East will host seeds 9-11 in the Hockey East Opening Round on Wednesday, March 12.
• Entering the weekend UVM can finish anywhere from fourth to 11th in the league standings.
• Maine has clinched home ice in the Quarterfinals on Saturday, March 15.

SCOUTING THE BLACK BEARS

• The Black Bears enter the weekend series in second place in Hockey East with 42 points, five behind No. 1 Boston College, although Maine does have a game in hand.
• Last weekend Maine fell 3-2 in overtime in their only game at No. 10 UConn.
• Maine is 12-2-3 this season at Alfond Arena with its only losses coming to then No. 6 Denver (Jan. 3) and then No. 17 UConn (Jan. 17).
• They have only given up more than two goals at home on two occasions this season (Oct. 19 vs. Quinnipiac, Jan. 17 vs. UConn)
• Thirty-six percent of Maine's goals have come in the first two minutes or last two minutes of a period.
• Sophomore goaltender Albin Boija sits third in the nation with 1.64 goals-against average.
• Boija is just the second Hockey East goaltender since the start of the 2005-06 season to post a goals-against average below 1.65 in their first 29 games played.
• The Catamounts lead the all-time series against Maine with a record of 33-32-8.
• Last season Vermont split a weekend set with the Black Bears at the Gut. UVM took game one 2-1 before falling 3-2 in the second contest over then ninth-ranked Maine.
• Maine is 11-12-5 against UVM at Alfond Arena. In their last meeting at Alfond Arena Vermont topped the Black Bears 4-2 in the Opening Round of the 2023 Hockey East Tournament. Isak Walther scored the game-winning goal for UVM on the power play with 6:05 to play.
• During Coach Wiedler's time at UVM the Catamounts are 2-0-1 at Alfond Arena.

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 30 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