Photo Credit: Melissa Wade
Live: Video (B2) | Audio (WVMT) | Stats (GT)
Video Preview: Catamounts TV | You Tube
Game Notes: HTML | PDF
Tickets | Milo's Blog | Media Coverage | Catamounts All-Access

BURLINGTON, Vt. - In a rematch of last year’s NCAA Tournament first round game No. 18 Vermont hosts No. 11 Yale at Gutterson Fieldhouse on Monday at 7:05 p.m. (Radio – WVMT). The Catamounts knocked off the Bulldogs, 4-1, last March at Bridgeport Arena at Harbor Yard in Bridgeport, Conn., on the way to the Frozen Four.

“Both teams are completely different from last year,” Vermont head coach Kevin Sneddon said. “But they’re still a very talented team; that’s not going to change much from what we saw in the NCAA Tournament.”

Vermont (5-5-1, 4-4-1 HEA) completed one of its best road performances on the season at Northeastern in a 3-2 win on Friday. Sophomore Rob Madore stopped 28 shots to pick up the win in his first start since Nov. 14.

The Catamounts improved to 5-0 when holding their opponents scoreless on the power play in the victory against the Huskies. The penalty killing of senior Jay Anctil and junior Brett Leonard played a large part in Vermont going 4-for-4 on the kill against Northeastern. It was just the second time in 12 games this season that NU had gone without a power-play tally.

“I thought our guys did a great job at getting after it,” Sneddon said. “We were pretty tough on them to drive our point home, and insistent upon competing for 60 minutes.”

Offensively, Vermont’s power forwards, junior Jack Downing (6-3, 206), senior Brayden Irwin (6-5, 215) and freshman David Pacan (6-3, 193), each accounted for a goal in Friday’s win. Pacan has scored in two straight games and Irwin notched his team leading fifth goal of the season.

“I think it just comes down to paying attention to detail,” Irwin said. “In the past we’ve come off a win and kind of strayed away from what makes us successful. We’ve maybe been a little sloppy in our systems. A big reason why we play so well when we win is because we stick to what makes us a good team. So, it’s important for us to go into each game with that mentality and it will give us the best chance to come out with a win.”

Yale has won three straight games to improve to 5-2-2 (2-1-2 ECAC). The Bulldogs won the ECAC and Ivy League regular season championship last season for the first time in program history on the way to accumulating 24 victories.

Yale has plenty of offensive firepower, scoring 21 goals during its current three-game winning streak. The Bulldogs rank first in the country in scoring at 4.56 goals per game. Junior Broc Little has nine goals in nine games, sophomore Brian O’Neill has 13 points and three other players have already reached double-digit point totals.

“They’re a transition team,” Sneddon said. “They have great speed. We’ve got to have tremendous backpressure and good gap combination against these guys. I thought that was a success last year against them.”

Vermont begins a stretch on Monday where they will play eight of their next nine games at Gutterson Fieldhouse. The Catamounts are 2-1-1 at home this season.

NOTES: The Catamounts have out scored their opponents 26-23 at even strength but have been outscored 16-6 in special teams situations … Only Alabama-Huntsville (4) has scored fewer power-play goals than Vermont (5) this season … The Catamounts have outscored their opponents 26-24 in the first two periods but have been outscored 15-6 in the final 20 minutes ... According to the College Hockey News KRACH Ratings the Catamounts have played the sixth toughest schedule in the country and the most difficult schedule of any Hockey East team.