Photo Credit: Mitchell Layton

MEN'S HOCKEY NOTEBOOK
The 15th-ranked University of Vermont men’s hockey team (2-3-0, 1-2-0 HEA) returns to action with a pair of games at Gutterson Fieldhouse this weekend. Vermont hosts UMass-Lowell (4-2-0, 2-1-0 HEA) on Friday at 7:05 p.m. and Providence (5-2-0, 1-1-0 HEA) on Sunday at 4 p.m. Both games can be heard live on the flagship station for UVM hockey on WVMT-AM 620 and on the Internet on SportsJuice.com beginning 30 minutes before game time. Video streaming is also available via B2 Networks on www.UVMathletics.com.

FAST FACTS
• Vermont has just three goals in its last two games after recording 16 goals in the first three contests. Senior Brayden Irwin leads the team in scoring with three goals and seven points. Irwin has a five-game point streak to begin the season and is the team leader in career scoring against UMass-Lowell with three goals and seven points in 11 games.

• The Catamounts play 11 of their next 15 games at home after playing four of their first five games on the road. Vermont is 17-8-4 in its last 29 home games and 56-39-19 (.575) under head coach Kevin Sneddon at Gutterson Fieldhouse.

• Friday’s game is a rematch of last season’s Hockey East Quarterfinals in which UMass-Lowell swept Vermont in the best-of-three series. The River Hawks won Game 1 in the series in dramatic fashion tying the game with 30 seconds remaining in regulation with an extra skater. Maury Edwards notched the game winner in overtime with 2 seconds remaining. The River Hawks took Game 2 of the series by the score of 4-2.

• Vermont has not lost three straight regular season Hockey East games since a four-game losing streak from Feb. 3-16 in 2007.

LAST TIME OUT
Maine scored three times on the power play, added a shorthanded goal and sophomore Scott Darling made 31 saves as the Black Bears defeated Vermont 4-1 in front of 4,289 at Alfond Sports Arena last Friday. Sophomore Matt Marshall scored his first goal of the season in the loss for the Catamounts. Maine went 3-for-10 on the power play and generated 25 of its 35 shots on the man advantage. The Catamounts were held scoreless on their five power-play chances. Sophomore Rob Madore made 35 saves in the loss.

PROMOTIONS
Friday at Gutterson Fieldhouse is $1 hot dog night courtesy of University Dining Sodexho. Friday also features the Lippa’s “Ice at Center Ice” promotion in between periods. One fan will have a chance to chip through the ice for a diamond pennant. If the fan gets through to the diamond pennant every fan can bring their ticket stub into Lippa’s Jewelers on Church St. for a 15-percent discount up until Valentine's Day. Sunday at Gutterson Fieldhouse there will be a “Skate with the Cats” at the conclusion of the Providence game. Fans are reminded to bring their skates. Both games will also feature Healthy Living samples in the Gutterson lobby.

POLL POSITION | USA Today/USA Hockey Poll | USCHO.com Poll | INCH PWR Rankings
Vermont is ranked 15th in the USCHO.com/CBS College Sports Poll and the USA Today/USA Hockey Poll this week. The Catamounts have been ranked in the USCHO.com Poll for 33 straight weeks. Vermont is ranked 12th in the latest Inside College Hockey Power Rakings.

IRWIN LEADS OFFENSE
Senior Brayden Irwin has a five-game point streak to begin the season and has a team leading three goals and seven points. Irwin also leads the team in shots (15), plus-minus (+6) and face offs (53%).

MCCARTHY NAMED HEA ROOKIE OF THE WEEK (10/19)
Freshman Chris McCarthy was named the Hockey East Rookie of the Week on Oct. 19. McCarthy scored a goal and had an assist in his first collegiate start in a 4-1 win over No. 12 Boston College on Oct. 18. McCarthy also had a team team-high three shots and a plus-1 rating.

BALANCED SCORING
Vermont lost its leading scorer from a year ago in Hobey Baker finalist Viktor Stålberg, who ranked fifth in the nation in goals with 24 while posting a team-high 46 points. Last year’s captains Dean Strong, Peter Lenes and Corey Carlson also departed with a combined 272 career points. So far the Catamounts have been able to replace that offense as 11 different players have already scored goals this season and Vermont ranks 17th in the country in scoring with 3.40 goals per game.

D-CORE
Vermont is one of only two teams in Hockey East this season to return all six of its starting defensemen and all of its goaltenders. The Catamounts six returning defensemen have combined to play in 442 career games.

AGAINST RANKED TEAMS
Vermont is 20-16-6 against ranked opponents since the start of the 2007-08 season. The Catamounts are 2-1-0 against ranked teams this season.

SCOUTING UMASS-LOWELL | UML Website
UMass-Lowell is 4-2-0 (2-1-0 HEA) after a two-game split against Boston University last weekend … The River Hawks were picked second in the Hockey East Preseason Coaches’ Poll … UML went 20-16-2 last season and advanced to the Hockey East championship game … Lowell has 11 seniors, including Kory Falite who is the team’s active leader in scoring with 44 goals and 78 points in 108 games … Falite is tied for the team lead in scoring this season with six points (2g, 4a) … Junior Maury Edwards was a finalist for Hockey East Player of the Year last season and ranked 13th in the nation among defenseman in scoring with 11 goals and 29 points … Edwards has 52 career points in 81 games … Senior goalies Carter Hutton (2-2-0, 2.48 GAA, .900 save%) and Nevin Hamilton (2-0-0, 2.50 GAA, .911 sv%) have split time in net … Hamilton has a 2.34 GAA and a .915 save percentage in 52 career games while Hutton has a 2.46 GAA and a .905 save percentage in 62 contests … Head coach Blaise McDonald is 130-139-34 in his nine seasons at Lowell.

SERIES STUFF
Vermont is 12-11-2 all-time against UMass-Lowell. The Catamounts are 5-6-2 against the River Hawks all-time at Gutterson Fieldhouse. Vermont is 6-6-2 against UML since joining Hockey East and winless in the last four meetings.

VERMONT’S LEADERS AGAINST UML
Brayden Irwin: 11GP – 3G-4A-7P
Wahsontiio Stacey: 8GP – 2G-3A-5P
Kyle Medvec: 8GP – 0G-3A-3P
Rob Madore: 5GP – 1-3-1, 2.40 GAA, .900 save%

SCOUTING PROVIDENCE | PC Website
Providence is 5-2-0 (1-1-0 HEA) after a two-game split with Massachusetts last weekend … PC won seven games all of last season … The Friars were picked ninth in the Hockey East Preseason Coaches’ Poll … PC has a win at No. 9 Notre Dame this season … Sophomore goalie Alex Beaudry was named the Hockey East Defensive Player of the Week and the Hockey East Goalie of the Month … Beaudry is 4-2-0 with a .939 save percentage and a 2.01 goals against average this season … Sophomore Matt Bergland leads the team in scoring with five goals and eight points. He also is the team’s career leader in points with 35 (15g, 20a) … Head coach Tim Army is in his fifth season and has a 53-80-16 record.

SERIES STUFF
Vermont is 21-15-3 all-time against Providence. The Catamounts went 2-0-1 against the Friars last season. Vermont is 11-7-0 against PC all-time at Gutterson Fieldhouse. The Catamounts are 7-3-2 against the Friars since joining Hockey East.

VERMONT’S LEADERS AGAINST PC
Brian Roloff: 9GP – 2G-4A-6P
Wahsontiio Stacey: 6GP – 2G-3A-5P
Colin Vock: 7GP – 2G-1A-3P
Rob Madore: 2GP – 2-0-0, 1.00 GAA, .964 save%

2009-10 HOCKEY EAST PRESEASON COACHES’ POLL

Vermont was picked to finish fourth in the 2009-10 Hockey East Preseason Coaches’ Poll released on Sept. 30 at Hockey East Media Day at the TD Garden in Boston, Mass. It’s the highest Hockey East preseason ranking for the Catamounts since joining the league.

Defending national champion Boston University was selected first in the 2009-10 Hockey East Preseason Coaches’ Poll with six first-place votes and a total of 84 points. UMass-Lowell was picked second and earned two first-place votes and 79 points. Boston College was selected third with 76 points while Vermont and New Hampshire were tied for fourth with 59 points apiece. Northeastern (57 points), Massachusetts (47 points), Maine (32 points), Providence (24 points) and Merrimack (23 points) rounded out the 10-team preseason poll.

2009-10 Hockey East Preseason Coaches’ Poll

First-Place Votes in Parenthesis

1. Boston University (6) - 84

2. UMass-Lowell (2) - 79

3. Boston College (2) - 76

4. Vermont - 59

4. New Hampshire - 59
6. Northeastern - 57

7. Massachusetts - 47

8. Maine - 32

9. Providence - 24

10. Merrimack - 23

CATAMOUNTS IN THE NHL
Six former Catamounts began the 2009-10 season in the National Hockey League including Viktor Stålberg, who was a Hobey Baker finalist last season with Vermont. Stålberg joined Torrey Mitchell ‘07 (San Jose), Martin St. Louis ‘97 (Tampa Bay), Patrick Sharp ‘02 (Chicago), Jaime Sifers ‘06 (Minnesota) and Tim Thomas ‘97 (Boston) in the NHL. Stålberg is currently playing in the AHL with the Toronto Marlies after playing the first nine games of the year in NHL. Sifers is currently playing in the AHL with the Houston Aeros.

NHL AWARDS
Vermont is the only college hockey program in the country that is home to the NHL's Hart, Pearson and Vezina trophies. Tim Thomas '97 won the Vezina trophy with the Boston Bruins last season and Martin St. Louis '97 collected the Hart and Pearson trophies in 2003-04 on his way to leading the Tampa Bay Lightning to the Stanley Cup.

TWO-SPORT MILO
Junior Justin Milo spent the summer playing professional baseball with the New York Yankees organization. Milo was a 37th round draft pick by the Yankees in the 2009 MLB draft and spent the majority of the summer playing for the Staten Island Yankees in the New York-Penn League. Milo hit .257 with a home run and 12 RBIs in 25 games in helping Staten Island win the NYP League championship. Vermont’s most prominent hockey/professional baseball player is Kirk McCaskill ’83, who spent 14 seasons in the major leagues with the California Angels and Chicago White Sox. McCaskill was a Hobey Baker finalist for the Catamounts in 1982.

SWEDISH CONNECTION
The Catamounts have three freshmen on their roster with ties to Sweden. Tobias Nilsson-Roos and Sebastian Stålberg both grew up in Sweden while Anders Franzon spent the 2007-08 season playing for Vastera in the Swedish Superelite Junior League. Sebastian Stålberg is the younger brother of Viktor Stålberg, who was a Hobey Baker finalist with the Catamounts in 2008-09. Viktor Stålberg signed with the Toronto Maple Leafs following last season and earned a spot on Toronto’s roster for the start of the 2009-10 NHL season.

CLUTCH CATAMOUNTS
Vermont is 22-12 in one-goal games dating back to the start of the 2007-08 season following a 5-4 loss Denver in the season opener on Oct. 9. Since the 2004-05 season the Catamounts are 43-29 in one-goal games under head coach Kevin Sneddon.

SCORE FOUR
Vermont is unbeaten in 52 of its last 54 games when scoring at least four goals following a 4-1 victory against No. 12 Boston College on Oct. 18. The only losses in that stretch for the Catamounts are a 6-5 overtime defeat to No. 9 New Hampshire on March 7, 2009 at Gutterson Fieldhouse and a 5-4 loss to Denver at Magness Arena on Oct. 9, 2009.

TOUGH TICKET
The Catamounts have sold out 95 of their last 103 home games and had a streak of 65 straight sellouts at one point during that stretch. Overall, Vermont has sold out 270 of the last 357 games at Gutterson Fieldhouse dating back to November of 1987.

HOME COOKING
Vermont is 364-259-45 all-time at Gutterson Fieldhouse. The Catamounts are 57-39-19 (.578) at home under head coach Kevin Sneddon. Last year the Catamounts went 10-6-4 at home and are off to a 1-0 start at home this season.

OUT OF THE GATE
Vermont is 51-16-13 in its last 80 games when scoring first after a 5-4 loss to No. 1 Denver in the season opener.

CLOSERS
Vermont is 79-5-11 in its last 95 games when leading after two periods during the Kevin Sneddon era. The Catamounts are 29-2-3 since the start of the 2007-08 season when leading after 40 minutes. This season Vermont is 2-1 when leading after two periods.

CATAMOUNT DRAFT PICKS

Vermont has four players on its roster that have been drafted by a NHL franchise. Junior Kyle Medvec was a fourth-round selection (102 overall) by Minnesota in the 2006 NHL Entry Draft. Sophomore Matt Marshall was a fifth-round pick by Tampa Bay in the 2007 draft (150 overall) while sophomore Drew MacKenzie was selected in the seventh-round (209 overall) by Buffalo. Freshman David Pacan was a sixth-round pick (177 overall) by Chicago in the 2009 draft.

NEWCOMERS

The Catamounts add six newcomers to the roster in the 2009-10. Vermont welcomes five freshmen forwards: Ben Albertson (Williston, Vt.), Chris McCarthy (Collegeville, Pa.), Tobias Nilsson-Roos (Malmo, Sweden), David Pacan (Ottawa, Ont.) and Sebastian Stålberg (Gothenburg, Sweden). Anders Franzon (Plattsburgh, N.Y.) is the lone freshman defenseman.

WHO’S NEXT

Vermont travels to Boston College for a two-game series next Saturday (7pm) and Sunday (4pm) at Kelley Rink.

2009-10 MEN’S HOCKEY TV SCHEDULE
(Dates, times and networks, subject to change)
Fri., Oct. 9 – at Denver – 9:30pm (EST) – Fox Sports Rocky Mountain
Sun., Oct. 18 – vs. Boston College – 5:00pm – ESPNU
Fri., Oct. 30 – at Maine – 7:00pm – WABI-TV
Sun., Dec. 6 – vs. New Hampshire – 3:00pm – ESPNU
Sun., Jan. 24 – at Massachusetts – 4:00pm – ESPNU
Sat., Feb. 6 – at Providence – 7:00pm – Cox Sports
Fri., Feb. 19 – at New Hampshire – 7:30pm – NESN
Fri., Feb. 26 – vs. Boston University – 7:30pm – NESN
Sun., Feb. 28 – vs. Boston University – 3:00pm – ESPNU

WEBCASTING VIA B2 NETWORKS | B2 Networks
Watch all home Vermont men's hockey games live on the Internet via B2 Networks. View each game on a pay-per-view basis for $7.00 each or buy a season package for $75. Log onto www.UVMathletics.com for more information.

RADIO
All University of Vermont men’s hockey games will once again be broadcast live on WVMT AM-620. All men’s hockey games can also be heard on the Internet via SportsJuice.com by logging on the www.UVMathletics.com.

KEVIN SNEDDON COACHES’ SHOW | WVMT Website
The Kevin Sneddon Coaches’ Show airs on WVMT AM-620 on Thursday at 9:30 a.m. throughout the season. The show can also be heard on the Internet at newstalk620wvmt.com.

CATAMOUNTS ALL-ACCESS | Click Here
Visit the Catamounts All-Access page at UVMathletics.com for information on how to get results of your favorite Catamount teams minutes after the conclusion of the game via a text message on your cell phone via eScores. The feature is available to anyone with a cell phone, regardless of cell phone service provider.

Also, stay up-to-date with the Catamounts. Sign up for the Vermont Men's Hockey eNews, offered free of charge by the Athletic Communications Office. Receive all the latest news and notes, as well as complete game summaries for every contest via your personal e-mail account.

Catamounts All-Access also includes links to UVM's other social networking sites like Flickr and YouTube, Vermont's television schedule, live stats, live audio streaming and wallpaper for your computer.

FOLLOW THE CATAMOUNTS ON TWITTER | Click Here
Fans can follow the Catamounts on Twitter. The department has a general Twitter account @UVMAthletics and the men's hockey team also has a Twitter account @UVM_M_Hockey. Follow @UVMAthletics for general news on the department and/or follow @UVM_M_Hockey for more in-depth coverage of the team, including in-game updates throughout the season.

PHOTO STORE | Click Here
Catamount faithful can purchase athletic pictures at www.UVMathletics.com via the Vermont Photo Store. Pictures make great gifts for holidays, home wall art, or office decorations. Powered by Replay Photos, the website will feature pictures of all 18 sports, including game action photos from the 2009-10 season.

GET YOUR GEAR | Click Here
The UVM athletic department, in conjunction with TeamFanShop, has launched its first-ever merchandise and apparel store through the school's official athletic site at UVMathletics.com. The new online store includes hats, polo shirts, shorts, t-shirts, gifts and much more from several leading manufacturers.