MEN'S HOCKEY NOTEBOOK
The Vermont (1-8-1, 1-4-1) men's hockey team begins a four-game road trip tomorrow night as they travel to New Haven, Conn. to face Yale (0-6-0, 0-5-0) in non-conference action. Wednesday's game will air live on ESPN+ at 7 p.m. and the voice of the Catamounts, Adam LaFleur, will broadcast the action live on WVMT (FM 96.3 / AM 620).
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LAGUNOV AND NEWCOMERS MAKING AN IMPACT
Graduate forward
Philip Lagunov has made an immediate impact with the Catamounts, he leads the team in goals and points this season with five goals and two assists for seven points. On November 1, he was named Hockey East Co-Player of the Week after scoring twice in UVM's 5-4 overtime win over No. 9 Boston College, including the game-winner.
11 of Vermont's 19 goals have come from newcomers this season. Newcomers have also been responsible for 51.8% of UVM's points scored.
IT ALL STARTS AT THE DOT
Vermont is fifth in the NCAA and first in Hockey East winning 54.4% of their faceoffs. Sophomore forward
Ray Vitolins has won 66.1% of his draws and first year
Simon Jellus has won 65.0%.
BID NOW ON SPECIAL EDITION JERSEYS
Last Saturday the Catamounts wore special edition Military Appreciation jerseys for their annual Military Appreciation Game presented by Milton CAT. These game-worn jerseys are being auctioned off, starting at $125 per jersey. The auction ends this Saturday, November 27 at noon. Proceeds from this jersey auction will go to the Josh Pallotta Fund. Bid now at
https://uvmathletics.com/auctions/.
SCOUTING THE BULLDOGS
After not competing during the 2020-21 campaign due to Ivy League COVID-19 policies Yale is off to a slow start this season going 0-6-0. Yale has been shutout in four of those games including its last two games at Cornell and Colgate on the weekend. They have not yet scored on the power play this season. The Elis have played two home games at Ingalls Rink this season, falling 3-0 to Quinnipiac and 6-2 to Princeton on the weekend of November 5-7.
With injuries hitting Yale they have played the last two weekends with just eight or nine healthy forwards. Sophomore forward Niklas Allain leads the team in scoring two goals and four points. The Bulldogs have three goaltenders with limited collegiate, neither had seen NCAA game action before this fall. The trio of Luke Pearson, Connor Hopkins, Nathan Reid has each started two games.
SERIES HISTORY
Vermont and Yale meet for the 62nd time in series history Wednesday night at Ingalls Rink. The Catamounts hold a 26-30-5 all-time record against the Bulldogs. In Vermont's run to the 2009 Frozen Four the Catamounts defeated Yale 4-1 in the East Regional Semifinal in Bridgeport.
DRAFT CAPITAL
The Catamounts enter the new season with five NHL Draft picks on the roster. It is the first time in the 2000s UVM has had more than three players drafted on the roster at one time.
Robbie Stucker (Columbus, 2017 7th Rd.),
Andrei Buyalsky (Colorado, 2021 3rd Rd.), Luca Mu¨nzenberger (Edmonton, 2021 3rd Rd.),
Isak Walther (Nashville, 2019 6th Rd.) and
Timofei Spitserov (San Jose, 2020 7th Rd.) are sure to bring NHL attention to the program this season.
NEW FACES AT THE GUT
Second year Head Coach
Todd Woodcroft will field a significantly different team this year in Catamount Country. 14 Catamounts are eligible to make their debut for Vermont tomorrow night. UVM's newcomers include 10 first years, two juniors, one senior and a grad transfer.
GUT HOCKEY GOES INTERNATIONAL
The Vermont roster is comprised of student-athletes from nine different countries. There is at least one player from Finland, Latvia, Russia, Slovakia, Sweden, Germany, Kazakhstan, Canada and the United States. UVM features five players from Ontario the most of any province or state. Vermont's eight players from outside North America is tied for the second most of any Division I program with Lake Superior State. Only Alaska has more with 14.
WOODCROFT HEADED TO 2022 OLYMPICS WITH SWEDEN
Vermont Head Coach
Todd Woodcroft has been named an assistant coach with the Swedish national men's team for the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, China. The men's ice hockey competition at the 2022 Winter Olympic Games is slated for February 9-20, 2022. Games will be played at the National Indoor Stadium and the Wukesong Sports Centre in Beijing.
This past season he served as an assistant coach remotely with the 2021 Sweden national junior team at the IIHF World Junior Championships hosted in Edmonton, Alberta.
Handy Toyota is the presenting sponsor of the 2021-22 men's hockey season
