WOMEN'S HOCKEY NOTEBOOK
With a four-game road trip in the rearview mirror, the Vermont women's hockey team returns to Burlington on Friday (Nov. 18) to host No. 10 Northeastern for a 2 p.m. game at Gutterson Fieldhouse. The squad then will prepare to take on Connecticut on Sunday (Nov. 20). Friday's game will also be UVM's third straight at home against a ranked foe.
 
Fans unable to make it to the weekend's contests can watch live with streaming video in high definition through CatamounTV.com. Live stats will also be available via SIDEARM Stats.
 
RELATED LINKS
Live Video
Live Stats
Tickets
 
GAMEDAY PROMOTIONS
FRIDAY
Caledonia County Day: All residents of Caledonia County are invited to the game at a discounted rate of $2.
 
SUNDAY
Teddy Bear Toss: Fans are encouraged to bring a teddy bear to Sunday's game to toss onto the ice during the first intermission. Teddy bears collected will be donated to community members in need.
High School Day: Local High Schools are invited to attend as a team.
Chittenden County Day: All residents of Chittenden County are invited to the game at a discounted rate of $2.
 
THAT'S A LOT OF HUSKIES...
The Catamounts' next three games will feature each of the three Division I teams in women's hockey nicknamed the Huskies. Following Sunday's game, UVM will prepare to host St. Cloud State on Friday, Nov. 25 to open the Windjammer Classic.
 
CATAMOUNTS RECAP
The Catamounts were dealt a 5-2 loss on Saturday at Providence, bouncing back on Sunday to leave Schneider Arena with a 1-1 tie in hand. After the Friars opened the scoring late in the first period, Bridget Baker tallied the equalizer for UVM at the 4:23 mark of the second. Baker chased down a loose puck in front of the Providence bench, then skated along the right wing and went top shelf on Madison Myers from the right faceoff circle. A 5-for-5 performance on the penalty kill also highlighted the day for the Green and Gold.
 
Madison Litchfield stopped 32 shots to preserve the draw.
 
SCOUTING NORTHEASTERN
Boasting a 10-3-1 record including a 6-1-0 mark in Hockey East, Northeastern sits second in the league standings and is ranked 10th in this week's USCHO Division I poll. The team was last in action over the weekend, sweeping a home-and-home with conference rival Merrimack by 4-2 scores in both games. Three goals in the third period pushed NU past the Warriors on Friday before McKenna Brand netted two in Saturday's win.
 
The Huskies' offense has been powered largely in part by junior Denisa Krížová (9-11-20), who has recorded a point in every game except the team's opener. With Saturday's results in the books, the Czech Republic product ranks fourth across Division I in career scoring (42-72-114). Sophomore Brittany Bugalski holds things down between the pipes. Her three shutouts lead Hockey East.
 
Now in his ninth season, head coach Dave Flint is coming off of a 2015-16 campaign in which Northeastern recorded its winningest season in program history (28-9-1). Last year, he also helped the Huskies punch their first ticket to the NCAA Tournament.
 
SCOUTING UCONN
In a three-way tie for seventh in Hockey East, UConn (7-4-1, 2-2-0 WHEA) resumes conference play after heading to Brown on Tuesday, Nov. 8 and coming away with a 3-1 win at Meehan Auditorium. It was the team's third straight win and third game in four days. Junior Leah Lum netted a power play goal with 6:03 to play to put away the contest.
 
With eight on the season, Lum is the team's leading goal-scorer and trails only junior Theresa Knutson (7-7-14) for the lead in points. Freshman Briana Colangelo (2-9-11) rounds out the Huskies' three double-digit scorers. Junior goaltender Annie Belanger (4-4-1) has seen the majority of time in goal and posted a 1.76 goals against average, splitting duties with freshman Morgan Fisher (3-0-0) who boasts a 1.34 GAA.
 
Head coach Chris MacKenzie is in the midst of his fourth season behind the UConn bench. The 2015 Hockey East Coach of the Year finalist previously served stints and Ohio State and Niagara. Prior to Niagara, he spent eight seasons on the men's side at UMass Lowell as an assistant with the River Hawks.
 
INSIDE THE SERIES
Both Northeastern and UConn lead their respective all-time series against the Catamounts. UVM's last win against NU came on Nov. 23, 2013 in a Saturday afternoon tilt at Gutterson Fieldhouse. Katie MacSorley opened the scoring for the visitors but the Catamounts used three unanswered tallies by Danielle Rancourt (2) and Amanda Pelkey to earn a 3-2 victory.
 
Vermont emerged on top of UConn in its first five meetings under head coach Jim Plumer as well as six of its first seven, outscoring the opposition by a 23-3 margin in the latter timeframe.
 
THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE HOME
This weekend marks UVM's first action at home since squaring off with then-No. 6 St. Lawrence on Saturday, Oct. 22. Kourtney Menches put Vermont on the board in the first period before the Saints used a shorthanded tally to tie things up in the middle stanza. The Catamounts had chances to regain the lead, but a top-shelf goal with just over 30 seconds to play sealed the win for St. Lawrence.
 
In a beginning-to-end thriller on Sunday, Oct. 9, Alyssa Gorecki broke a 2-2 tie with 4:59 to play as UVM knocked off Boston University, ranked ninth at the time. It was the team's sixth consecutive win in a Hockey East opener.
 
PLAYING YOUR CARDS RIGHT
Freshman Ève-Audrey Picard has made a splash in her brief time with UVM, posting a team-best nine points on four goals and five helpers. The Longueuil, Quebec product inked the scoresheet in six of Vermont's first eight games on the season and sits tied for fourth nationally among rookies with three power play goals. She became the first Catamount in the Hockey East era and just the first since 2000 to score twice in her collegiate debut, lighting the lamp twice at Union on Oct. 4.
 
As a result of her performances, Picard was honored as Hockey East Warrior Co-Player of the Week (Oct. 10) as well as UVM's TD Bank Student-Athlete of the Week (Oct. 10).
 
ALUMNAE WEEKEND SCHEDULED FOR FEBRUARY 3-4
All women's hockey Alumnae are invited to save the date for Alumnae Weekend, taking place Feb. 3-4, 2017 around Pack the Gut presented by The Windjammer. Details will be announced shortly. To ensure that you receive updates on this and other alumnae events, please contact the Victory Club office via phone at (802) 656-0956 or email at Victory.Club@uvm.edu with your updated contact information.
 
PLUMER ANNOUNCES TEAM CAPTAINS
Seniors Rachael Ade and Sarah Kelly as well as junior Taylor Willard will captain the Catamounts for the 2016-17 season.
 
CATAMOUNTS ADD FIVE TO ROSTER
Vermont has welcomed five newcomers to the squad this season. Forwards Allie Granato (Plainfield, Illinois), Ali O'Leary (Reading, Massachusetts) and Ève-Audrey Picard (Longueuil, Quebec), goaltender Sydney Scobee (Minnetrista, Minnesota) as well as sophomore transfer goalie Melissa Black (Newmarket, Ontario) have joined the team for 2016-17.
 
NEXT UP
The second annual Windjammer Classic is next on tap for the Catamounts as the squad welcomes St. Cloud State, Robert Morris and Clarkson to Burlington for the tournament. UVM will face off with St. Cloud State on Friday, Nov. 25 at 4 p.m.
 
Click here to hear Jim Plumer's look ahead to the event.
 
The Windjammer and Upper Deck Pub is the presenting sponsor of the 2016-17 women's hockey season