WOMEN'S HOCKEY NOTEBOOK
The Vermont Catamounts open the 2018-19 regular season Saturday at 4 p.m. with a Hockey East matchup against UConn at Gutterson Fieldhouse.
 
It is the 40th all-time meeting between the Cats and UConn and 20th at Gutterson Fieldhouse. The Huskies have the series lead, but Vermont has won three of the last five contests between the two schools.
 
RELATED LINKS
Video | Live Stats | Game Notes (.pdf)

SCOUTING THE HUSKIES
UConn has jumped out to a 2-0-0 (0-0-0 WHEA) record after posting back-to-back wins over St. Cloud State last weekend. Morgan Wabick paced the offense with a team-high four points (1 goal, 3 assists) while freshman defenseman Camryn Wong netted two goals to earn WHEA's Pro Ambitions Rookie of the Week. Junior Catherine Crawley also tallied two goals to tie Wong for the team lead. Morgan Fisher was in goal for both games stopping 60 of 64 shots to post a 1.97 GAA and .938 SV%. The power play was a successful 33.3% (3-9) while the Huskies killed off penalties at a rate of 75% (3-4). UConn skated to a 16-14-9 (7-11-6 WHEA) for seventh in league standings last season and made it to the Hockey East Semifinals after upsetting No. 2 Providence and top-seeded Boston College. The Huskies were voted sixth in this year's preseason coaches' poll.
 
SERIES HISTORY
Saturday's home opener marks the 20th time Vermont hosts the Huskies at Gutterson Fieldhouse. The Catamounts have a 10-25-4 series record in and a 5-10-4 mark at home, but have posted a 3-1-1 record in the last five meetings with UConn. Last season, Vermont won 2-1 on the road at Freitas Ice Forum and 1-0 at Gutterson Fieldhouse. They also registered a scoreless tie to follow the home victory. UVM's 1-0 win over the Huskies came during the Pack the Gut challenge on Feb. 9, 2018. Ali O'Leary received a drop pass from Alyssa Holmes before snapping a shot that beat UConn's netminder for the lone goal in front of a season-high 1,876 fans.
 
LAST WEEK'S EXHIBITION
UVM skated to a 3-2 exhibition win over McGill Saturday (Sept. 29) at Gutterson Fieldhouse. Sophomore Kristina Shanahan tallied two points (1 goal, 1 assist) which included a helper on the game-winning tally by Sammy Kolowrat. The senior captain rifled a shot through heavy traffic to beat McGill's Tricia Deguire over the blocker to lift the Catamounts. Saana Valkama also found the back of the net with a first period goal and junior transfer Abby Cleary registered an assist. Theresa Schafzahl was the lone rookie to record a point in the exhibition contest.
 
CATAMOUNT RETURNERS
The Catamounts return 15 members of the 2017-18 season. Senior captain Alyssa Gorecki headlines the forwards along with junior assistant captains Ève-Audrey Picard and Ali O'Leary. Kristina Shanahan, Olivia Kilberg, Val Caldwell, Allie Granato, Saana Valkama, and Alyssa Holmes round out the returning forwards.
 
Sammy Kolowrat also wears the 'C' leading the Vermont defense, with Taylor Flaherty as an assistant captain. Greta Close and Anna Erickson join the returning defensive group.
 
Melissa Black and Sierra Natzke return in goal for the Catamounts.
 
NEW FACES
Nine Catamounts headline the 2018-19 rookie class. Junior-transfer Abby Cleary provides experience on forward with freshmen Lilly Holmes, Theresa Schafzahl, Corinne McCool, and Alex Gray joining her up front.
 
Sini Karjalainen, Ellice Murphy, and Maude Poulin-Labelle make up the rookie defensive core.
 
Czech Republic native Blanka Škodová is the lone goalie in the class of 2022.
 
INTERNATIONAL CATS
The Vermont Catamounts women's hockey team calls five different countries home. Thirteen Americans and six Canadians make up a large chunk of the roster. Senior captain Sammy Kolowrat and Blanka Škodová are Czech Republic natives. Sini Karjalainen and Saana Valkama hail from the Scandinavian country Finland. Theresa Schafzahl is the first Austrian to suit up for the Vermont Catamounts.
 
2017-18 REVIEW
UVM skated to a 10-20-5 (7-13-4 WHEA) record last season. Ève-Audrey Picard paced the Cats with 14 goals and 11 assists for 25 points while owning a plus-3 rating. Taylor Willard '18 patrolled the defense for the Catamounts to earn Hockey East Honorable Mention. Vermont nabbed the eighth spot in the conference standings but were eliminated in two games by nationally-ranked Boston College in the Hockey East Quarterfinals.
 
LIGHT THE NIGHT
Vermont women's hockey paired with the men's hockey team for the Light the Night Walk Friday (Sept. 28). The team raised $1,720 for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, an organization that provides patient support services and advocates for lifesaving treatments. The UVM hockey programs combined to help LLS surpass its $110,000 fundraising goal.

UVM ALUMNI WEEKEND
Vermont Women's Hockey Alumnae who are interested in attending the game but are not registered for UVM Alumni Weekend can request tickets by e-mailing Victory.Club@uvm.edu by 5 p.m. on Friday (Oct. 5). Women's Hockey Alumnae are invited to join Victory Club members in the Coaches' Circle (Bostwick Room) starting one hour prior to game time through the second intermission (please contact the Victory Club office by 5 p.m. on Friday to be added to the list for Coaches' Circle access).

POSTER DAY
Fans are encouraged to stay after the game Saturday for a free poster and autographs from the women's hockey team courtesy of UVM Print and Mail.
 
The Windjammer and Upper Deck Pub is the presenting sponsor of the 2018-19 women's hockey season