WOMEN'S HOCKEY NOTEBOOK
The Vermont Catamounts kick off the conference slate with a pair of games against Hockey East foes New Hampshire and No. 7 Boston College this weekend at Gutterson Fieldhouse. The Catamounts host the UNH Wildcats at 6 p.m. on Friday (Oct. 18). The Boston College Eagles visit Burlington on Sunday (Oct. 20) at 2 p.m. for the Rally Against Cancer Game, presented by Inspired Closets.
 
RELATED LINKS
Women's Hockey Weekly Press Conference - CatamounTV
Friday (Oct. 18) – Watch | Live Stats | Tickets | Game Notes (.pdf)
Sunday (Oct. 20) – Watch | Live Stats | Tickets

SCOUTING THE WILDCATS
New Hampshire enters Friday's game with a 3-1-1 (2-0-0 HEAW) mark after taking wins over conference foes UConn and Boston University last weekend. The Wildcats currently hold second place in Hockey East standings and received one vote in the most recent national poll.
 
Seniors Carlee Turner and Meghara McManus pace the UNH offense with six points each to start the season. Turner and McManus are in a four-way tie for the team lead in goals (3) with Emily Rickwood and Paige Rynne. Rookie Tamara Thiérus has the most assists on the team with five.
 
Goaltender Ava Boutilier has seen all of the action in net for the Wildcats with a .922 save percentage and 1.98 goals against average. The UNH netminder stopped 50 of 52 shots last weekend and posted a shutout against UConn to earn Hockey East Defensive Player of the Week.
 
INSIDE THE SERIES
Friday's game marks the 46th all-time meeting between Vermont and New Hampshire. UVM has a 13-27-5 record in the series and a 7-12-5 mark at Gutterson Fieldhouse. The Catamounts have posted a 4-3-3 record in the last 10 meetings with UNH and went 2-0-1 in the season series last year.
 
Ève-Audrey Picard led the Vermont offense against New Hampshire a season ago with three points (2 goals, 1 assists) and Alyssa Holmes had one goal and one assist in the season series. UVM's last win against UNH came on Nov. 2, 2018 at Gutterson Fieldhouse when Blanka Škodová recorded her first career win and shutout in a 1-0 victory over the Wildcats.


SCOUTING THE EAGLES
Seventh-ranked Boston College sits at the top of the Hockey East standings with a 4-0-0 (3-0-0 HEAW) record to start the season.
 
Rookie Hannah Bilka paces the offense with team-highs in goals (5), points (8), and shots on goal (18). She leads the conference rookie scoring race and has recorded the second-most points by a newcomer in the nation. Sophomore Cayla Barnes (2 goals, 5 assists) has tallied the most points by a Hockey East blueliner, one ahead of Vermont defender Maude Poulin-Labelle.
 
Maddy McArthur is the probable starter in net for the Eagles with a .960 save percentage and 1.00 goals against average through four games. Her save percentage is the third highest in the nation. She has registered two shutouts this year, which is tied for the most by a Hockey East goaltender.
 
INSIDE THE SERIES
This weekend's game is the 54th all-time meeting between the Catamounts and Boston College. Vermont's last win against the Eagles came Nov. 7, 2009 when Emily Walsh '13 netted two goals en route to a 5-1 victory on the road. In the last 10 games, the Catamounts have taken BC to overtime twice, including a double-overtime thriller in the 2017 Hockey East Semifinals. Ali O'Leary netted her first collegiate goal on the power play in the second period as Vermont rallied back from a 3-1 deficit to force overtime. Madison Litchfield '17 tallied 49 saves including 19 in the extra frames for the Cats.
 
LAST WEEK AGAINST ST. LAWRENCE
Vermont hosted the St. Lawrence in the home opening series last week at Gutterson Fieldhouse. The former ECAC foes skated to a 2-2 tie in Thursday's game (Oct. 10) before the Catamounts earned a 5-2 victory the following night. Lily Humphrey and Hailey Burns netted their first career goals while Maude Poulin-Labelle and Kristina Shanahan each had three-point weeks. UVM's win victory was the first against the Saints in program history.
 
HOCKEY EAST ROOKIE OF THE WEEK
Freshman forward Lily Humphrey was named Pro Ambitions Rookie of the Week by Hockey East following her two-goal series against St. Lawrence. The Huntington Beach, California native netted her first collegiate goal on the power play in Thursday's (Oct. 10) contest and chipped in her second to open the game the following night. Humphrey was the only Hockey East rookie to net goals last week.
 
RALLY AGAINST CANCER JERSEY AUCTION
The Catamounts will be wearing lavender jerseys, to represent the fight against all cancers, on Sunday (Oct. 20) in the Rally Against Cancer Game, presented by Inspired Closets. The lavender Vermont jerseys will be auctioned off starting now through October 24th with proceeds going to the University of Vermont Cancer Center. Click here to bid on a game-worn jersey.
 
FREE POSTER GIVEAWAY
Posters of the 2019-20 Vermont women's hockey team will be passed out after the game on Sunday (Oct. 20) an autograph session at the front of Gutterson Fieldhouse. The free poster giveaway is presented by UVM Print and Mail.

The Windjammer and Upper Deck Pub is the presenting sponsor of the 2019-20 women's hockey season