WOMEN'S HOCKEY NOTEBOOK
The Vermont Catamounts (5-2-4, 2-2-2 HEAW) are on the road again this weekend when they visit a pair of Hockey East opponents. UVM stops at UConn (6-4-0, 3-2-0 HEAW) on Friday (Nov. 15) for a 6 p.m. clash at Freitas Ice Forum. The Catamounts then travel to Schneider Arena on Sunday (Nov. 17) for a 1 p.m. tilt at Providence (4-5-2, 2-3-0 HEAW).
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RELATED LINKS
Women's Hockey Weekly Press Conference -Â CatamounTV
Friday at UConn – Watch | Live Stats | Game Notes (.pdf)
Sunday at Providence – Watch | Live Stats
SCOUTING THE HUSKIES
UConn enters Friday's game with a two-game winning streak after shutting out Brown 7-0 and defeating No. 5 Boston College 5-2 last week. The Huskies are currently tied with the Catamounts for fifth in Hockey East standings.
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Junior Natalie Snodgrass paces the UConn offense with 12 points (4 goals, 8 assists) as the only Husky in double-digits. Fellow junior Morgan Wabick leads Connecticut with five goals while her twin, Taylor, has eight assists to match Snodgrass for the team lead.
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Goaltenders Morgan Fisher and Samantha Carpentier-Yelle have split time evenly in goal. Carpentier-Yelle has the edge in save percentage (.934), goals against average (1.21) and record (4-1-0). Fisher (.914 SV%, 2.02 GAA) had 27 stops in the Huskies' win over fifth-ranked BC.
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INSIDE THE SERIES
Vermont and UConn square off for the 43rd time in series history on Friday in Storrs. The Cats are 10-27-5 in the all-time series and 5-6-2 when visiting the Huskies. UVM is 1-2-2 in the last five game against UConn with the win coming on Pack the Gut Night on February 9, 2018. Vermont has won two of the last four games in Connecticut and registered a tie at the XL Center in Hartford last year.
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SCOUTING THE FRIARS
Providence has dropped its last two games 5-2 to No. 7 Boston College and 2-1 to No. 10 Boston University and currently sits in eighth place in league standings.
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Junior Maureen Murphy leads the Friars with a team-high seven goals and 11 points. Blueliner Whitney Dove has seven assists and eight points to lead PC on the backend. Providence's top rookie has been Bailey Burton with three goals and three assists in her first 11 games.
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Senior Clare Minnerath has played the bulk of the season in goal for the Friars with a .894 save percentage and 2.68 goals against average. Minnerath had a career-best 33 saves in Providence's shutout win over No. 3 Northeastern.
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INSIDE THE SERIES
Sunday marks the 52nd all-time meeting between Vermont and Providence. The Catamounts have a 16-31-4 record against the Friars, but have a 3-2-0 mark in their last five trips to Schneider Arena. Last season, UVM defeated seventh-ranked Providence on the road in a 5-4 overtime thriller.
Alyssa Gorecki '19 scored the tying goal to force overtime with 7:49 left in the third period and
Ali O'Leary sealed the victory in the extra frame.
Ève-Audrey Picard had a goal and two assists, including a helper on the tying goal.
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DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Sophomore
Blanka Škodová was named Hockey East Defensive Player of the Week following her 25-save shutout in Vermont's 1-0 win over New Hampshire last weekend. The netminder registered 46 saves and allowed only two goals in two games against the Wildcats. Škodová's shutout was the third of her career and second against UNH. Coincidentally, the first of her career was also a 25-save performance against the Wildcats. The Šternberk, Czech Republic native has a .910 save percentage and 1.98 goals against average in nine starts this season. Her career 2.02 goals against average is currently the second-best in program history.
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HOT START
The Catamounts are currently off to their best 11-game start in program history with a .636 winning percentage. The previous best came in 2014-15 when Vermont started 6-4-1 for a .591 winning percentage.
The Windjammer and Upper Deck Pub is the presenting sponsor of the 2019-20 women's hockey season
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