WOMEN'S HOCKEY NOTEBOOK
The Vermont Catamounts return from Thanksgiving to host the fifth annual Windjammer Classic on Friday (Nov. 29) and Saturday (Nov. 30) at Gutterson Fieldhouse.
 
The tournament kicks off at 1 p.m. on Friday when Minnesota State faces seventh-ranked Clarkson. Vermont then begins its tournament slate at 4 p.m. against Penn State. All four teams will advance to either Saturday's consolation game at 1 p.m. or the championship game at 4 p.m.
 
Tickets can be purchased online at UVMathletics.com/Tickets or at the Gutterson Fieldhouse Box Office on gameday.
 
RELATED LINKS
Friday – November 29
1 p.m. – Minnesota State vs. No. 7 Clarkson | Watch | Live Stats
4 p.m. – Vermont vs. Penn State | Watch | Live Stats | Tickets | Game Notes (.pdf)
 
Saturday – November 30
1 p.m. – Consolation Game | Watch | Live Stats | Tickets
4 p.m. – Championship Game | Watch | Live Stats | Tickets

TOURNAMENT HISTORY
The Windjammer Classic began in 2015 when the Catamounts hosted Cornell, Ohio State, and Boston University. Cornell won the inaugural tournament, followed by No. 5 Clarkson in 2016. Vermont fell to Clarkson in the title game that year, but looked to rebound the next year. Minnesota Duluth defeated the Catamounts in the 2017 title game, but Vermont produced one of the more exciting games with a shootout victory over RIT the night before. Second-ranked Minnesota was last year's champion with a win over the Catamounts.
 
SCOUTING PENN STATE
The Nittany Lions enter the Windjammer Classic with a 3-7-4 (0-3-1 CHA) mark after dropping four of their last five games.
 
Seniors Brooke Madsen (5 goals, 3 assists), Katie McMillan (3 goals, 5 assists), and sophomore Rene Gangarosa (2 goals, 6 assists) pace the Penn State offense. Gangarosa's assist total is a team-high and she leads all PSU defensemen in points. Chantal Burke has seen the majority of time in net with a .927 save percentage and a 1.98 goals against average in eight starts.
 
Penn State is 1-2-3 against Hockey East opponents this season with a 4-2 win over Providence (Oct. 18). The Nittany Lions dropped a pair of games to their last Hockey East opponent, Boston University

SCOUTING #7 CLARKSON
The seventh-ranked Golden Knights return to the Windjammer Classic for the first time since they won in 2016. Clarkson has a 10-2-4 (3-1-2 ECAC) record for fourth in their conference standings
 
Elizabeth Giguere leads the Golden Knights' offense with 27 points on 15 goals and 12 assists. The junior is currently tied for the most goals in the country and the fifth-most points in the nation. Rookie Gabrielle David is Division I's top scoring rookie with 22 points (6 goals, 16 assists). Former Hockey East foe Caitrin Lonergan transferred to Clarkson from Boston College for her senior season.
 
In between the pipes is sophomore Marie-Pier Coulombe who has a .941 save percentage and 1.38 goals against average, which are both fifth-best in the nation.
 
SCOUTING MINNESOTA STATE
The Mavericks enter the Windjammer Classic with a 5-8-2 (2-8-2 WCHA) record for sixth in their conference standings. Minnesota State has played one Hockey East opponent, Merrimack, and swept the Warriors with 4-3 and 5-3 wins at home. The Mavs have dropped four of their last five games.
 
Rookie Kelsey King leads the Mavericks' offense with 12 points on three goals and nine assists. Mariah Gardner has a team-high five goals and 11 points, joining King as the only Minnesota State skaters with double-digit points. Brooke Bryant began the year as the Mavs' top returning scorer with 20 points a season ago, but only has four points in 2019-20.
 
Sophomore Abigail Levy and freshman Calla Frank have split time in goal this season. Levy has posted a .915 save percentage and 2.56 goals against average in 10 games played while Frank has registered an .899 save percentage and 3.22 goals against average in eight games.
 
SIX SECONDS
Theresa Schafzahl registered the fastest goal in Vermont women's hockey history on Sunday (Nov. 24) against Boston University. The sophomore collected a faceoff win from Ève-Audrey Picard and notched her fourth goal of the season just six seconds after the opening puck drop. The previous fastest goal in program history came when Amanda Pelkey '15 scored 19 seconds into the Catamounts win over Union on October 24, 2014.

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