WOMEN'S HOCKEY NOTEBOOK
The 11th ranked Catamounts will host a Hockey East Quarterfinal for the third consecutive season Saturday. The second-seed in Hockey East Vermont will host the eight-seed New Hampshire at 1 p.m. from Gutterson Fieldhouse. Tickets are available now at https://go.uvm.edu/23qtr. Youth ages 12 and under will receive a free ticket when they wear their favorite jersey to the game.
 
Saturday's matchup will air live on ESPN+ with Rob Ryan on the call. The game will also be available on a pay-per-view basis internationally at https://portal.stretchinternet.com/hockeyeast. Subscriptions to the service are available for $9.99 USD per month or $4.99 USD for individual games.
 
RELATED LINKS
Buy Tickets
CatamounTV Weekly Press Conference: Coach Plumer | Schafzahl
Live Stats
Live Video: ESPN+ | International Streaming ($)
 
KARJALAINEN NAMED HEA DEFENDER OF THE YEAR
Graduate defenseman Sini Karjalainen was named Army ROTC Hockey East Defender of the Year by the league office Wednesday. She shares the honor with Northeastern's Megan Carter. Karjalainen is the second Catamount in program history to receive the honor. It is the second straight year that a Husky and Catamount have shared the award after Skylar Fontaine and Maude Poulin-Labelle did so in 2021-22.
 
In 27 league games this season Karjalainen has two goals and 19 assists for 21 points. She also carries a +20 in league action, ninth best in Hockey East and fourth best among defenseman, playing top minutes against teams' top lines all year. Overall this season she has 23 assists, tying a program single season record.
 
CATAMOUNTS RECEIVE ALL-STAR NODS
Four Catamounts were named to Hockey East's All-Star Teams on Friday morning. Sini Karjalainen and Theresa Schafzahl were named First Team All-Stars while Jessie McPherson and Natálie Mlýnková were named Third Team All-Stars. In addition, first year forward Lara Beecher was named to the All-Rookie Team on Wednesday.
 
INTERNATIONAL CATAMOUNTS FEATURED IN THE NEW YORK TIMES
Natálie Mlýnková, Sini Karjalainen and Tynka Pátková were featured in the New York Times Friday by Alan Blinder. The article covers how Title IX has shaped their hockey careers in the form of opportunities in the United States. Read the full story now at - https://go.uvm.edu/nyt.
 
YOU DON'T WANT TO TRAIL VERMONT
The Catamounts are 14-0-2 this season when leading after the first period and 16-0-0 when leading after two periods. In nine of its 10 losses, this season Vermont has trailed after the opening period.
 
FINISHING STRONG
The Catamounts have been most effective this season during the third period. UVM has outscored its opponents 36-17 in the third and outshot teams 302-237.
 
RECORDS READY TO FALL
First Team All-Stars Sini Karjalainen and Theresa Schafzahl each have 23 assists this season matching the program record held by Alyssa Holmes (2021-22) and Brittany Zuback (2013-14).
 
ALL STARTS WITH POSSESSION
The Catamounts are fifth in the NCAA and first in Hockey East winning 55.2% of their faceoffs this season. Natálie Mlýnková has won a team-best 276 draws while Theresa Schafzahl as the best individual percentage on the team at 63.0%. Against the Wildcats this season Vermont won 74 of the 139 draws, good for 53.2%.
 
SCOUTING THE WILDCATS
UNH finished the regular season in eighth place in Hockey East with 32 points. On Wednesday evening in the Hockey East Opening Round they defeated the nine-seed Holy Cross 6-3. Trailing 3-2 midway through the second period the Wildcats scored the final four goals at the Whittemore Center to advance to the quarterfinals. Sophomore defenseman Marina Alvarez led the way for UNH with one goal and two assists.

Sophomore forward Kira Juodikis leads the Wildcats in scoring with 17 goals and 11 assists for 28 points. She was also named a Hockey East Third Team All-Star this morning. In the previous three meetings with Vermont this season the Catamounts have held her to one assist.

SERIES HISTORY
The Catamounts are 18-30-8 in the all-time series with the Wildcats as the conference foes square off for the 57th time this weekend. Vermont is 4-2-2 against the Wildcats over the last three seasons. The Catamounts have never faced New Hampshire in the postseason.
 
PLAYOFF HISTORY
The Catamounts are 5-16 in their Division I program history in the playoffs. All 11 appearances have come consecutively under Head Coach Jim Plumer. Vermont is 2-1 in program history hosting a quarterfinal contest. In 2014 UVM defeated Maine 3-2 in triple overtime, in 2021 the Black Bears upset the Catamounts 3-1 and last season the Catamounts topped Providence 4-1. Vermont has made three semifinal appearances in program history in 2014, 2017 and 2022.

LIFE AS A TWO-SEED IN HOCKEY EAST
Vermont finished as the two-seed in Hockey East for the second time in program history this season. It is UVM's second time higher than the four-seed. In the Hockey East tournament, the two-seed is 24-17 all-time, winning the league championship four times. The last two-seed to claim the league title was Boston University in 2015. The Terriers also won as the two-seed in 2014.
 
CZECH-MATES EARN BRONZE
Vermont forwards Tynka Pátková & Natálie Mlýnková earned bronze medals at the 2022 IIHF Women's World Championships in Denmark in September. Czechia defeated Switzerland 4-2 in the bronze medal game behind two goals from Mlýnková. It was Czechia's first-ever medal on the women's side. Former Catamount Blanka Škodová 
was also a member of the team.
 
There were three other current Catamounts in the tournament patrolling the blueline. First year Krista Parkkonen (Finland) made her World Championships debut while Sofie Skott (Denmark) and Sini Karjalainen (Finland) competed in their second World Championship at the senior level.
 
The Windjammer Inn and Conference Center is the presenting sponsor of the UVM women's hockey program