BURLINGTON, Vt. – Vermont (5-17-2, 4-11-2 HE) women’s hockey indulges in an action-packed weekend, hosting #14 UConn (14-8-2, 12-3-2 HE) for a two-game weekend series from Gutterson Fieldhouse on Friday (Jan. 24) and Saturday (Jan. 25), concluding their regular season series with the Huskies. Both Friday and Saturday will have puck drop slated for 6 p.m. and will be broadcast live on ESPN+ with Rob Ryan on the call.
Friday is employee appreciation night. All UVM employees will receive free admission after showing proper ID.
Saturday will be the teams Pack the Gut game presented by Windjammer. Help break the Women’s Hockey East Attendance record! Tickets can be purchased for just $2.00. Community Bank & Windjammer will be hosting a Blanket Drive (new/gently used) to benefit Spectrum. Community Bank and Windjammer will also be raffling off two gift baskets (yeti/mugs/tumblers/$50 Windjammer GC). Community Bank will donate $10 to Spectrum for every blanket donated.
RELATED LINKS
Watch Live on ESPN+: Friday | Saturday
Live Stats
Tickets: Friday | Saturday
CatamounTV Weekly Press Conference: Coach Plumer | Skelton
VERMONT OUTLOOK
- Saturday’s Pack the Gut challenge game presented by Windjammer will be the teams 10th annual Pack the Gut challenge, holding a 4-4-1 record in the first nine games.
- During the first game between Vermont and UConn on January 5, 2025, in Storrs, CT, a third period comeback by the Huskies pushed UConn to a 3-2 victory over the Catamounts. Julia Mesplède and Oona Havana each notched their first career goal wearing the green and gold while McKenzie Cerrato collected one assist.
- Vermont is one of four Hockey East schools to have at least five defenders register at least one goal or more on the season so far, Bent, Natalie Zarcone, Ashley Kokavec, Hailey Eikos, and Josie Hemp all have notched at least one goal this season. UNH, Holy Cross, and Merrimack are the other three Hockey East schools.
- UVM has been solid in the faceoff circle this season, ranking 14th in the Nation in faceoff win percentage with a 52.1% success rate, good for third in Hockey East. Evelyne Blais-Savoie is at the forefront of these wins for UVM, individually ranking eighth in the Nation and first in Hockey East with 289 total wins on the campaign.
- Vermont is the only Hockey East school to have two centers in the conference in the top 10 for most faceoffs won this season. Blais-Savoie sits alone at the top with 289 while Rose-Marie Brochu is tied for 10th with 184 faceoff wins.
- Beecher leads a team high 12 points on four goals and a team high eight assists. Beecher also leads the team in shots, totaling 74 so far this season.
- Beecher’s 74 shots are the sixth most in the Hockey East conference this season.
- Blais-Savoie leads the team in goals, securing five on the campaign thus far to go along with three assists.
- Kokavec is tied for seventh place in Hockey East for most points as a defenseman, notching nine points on three goals and six assists. Her nine points leads all UVM blue liners.
- Kokavec has tallied 57 shots on the season thus far, the second most shots by a defenseman in Hockey East. (Providence’s Brooke Becker has the most as a defender, 69).
- Vermont is one of four Hockey East schools to have two defenders with three or more goals, (Eikos and Kokavec). Providence, Boston College, and New Hampshire are the other three schools.
SCOUTING THE HUSKIES
- UConn is 14-8-2 overall on the season and 12-3-2 in Hockey East play.
- The Huskies are unbeaten in their last seven matchups, posting a 5-0-2 record. Most recently, UConn is coming off a 3-0 shutout win over Maine on home ice.
- UConn holds a 7-4-1 home record while posting a 7-3-1 away record this season.
- The Huskies are led by first year forward Claire Murdoch who’s posted a team high 19 points on 10 goals and nine assists, tied for sixth most points in Hockey East so far this season.
- Four different UConn skaters have secured six or more goals, seeing Murdoch have 10 while Ashley Allard, Kyla Josifovic, and Jada Habisch each have six goals on the campaign thus far.
- The Catamounts are 16-34-8 all-time vs UConn with the most recent success coming during a 3-0 shutout victory over the Huskies from Gutterson Fieldhouse on February 17, 2024, during both programs final meeting last season.
For news and updates about the Vermont women’s hockey program, follow @UVMwhockey on Instagram, X, and Facebook, and visit UVMathletics.com.
The Windjammer Inn and Conference Center is the presenting sponsor of the UVM women’s hockey program
