MEN’S HOCKEY NOTEBOOK
As Vermont (8-8-3, 3-4-2 HEA) embarks on a sequence of 15 Hockey East matches in 57 days to conclude the regular season, they will enter a two-game series against No. 13 Boston University (9-7-1, 5-3-1 HEA) this weekend while riding a five-game winning streak. The rivalry will take place at Agganis Arena at 7 p.m. on Friday and 5 p.m. on Saturday. Both matches will be streamed live on ESPN+, and the games will also be aired on WVMT with Adam LaFleur covering the Catamounts in the Handy Toyota Broadcast Booth.
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STRAND NAMED HEA AND NATIONAL ROOKIE OF THE MONTH FOR DECEMBER
- Strand has become the first men’s player from Vermont to earn a monthly accolade from the Hockey Commissioner’s Association.
- No freshman in the nation accumulated more points in December than Strand, who contributed a point in each of the Catamounts’ six games.
- He tallied four goals and three assists to assist Vermont in concluding 2024 on a four-game winning run.
- He led all rookies nationally with two power-play goals, and his 31 faceoff victories ranked seventh among NCAA freshmen, first among his peers in Hockey East.
FRESHMEN MAKING AN IMPACT FOR UVM
- Two of the leading three scorers for the Catamounts are newcomers.
- Max Strand tops the team with 18 points, consisting of six goals and a team-high 12 assists. Colin Kessler follows closely, achieving 15 points with a team-leading six goals and nine assists.
- Strand has achieved points in eight consecutive games, contributing five goals and five assists. He has not gone more than two games this season without earning a point.
SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYING A KEY ROLE
- The Catamounts currently sit third in Hockey East and 11th in the NCAA with an 87.7% penalty kill rate this season.
- Vermont has netted 13 power-play goals in the last 14 contests.
- During their last five matches, Vermont scored six power-play goals.
- The Catamounts’ power play is ranked 17th in the NCAA, converting 23.3% of opportunities, marking the fifth-best man advantage in Hockey East.
MANGBO KEEPING IT SOLID
- Sophomore netminder Axel Mangbo is one of two goalkeepers (Jacob Fowler – BC) with two shutouts in league play this season.
- He achieved a shutout against UMass on Nov. 9 (26 saves) and another against UConn on Nov. 2 (30 saves).
- He was honored as HEA Defensive Player of the Week on Nov. 4 and HEA Co-Goaltender of the Week on Nov. 11.
- Mangbo recorded a career-high 38 saves in the Catamounts’ victory over No. 20 UMass on Nov. 24.
- He has been the starter in seven of the Catamounts’ last eight games.
- In December, he maintained a 3-2-0 record with a .916 save rate and a 1.83 goals-against average.
OFFENSIVE EXPLOSION
- The Catamounts have scored 32 goals in their last six matches, achieving a 5-1-0 record during this span.
- Vermont’s 7-4 triumph on Dec. 7 against the Sharks marked the first instance the Catamounts netted seven goals in a single match since the 2016-17 season when they overpowered Bently 7-1 on December 30, 2016.
- On two occasions during this stretch, the Catamounts scored four goals in the opening period – on Dec. 29 at Army and Dec. 13 at Union.
- In their latest game, UVM scored eight against St. Lawrence, defeating the Saints 8-1. This was the first time Vermont scored eight goals since topping UMass 11-1 on November 22, 2014. Assistant Coach Brendan Bradley had one goal and two assists in that match.
MOSER RETURNS AT 2025 WORLD JUNIORS IN OTTAWA
- Associate Head Coach Scott Moser returned to his role as an Assistant Coach with Team Slovakia at the 2025 World Junior Championships held in Ottawa.
- This marks the fifth consecutive tournament that Moser has worked with the Slovak team.
- Throughout recent seasons with the Slovak program, Moser has guided over 20 NHL draft selections, including five first-round picks, with first and second overall selections Juraj Slafkovsky and Simon Nemec.
- Team Slovakia concluded the tournament in sixth place after a 5-3 defeat against Finland in the Quarterfinals.
SCOUTING THE TERRIERS
- The Terriers head into the weekend in a four-way tie for second place in Hockey East with 17 points (BC, BU, Providence, UMass Lowell). Each of these teams has played nine conference games this season. Maine leads the league with 18 points.
- Three American freshmen from BU were members of the Gold Medal-winning USA World Junior Team – Cole Eiserman, Cole Hutson, and Brandon Svoboda.
- Hutson made history as the first defenseman in World Juniors to finish the tournament as the top scorer, accruing three goals and eight assists for a total of 11 points.
- BU sophomore defenseman Tom Willander finished fourth overall at the World Juniors while representing Sweden. All four of these players are projected to make their return to the lineup this weekend.
- Vermont has an all-time record of 24-61-10 against the Terriers. Boston University has triumphed in the last seven encounters.
- Vermont’s last victory took place in January 2022, when William Lemay accomplished his first career game-winning goal in overtime, beating the Terriers 2-1 on Jan. 21. This marked the first occurrence in program history that UVM defeated Boston University in overtime.
CATAMOUNTS LEADERSHIP GROUP
ALWAYS PREPARED TO PLAY
- Among the players returning this season to Catamount Country, two participated in all 35 games during the 2023-24 season, Zapernick and Timofei Spitserov. Zapernick has also featured in all 19 matches this season.
For news and updates about the Vermont men’s hockey program, follow @UVMmhockey on Instagram, X, and Facebook, and visit UVMathletics.com.
Handy Toyota is the presenting sponsor of the UVM men’s hockey program