Feb. 2, 2006

#11 Vermont Visits #9 Providence For Weekend Series

VERMONT MEN’S HOCKEY NOTEBOOK
The 11th-ranked University of Vermont men’s hockey team returns to 
action this weekend for a pair of Hockey East games against No. 9 
Providence at Schneider Arena. The games on Friday and Saturday both 
begin at 7:00pm. The Catamounts enter the weekend at 16-8-2 (8-7-2, 
Hockey East) while the Friars are 14-9-1 (11-5-1, Hockey East). Both 
games can be heard on WVMT-620 AM and on the Internet via 
SportsJuice.com.

LAST TIME OUT … No. 11 Vermont fell to Merrimack last Friday 4-2 and 
defeated the Warriors 4-3 in overtime on Saturday … Senior Jeff Corey 
(Boothwyn, Pa.) scored three goals on the weekend including the 
game-winner in overtime on Saturday … On Friday night Vermont’s home 
shutout streak ended in the second period after going 266 minutes and 
three seconds without allowing a goal at Gutterson Fieldhouse … Vermont 
had recorded four straight shutouts at home and hadn’t allowed a goal 
at the ‘Gut’ since Dec. 17 against St. Lawrence … Senior Matt 
Syroczynski (Hamburg, N.Y.) notched his third goal of the year on 
Friday … Senior Ben Driver (Georgia, Vt.) scored his first goal of the 
season in Saturday’s win and freshman Dean Strong (Mississauga, 
Ontario) also scored in the victory … Junior defenseman Ryan Gunderson 
(Bensalem, Pa.) and senior assistant captain Brady Leisenring (Stowe, 
Vt.) each had three assists on the weekend … Senior captain Jaime 
Sifers (Stratford, Conn.) picked up two assists … On Saturday senior 
goalie Travis Russell (Essex Junction, Vt.) made his first start in net 
since Dec. 2 and made 16 saves to improve his season record to 3-0 … It 
also was the 18th win of Russell’s career … Sophomore Mike Arcieri 
(Northport, N.Y.), junior Andy Corran (Burlington, Vt.), freshman Kyle 
Kuk (Monroe, Mich.) and sophomore Torrey Mitchell (Greenfield Park, 
Quebec) all had one assist on the weekend.

WEEKLY HOCKEY EAST HONOR ROLL … Jeff Corey, Ryan Gunderson and Brady 
Leisenring were all named to this week’s Hockey East Honor Roll for 
their efforts last weekend. Corey scored three goals in two games 
against Merrimack to extend his season total to a team leading 11 
goals. Corey has been named to the weekly honor roll three times this 
season. Gunderson dished out three assists last weekend including two 
on Friday. It was the sixth multi-assist game of his career. Leisenring 
also had three assists on the weekend including two in the overtime win 
on Saturday. It was Leisenring’s first multi-point game since Nov. 11 
against Providence after starting the season with a multi-point game in 
seven of the first nine contests. Leisenring has been named to the 
weekly honor roll three times this season and also was named Hockey 
East Player of the Week on Oct. 17 and the Hockey East Player of the 
Month for October.

OVERTIME … Including last Saturday’s 4-3 overtime victory against 
Merrimack, the Catamounts are 2-0-2 in OT this season. Vermont is now 
4-0-7 in its last 11 overtime games dating back to January of 2004. 
UVM’s last overtime loss came on Jan. 31, 2004 in a 3-2 defeat against 
Rensselaer at Gutterson Fieldhouse.

CLOSERS … Vermont is 12-0-2 when leading after two periods this season. 
Vermont is 30-1-2 in the last 33 games overall with the lead after two 
periods.

HOT START … Vermont is 30-5-2 in its last 37 games when scoring first. 
This season the Catamounts have outscored their opponents 23-11 in the 
opening period and are 12-1-1 when scoring first.

SIFERS TO BE HONORED ON FEBRUARY 11 BEFORE MAINE GAME AS HUMANITARIAN 
AWARD FINALIST… University of Vermont senior captain Jaime Sifers is 
one of seven finalists for the 2006 Hockey Humanitarian Award, 
presented annually to college hockey's finest citizen. He will be 
honored as a finalist for the award before Vermont’s game against Maine 
on Saturday, Feb. 11 at 7:05pm. The Hockey Humanitarian Award annually 
honors college hockey's finest citizen and seeks to recognize college 
hockey players, Division I or Division III, male or female, who give 
back to their community in the true humanitarian spirit. The award 
seeks not to celebrate Hall of Fame athletes, but rather Hall of Fame 
human beings. The 11th recipient of the Hockey Humanitarian Award will 
be selected from the group of finalists and named in a ceremony held in 
conjunction with the first-ever NCAA Skills Competition on Friday, 
April 7 in Milwaukee, Wis., during the 2006 NCAA Frozen Four. “Jaime is 
one of the toughest competitors in college hockey, yet off the ice he 
is one of hockey’s finest citizens,” Vermont head coach Kevin Sneddon 
said. “He has had a major impact on the growth of community service 
participation during his time at the University of Vermont. This is a 
tremendous honor for Jaime, his family and the University.” More 
information on the history of the award, the 2006 schedule of events 
and a list of past nominees, finalists and recipients can be found at 
www.hockeyhumanitarian.org.

POLL POSITION … The Catamounts are ranked 11th in the latest USA 
Today/American Hockey Magazine poll and 13th in the USCHO.com/CSTV 
poll. Prior to this week Vermont had been ranked in the top-10 for 13 
consecutive weeks dating back to October 31. UVM was ranked as high as 
third in the nation from Dec. 5 to Dec. 18.

TORREY TIME … Sophomore Torrey Mitchell leads the team in scoring with 
29 points (8 goals, 21 assists) and he has the fourth most points in 
Hockey East. Mitchell’s 21 assists also rank second in the conference. 
His 15 power play points (5 goals, 10 assists) are tied for the third 
most in Hockey East.

CENTURY CLUB … With 92 points (43 goals, 49 assists) in his career Jeff 
Corey is eight points shy of becoming the 40th Catamount to reach 100 
points in his career. Earlier this season senior assistant captain 
Brady Leisenring reached 100 points in his career with two goals and an 
assist in a win over Providence.

D-FENCE … The Catamounts are third in the country in scoring defense 
allowing a Hockey East best 1.77 goals per game. Vermont has allowed 
just 46 goals so far this season, while only Wisconsin and Cornell with 
45 goals allowed have given up fewer. Vermont also ranks second on the 
penalty kill allowing just 11 power-play goals on 113 chances this 
season. The two games against Merrimack marked the first time all year 
Vermont gave up more than two goals in a game in consecutive contests 
this season.

POWER PLAY ... Nationally Vermont ranks 11th in the country on the 
power play scoring 30 times on 152 chances this season (19.7%). Vermont 
has scored 30 of its 71 goals on the man advantage. UVM finished last 
season ranked 27th in the country on the power play.

OUT OF THE BOX … Vermont is the least penalized team in the country 
this year averaging just 13.1 penalty-minutes per game. The next lowest 
penalized team is St. Cloud State at 13.9 penalty-minutes per game. 
Mercyhurst leads the country in penalty-minutes averaging 26.5 per 
game. Last season Vermont ranked 30th in the nation in penalty-minutes 
averaging 17.3/game.

ON OFFENSE … As a team Vermont is tied for the eighth best scoring 
margin in the country at + 0.96 and the Catamounts average 2.73 goals 
per game. Torrey Mitchell leads the team and has the fourth most points 
in Hockey East with 29 points (8 goals, 21 assists). His 21 assists are 
the second most in the conference. Senior assistant captain Brady 
Leisenring is second on the team and tied for sixth in Hockey East in 
scoring with 27 points (9 goals, 18 assists). Senior Jeff Corey leads 
the team in goals with 11 and his 24 points (11 goals, 13 assists) 
ranks tied for 11th in the conference. Freshman Dean Strong is fourth 
on the team and ranks tied for second in scoring among Hockey East 
freshmen with 17 points (6 goals, 11 assists). Freshmen Peter Lenes 
(Shelburne, Vt.) has eight goals and four assists for 12 points to rank 
ninth in Hockey East among rookies. Freshman Corey Carlson (Two 
Harbors, Minn.) is tied for 13th in Hockey East scoring for freshman 
with 10 points (4 goals, 6 assists). Junior Chris Myers (South Boston, 
Mass.) has nine points (4 goals, 5 assists) and senior Matt Syroczynski 
has eight points (3 goals, 5 assists).

ON DEFENSE … The Catamounts are third in the country in scoring defense 
with a 1.77 goals against average. Vermont has also been out shot just 
three times in 26 games this season. Senior captain Jaime Sifers 
anchors the defense as only the second three-time captain in school 
history and has played in 131 games in his career. Sifers is tied for 
10th in defensemen scoring in Hockey East with 11 points (2 goals, 9 
assists). Junior assistant captain Kenny Macaulay (Baddeck Nova, 
Scotia) leads all Vermont defensemen in points with 13 (3 goals, 10 
assists). He is tied for seventh among all Hockey East defensemen. 
Junior Ryan Gunderson has nine points on the season (2 goals, 7 
assists). Sophomore Slavomir Tomko (Zvolen, Slovakia) is tied for the 
third most points among Vermont defensemen with seven (1 goal, 6 
assists). Sophomore Mark Lutz (Stevens Point, Wis.) has seven points on 
the year (4 goals, 3 assists).

IN NET … Sophomore goalie Joe Fallon (Bemidji, Minn.) is 13-8-2 with a 
1.64 goals against average. He ranks second in Hockey East in GAA and 
fifth overall in the country. He has posted six shutouts this season, a 
new single-season record at Vermont. He saved 19 shots in 2-0 win over 
Alaska-Anchorage (Oct. 15), 14 shots in a 3-0 win over Merrimack (Nov. 
18), 18 shots in a 1-0 win over Dartmouth (Dec. 30), 19 shots in a 3-0 
win over Clarkson (Dec. 31), 15 shots in a 3-0 win over Northeastern 
(Jan. 13) and 18 shots in a 3-0 win over Northeastern (Jan. 14). Senior 
Travis Russell has made four starts in net this year and is 3-0-0 with 
a 2.27 GAA and has saved 91-percentage of his shots faced. Sophomore 
Jeff Hill (Cranston, R.I.) made his second appearance of the season in 
the 8-4 victory over Team USA.

SCOUTING PROVIDENCE … The ninth-ranked Friars are 14-9-1 overall and 
11-5-1 in Hockey East … Last weekend Providence defeated New Hampshire 
3-1 … The Friars rank 11th in the country in scoring defense at 2.33 
goals against per game and they rank 13th on the power play at 19.5% 
(26/133) … A 1985 graduate of Providence, head coach Tim Army is in his 
first season … Sophomore goalie Tyler Sims is 14-8-1 on the year with a 
2.19 goals against average … He also has three shutouts on the year … 
Senior forward Torry Gajda leads the team and is second in Hockey East 
scoring with 30 points (12 goals, 18 assists) … He has a plus-12 rating 
this season … Junior Chase Watson leads the team in assists with 23 … 
Freshman Cody Wild leads all PC defenseman in scoring with 14 points (5 
goals, 9 assists) and also leads the team in game-winning goals with 
four … Providence has outscored its opponents 33-21 in the third period 
this year … The Friars are 8-2-1 at home this season and 6-4-1 against 
ranked teams on the year.

SERIES INFO … Vermont leads the all-time series against Providence 
14-12-1. The Catamounts won this season’s first meeting 6-2 at 
Gutterson Fieldhouse in their inaugural Hockey East home game.

BUS WITH US … The Vermont athletic department is sponsoring a fan bus 
to the men's hockey games at UMass-Lowell the weekend of March 3-4. The 
cost of the trip is $150 (single), $210 (double), $275 (triple) and 
$335 (quad) and includes hotel accommodations, game tickets for both 
nights and lunch from Handy's Lunch on the ride down. All Victory Club 
members will receive 10% off the cost of the trip. The bus will leave 
from the Sheraton Hotel and Conference Center in Burlington at 2:00pm 
on March 3 and return following the game on March 4. For more 
information or to reserve your seat please contact the Victory Club 
Office at 802-656-3072.

VERMONT HOCKEY CAMP … Vermont’s hockey camp is scheduled for July 31 - 
August 4. The cost is $340 and is for ages 5-13 (space is limited). 
Register online at www.uvmathletics.com under “Community Programs.” For 
more information call 656-0851.

VERMONT VS. MAINE ON FRIDAY, FEB. 10 SET FOR 8:00PM ... Just a reminder 
that Vermont’s game at Gutterson Fieldhouse against Maine on Friday, 
Feb. 10 will begin at 8:00pm. The game will also be broadcast on 
College Sports Television.

RADIO … Tune into WVMT-620 AM on Friday and Saturday at 6:30pm to hear 
pre-game coverage of Vermont's games against Providence. Sixteen-time 
Vermont Sportscaster of the Year Jack Healey has all the play-by-play 
action at 7:00pm. Both games can also be heard over the Internet by 
logging on to www.uvmathletics.com or by going to www.sportsjuice.com.

WHO’S NEXT … Vermont returns home next weekend for a pair of games with 
Maine. The game on Friday, Feb. 10 against the Black Bears begins at 
8:00pm and the game on Saturday, Feb. 11 begins at 7:05pm. On Friday 
the first 3,500 fans receive thundersticks, courtesy of Heritage Ford & 
Toyota. Friday’s game can also be seen on College Sports Television. On 
Saturday the first 2,000 fans receive a t-shirt, compliments of Unicel. 
The first 1,000 fans also receive chocolate, courtesy of Lake Champlain 
Chocolates.

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Chris Wojcik
Assistant Director of Athletic Communications
University of Vermont
Phone: 802-656-1110
Fax: 802-656-8328
[log in to unmask]
http://www.uvmathletics.com