University of Vermont men’s lacrosse players Michael Gabel (Falmouth, Mass.) and Mike Maher (Huntington Station, N.Y.) are among the national leaders in the most recent NCAA Division I statistics. Gabel, a sophomore, has been outstanding this season for Coach Steve Beville. He is ranked third in the country in save percentage (.674) and fifth nationally in goals-against average (6.52). Gabel has played in all but 15 minutes for Vermont, 3-4 overall, and has allowed 44 goals while recording 91 saves. He leads the conference in both categories. Maher, the team’s top scorer with 10 goals and 10 assists for 20 points in seven games, is tied fir 27th nationally in assists per game with 1.43. A freshman, Maher is tied for fourth in America East in scoring, and is second in assist. Vermont is tied for fifth in scoring defense nationally, allowing 6.71 goals a game. The Cats are also fifth in the nation in man-down defense, allowing five goals in 32 opponent attempts. The Catamounts, winners of two straight, opened up their conference schedule Sunday at Quinnipiac. Game time was 1:00pm. The game with the Bobcats, 2-6 overall and 1-1 in the conference, featurde a matchup between two brothers. For Vermont, America East Player of the Week Lowell Thompson (Shelburne, Vt.) is a top midfielder, while Quinnipiac’s roster includes sophomore Colin Thompson, Lowell’s younger brother. University of Vermont senior men’s lacrosse player Lowell Thompson (Shelburne, Vt.) was named America East Player of the Week Monday after leading the Catamounts to a pair of wins last week. Thompson, a midfielder, scored two goals in each of Vermont’s wins last week. He notched a pair in a 16-7 win over Siena and then added two more goals, including the game-winner, in a 6-4 win over Providence Saturday. -SportsInfo