Catamount fans returned from their Thanksgiving breaks this past week to find the mens hockey team on a losing streak. Out of five games, Vermont ended with four losses and only one win under their green and yellow belts.

The Cats first game was Nov. 16 when they hosted the Boston University Terriers in a 6-2 loss. Boston was first to score on a power play, setting a high precedent in the start of the first period.

The shot zipped past rookie goaltender Brody Hoffman, inching the Terriers ahead of Vermont. By the end of the period, Boston increased their score to 3-0.

At the start of the second period, BU added to their lead with another goal. A timeout followed from Vermont as head coach Kevin Sneddon replaced Hoffman with fellow first-year Billy Faust.

Soon after, Catamount Chris McCarthy nailed a goal in the back of the net to bring the score to 4-1.

Boston earned their last two goals at the end of the period.Vermont added only one final tally to the board as Pete Massar earned the Cats final goal on a power play in the final period, resulting in a final score of 6-2.

Vermont headed back to their home ice Sunday, earning their second season win against the Northeastern Huskies.
It was a good quality team win, said Sneddon. Hoffman was exceptional and it was nice to see McCarthy start to score.

He was first to score for the Catamounts after blocking a clear attempt from Husky defense. McCarthy slapped the shot to the back of the net earning the first goal of the game.

The score remained unchanged until later in the second period as he tallied up his second goal of the game to double the UVM lead. McCarthys initial shot was deflected by goalie Bryan Mountain, who picked it back up to shoot it past him a second later.

With only five minutes remaining in the final period, the Huskies finally got on the board, scoring on Hoffman from the left circle.

Having made an initial save, the rookie was outnumbered and was unable to save the rebound.

Senior Brett Bruneteau stole the puck from Husky offense and skated off on a breakaway, snapping the puck past Mountain to regain the Catamounts two-goal lead.

Northeastern scored the final goal of the game with just minutes remaining, but it wasnt enough to match Vermont, who held the score at a close 3-2 until the final buzzer.

The Catamounts had a day to rest before traveling to face UMass Amherst the following Tuesday where they added to their losses, falling to the Minutemen 3-1.

The single Vermont goal came as defenseman Anders Franzon got the puck past the UMass line up to Anthony DeCenzo, who rocketed it between the posts.

With a few more days rest under their belts, Vermont hosted Minnesota in a double-header this past weekend. The No. 4 ranked Gophers racked up a total eight goals over the two game span while Vermont netted only two.

Fridays lone goal came as Matt White picked up Bruneteaus rebound on the goal line.

The following night, forward Jacob Fallon also picked up a rebound off Yvan Pattyns skate from the top of the crease where he shot it through the legs of Minnesotas goalie.

Minnesota is one of the best teams in the country and I thought we played them right on par tonight, Sneddon said. When our guys play that way, theyre going to win a lot of hockey games.

The Catamounts head back on the road this weekend to face the Maine Black Bears in another weekend matchup.

The teams met three times last season, all of which resulted in close losses for Vermont.

Players that fans can look out for are Devin Shore and Connor Leen. Shore leads the team with six points while Leen stands as the top scorer with three for the season.