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PHILADELPHIA COLLEGE HOCKEY FACEOFF
No. 14 Vermont vs. Penn State | Jan. 31, 2015, 1 p.m.
Video ($) | Audio | Live Stats | Tickets | Game Notes | CaTV Preview

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VERMONT MEN'S HOCKEY NOTEBOOK
The 14th-ranked Vermont men's hockey team (15-8-2, 7-6-1 HEA) travels to face Penn State on Saturday at 1 p.m. in the third annual Philadelphia College Hockey Faceoff at the Wells Fargo Center. Pre-game radio coverage begins at 12:30 p.m. on WVMT 620-AM and SportsJuice.com with Alastair Ingram on the call, and a live pay-per-view video stream is available at GoPSUsports.com. Tickets are on sale exclusively through Comcast TIX online, over the phone at 1-800-298-4200, or in person at the Wells Fargo Center box office.

PRE-GAME FAN EVENT
All fans are encouraged to attend a pre-game event at the Victory Beer Hall inside Xfinity Live near the Wells Fargo Center from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. before faceoff. The event is presented by Vermont Athletics and the UVM Alumni Association.

SETTING THE SCENE
Heading into their final non-conference game, the Catamounts are 8-2-1 in non-league play after going 8-2-3 last season. After winning seven straight contests, UVM is just 1-5-1 in its last seven games dating back to the final tilt of 2014. The Cats are ranked 14th in the most recent USA Today/USA Hockey poll and 15th in this week's USCHO.com poll.

LAST YEAR: VERMONT 5, PENN STATE 2 | Highlights
UVM stormed back from 2-0 down by scoring five unanswered goals and skated past Penn State in the second annual event last year. 13 different players recorded a point in the win, while Pennsylvania natives Nick Luukko and Brendan Bradley each tallied goals. Mike Santaguida posted 32 saves, including 23 in the third period, while Eamon McAdam was credited with 24 stops for PSU.

SCOUTING THE NITTANY LIONS | Website
Penn State is 12-7-4 on the season, including a 5-2-1 record in the Big 10, and is receiving votes in the USCHO.com poll. The Nittany Lions have scored five goals in each of their last three games and are averaging nearly 42 shots on goal per game. Casey Bailey leads the team with 17 goals, 27 points, and 133 shots on goal, while Taylor Holstrom has tallied a team-high 18 assists. Matthew Skoff has started 15 games in net with a 7-4-2 record, 2.70 goals against average, and .907 save percentage.

LAST WEEKEND vs. BOSTON UNIVERSITY
Vermont's third period comeback fell short last Friday as No. 3 Boston University added an empty-netter and won 4-2 to open the series. Colin Markison registered a goal and an assist for the Catamounts, while Alexx Privitera lit the lamp against his former team. On Saturday, Jack Eichel tipped a point shot off the right post at 2:56 of overtime as BU came back to win 2-1 and sweep the series. UVM led 1-0 with 2:18 left in regulation before Evan Rodrigues tied the game, and Eichel's overtime tip was upheld by a lengthy video review.

PHILLY CONNECTIONS
Three Cats hail from the greater Philadelphia area: Brendan Bradley (Richboro, Pa.), Nick Luukko (West Chester, Pa.), and Colin Markison (Princeton, N.J.). Luukko was drafted by the Flyers in the sixth round of the 2010 NHL Draft (179th overall) and his father Peter Luukko is the former president of the team. John LeClair '91, who ranks seventh on the Flyers' all-time scoring list, had 116 career points in his four years at UVM. LeClair posted 643 career points in 10 seasons with Philadelphia and was inducted into the Flyers Hall of Fame in November.

PALIOTTA LEADS THE WAY | ESPN Chicago Feature
Mike Paliotta leads Vermont in scoring with 23 points, which ranks second among all Hockey East defensemen behind Notre Dame's Robbie Russo. The captain has the most shots on goal (93) by any league defenseman and sits third overall behind Frank Vatrano (UMass) and teammate Mario Puskarich. The senior ranks sixth in the NCAA in defensive scoring and is four shy of last season's career-high point total of 27. The last defenseman to lead UVM in scoring was Louis Cote in 1977-78.

WHO'S NEXT | Schedule
Vermont returns to Gutterson Fieldhouse next weekend to host New Hampshire in a Hockey East series on Friday (Feb. 6) and Saturday (Feb. 7) at 7:05 p.m. Both games will be streamed online for free in high definition at CatamounTV.com, and pre-game radio coverage begins at 6:30 p.m. on WVMT 620-AM and SportsJuice.com with Alastair Ingram on the call.