Here is the University of Vermont Catamounts Press Release before the
split in Milwaukee.
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        The University of Vermont Catamounts will play host to New
Hampshire, Maine and UMass-Lowell of Hockey East this weekend in the
second annual Governors' Cup presented by Sheraton-USAir. Last year, the
Black Bears hosted the inaugural Governors' Cup before a crowd of 4,307
at Alfond Arena, defeating the Catamounts, 2-1, in the finals to claim
the championship.
        The Cats, coached by thirteenth-year head coach Mike Gilligan,
enter the weekend with a 7-3-0 overall, 2-3-0 ECAC and 5-0-0 non-league
record. After jumping out to a 4-0-0 start with non-league wins over New
Hampshire, B.U., Miami and Lake Superior, Vermont has gone 3-3-0 in its
last six with wins over Union, Colgate and UMass-Amherst and losses to
RPI, Cornell and Dartmouth. Consistently ranked in the top 10 nationally
all fall, Vermont was the consensus No. 1 pick in the country on October
30 after a 4-2 road win at B.U. on October 28.
         With nine senior starters returning from a team which won the
ECAC regular-season championship last year and advanced to the NCAA
Final Four for the first time in school history, the 1996-97 Catamounts
have been tops on everyone's short list of teams to watch this winter.
Bending under the weight of those high expectations in recent weeks, the
Cats will be looking to reassert themselves this weekend against their
New England rivals.
        The Catamounts' first line combination of center Eric Perrin
(6-9--15), right wing Martin St. Louis (5-13--18) and left wing J.C.
Ruid (5-8--13) has combined for 46 points so far this season after
collecting 225 points in 1995-96 to lead the nation.
        Forwards Matt Sanders (4 gls), B.J. Kilbourne (3 gls) and Matt
Stelljes (3 gls) also have been offensive catalysts for
UVM, while defenseman Eric Hallman's five goals leads all defensemen.
Hallman exploded for four goals in UVM's 5-4 come-from-behind win at
Colgate (Vermont trailed 4-1) to tie the NCAA record for most goals in a
game by a defenseman. All-American netminder Tim Thomas enters the
weekend with a .926 save percentage, 2.51 goals against average and a
7-3-0 record.
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Go Cats Go!!!
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Nextweekend:
 
Brown and Harvard
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