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             *  UNIVERSITY OF VERMONT  *
             * Small Ups and Big Downs *
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             ****A Season in Review*****
                  By Lance Riegert
                   Catamount Fan
 
The University of Vermont Catamounts hockey season ended last Saturday night at St. Lawrence in the ECAC First Round. The Cats had a awesome start, making me and others wonder, "Why were we picked #10 in the pre-season coaches poll?". The Answer to our question: A 6 game losing streak (Jan. 3-23), 7 straight games without a win (Jan. 2-23), 1 win in 11 games (Jan. 2- Feb. 12), and and the #9 seed heading into the tournament.
 
The season started with excitement. A loss to UNH, and a win against BU, splitting a weekend out at St. Cloud and a loss to Acadia.
 
First weekend in the ECAC was Union and RPI at Gutterson. The win against Union was expected, the shutout, 2-0 win against RPI was a surprise. Could this be a year that the Cats go to Lake Placid? They then beat Colgate, and loss to Colnell on the road. Hey 6 points out of a possible 8, not bad for #10 picked Cats.
 
And so the Holiday Tournaments came and went. A win against Mass-Lowel, and a loss to Maine in the Goveners Gup. A exibition game against New Brunswick, 5-2 win for Vermont. And a sweep at the Ledyard Bank Auld Lang Syne Classic at Dartmouth College, with wins over Mankato State, and Dartmouth.
 
Back to the ECAC, Oh-No, here it comes. It started with a 1-1 tie to Brown. Here we go..... Losses to: Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Clarkson, St. Lawrence,  and DARTMOUTH!?! The Cats rebounded for a game with a win in OT over Dartmouth at the Gut. A tie against St. Lawrence, up North. And things looked to be back on track, maybe home ice in the play-offs.
 
A 3-2 loss to Clarkson on Saturday, and then a loss to Colnell the following Friday. Beat Colgate 5-1! Loss to RPI 5-2. Beat Union 5-0, little hope for the 2 final weekends. Beat Princeton, loss to Yale. Going in to the Final Weekend, all the Cats had to do is beat Harvard on Friday night, and they didn't have to go to Clarkson or St. Lawrence, they could have gone to RPI, a team that has had ups and downs (like losses to UVM and Union). They loss on Friday.... UVM and Harvard tied for 8th.... Harvard with the tie breaker, must beat Brown, Dartmouth must win. The opposite happens, and we are the #9 team.
 
Who thought Vermont could upset St. Lawrence? 9-2 in the first game left little room for UVM to rebound. a goal less than 1/2 a min. into the second game. It's over... but not by a 7 goal difference, only 3 (4-1).
 
The Cats had a good start that went bad. Next year, if they can remain consistent throughout the year, they could make a strong Final-Five team. The Cats have lost seniors Jason Reid (7-11-18), Issac Gilbert (0-0-0), Eric Lundin (6-7-13), B.J. Kilbourne (5-11-16), Stephane Piche (5-13-18), and goalie Marty Phillips (.892 Sv%).
 
Hoping to see the Cats in Lake Placid NEXT year,
Lance Riegert
 
 
 
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                    GO
                   CATS
                    GO
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