# 2022–23 Vermont Catamounts men's ice hockey season

The 2022–23 Vermont Catamounts men's ice hockey season was the 67th season of play for the program, the 50th at the Division I level, and the 18th in the Hockey East conference. The Catamounts represented the University of Vermont and were coached by Todd Woodcroft, in his 3rd season.

## Season

Having spent the past five years wallowing at nor near the bottom of the conference standings, Vermont as hoping for some improvement this season. Unfortunately, what the team ended up getting was more of the same. There were some minimal improvements on the defensive end but that wasn't a problem for the Catamounts in recent years. The program's biggest weakness, its inability to score, remained the primary cause of its failings. While the goal production was slightly better than in 2022, Vermont still averaged under 2 goals per game and were shutout on 7 occasions. The team had some bright spots during the season, including a pair of wins over ranked teams in January, but those were few and far between.
After finishing last in Hockey East for the third time in four years, Vermont rallied to upset Maine in the first round of the playoffs. The team's reprieve was short-lived, however, as they ran into league-leading Boston University in the quarterfinals and their season was ended by a 3–7 loss.

## Departures

| Player | Position | Nationality | Cause |
| Cory Babichuk | Defenseman | Canada | Left program (retired) |
| Dallas Comeau | Forward | Canada | Graduation (retired) |
| Nic Hamre | Forward | Canada | Graduation (retired) |
| Tyler Harmon | Goaltender | United States | Graduate transfer to Mercyhurst |
| Noah Jordan | Forward | Canada | Graduation (retired) |
| Brian Kelly | Defenseman | United States | Graduation (retired) |
| Philip Lagunov | Forward | Canada | Graduation (signed with Tucson Roadrunners) |
| Andrew Lucas | Forward/Defenseman | United States | Transferred to Connecticut |
| Andrew Petrillo | Defenseman | United States | Graduation (retired) |
| Cody Schiavon | Defenseman | Canada | Transferred to Canisius |
| Azzaro Tinling | Forward | Canada | Transferred to UNLV |
| Raimonds Vītoliņš | Forward | Latvia | Returned to juniors (Green Bay Gamblers) |

## Recruiting

| Player | Position | Nationality | Age | Notes |
| Oskar Autio | Goaltender | Finland | 22 | Espoo, FIN; graduate transfer from Penn State |
| Ralfs Bergmanis | Defenseman | Latvia | 20 | Liepāja, LAT |
| Finn Evans | Forward | Canada | 23 | Toronto, ON; graduate transfer from Princeton |
| Dawson Good | Forward | Canada | 20 | Abbotsford, BC |
| Eric Gotz | Defenseman | United States | 24 | Hermantown, MN; graduate transfer from Michigan Tech |
| Xavier Henry | Defenseman | Canada | 21 | Scarborough, ON |
| Lucas Jones | Defenseman | Canada | 21 | Calgary, AB |
| Massimo Lombardi | Forward | Canada | 20 | Beaconsfield, QC; joined mid-season |
| Jens Richards | Forward | United States | 19 | Detroit Lakes, MN |
| Thomas Sinclair | Forward | Canada | 18 | Toronto, ON |
| Philip Törnqvist | Forward | Sweden | 21 | Gothenburg, SWE |

## Roster

As of September 12, 2022.

## Standings

2022–23 Hockey East Standingsvte :
| | Conference record | Conference record | Conference record | Conference record | Conference record | Conference record | Conference record | Conference record | Conference record | Conference record | Overall record | Overall record | Overall record | Overall record | Overall record | Overall record |
| | GP | W | L | T | OTW | OTL | SW | PTS | GF | GA | GP | W | L | T | GF | GA |
| #4 Boston University †* | 24 | 18 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 54 | 99 | 62 | 40 | 29 | 11 | 0 | 154 | 106 |
| #14 Merrimack | 24 | 16 | 8 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 50 | 72 | 52 | 38 | 23 | 14 | 1 | 106 | 89 |
| #16 Northeastern | 24 | 14 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 49 | 78 | 45 | 35 | 17 | 13 | 5 | 107 | 82 |
| Connecticut | 24 | 13 | 9 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 41 | 78 | 71 | 35 | 20 | 12 | 3 | 113 | 96 |
| Massachusetts Lowell | 24 | 11 | 10 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 39 | 56 | 54 | 36 | 18 | 15 | 3 | 89 | 82 |
| Maine | 24 | 9 | 11 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 32 | 62 | 65 | 36 | 15 | 16 | 5 | 92 | 94 |
| Providence | 24 | 9 | 9 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 32 | 64 | 60 | 37 | 16 | 14 | 7 | 103 | 87 |
| Boston College | 24 | 8 | 11 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 30 | 70 | 73 | 36 | 14 | 16 | 6 | 104 | 104 |
| Massachusetts | 24 | 7 | 14 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 28 | 55 | 80 | 35 | 13 | 17 | 5 | 94 | 103 |
| New Hampshire | 24 | 6 | 15 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 23 | 44 | 76 | 35 | 11 | 20 | 3 | 74 | 105 |
| Vermont | 24 | 5 | 16 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 18 | 36 | 76 | 36 | 11 | 20 | 5 | 69 | 103 |
| Championship: March 18, 2023 † indicates regular season champion * indicates conference tournament champion (Lamoriello Trophy) Rankings: USCHO.com Top 20 Poll ||||||||||||||||||

## Schedule and results

| Date | Time | Opponent$^#$ | Site | TV | Decision | Result | Attendance | Record |
| Regular Season ||||||||||
| October 1 | 7:00 PM | Connecticut | Gutterson Fieldhouse • Burlington, Vermont | ESPN+ | Carriere | L 1–4 | 3,095 | 0–1–0 (0–1–0) |
| October 2 | 4:00 PM | Connecticut | Gutterson Fieldhouse • Burlington, Vermont | ESPN+ | Autio | L 1–3 | 1,918 | 0–2–0 (0–2–0) |
| October 7 | 7:00 PM | at #8 Northeastern | Matthews Arena • Boston, Massachusetts | NESN, ESPN+ | Carriere | L 2–5 | 1,726 | 0–3–0 (0–3–0) |
| October 8 | 7:00 PM | at #8 Northeastern | Matthews Arena • Boston, Massachusetts | ESPN+ | Autio | L 0–5 | 1,692 | 0–4–0 (0–4–0) |
| October 22 | 7:00 PM | Holy Cross* | Gutterson Fieldhouse • Burlington, Vermont | ESPN+ | Carriere | W 6–0 | 3,047 | 1–4–0 |
| October 28 | 7:00 PM | at Colgate* | Class of 1965 Arena • Hamilton, New York | ESPN+ | Carriere | W 2–1 | 650 | 2–4–0 |
| October 29 | 4:00 PM | at Colgate* | Class of 1965 Arena • Hamilton, New York | ESPN+ | Carriere | T 1–1 $^{OT}$ | 803 | 2–4–1 |
| November 4 | 7:15 PM | at #17 Massachusetts Lowell | Tsongas Center • Lowell, Massachusetts | ESPN+ | Carriere | L 0–4 | 4,152 | 2–5–1 (0–5–0) |
| November 5 | 6:00 PM | at #17 Massachusetts Lowell | Tsongas Center • Lowell, Massachusetts | ESPN+ | Autio | L 0–2 | 4,390 | 2–6–1 (0–6–0) |
| November 11 | 7:00 PM | New Hampshire | Gutterson Fieldhouse • Burlington, Vermont | ESPN+ | Carriere | W 2–1 $^{OT}$ | 3,003 | 3–6–1 (1–6–0) |
| November 12 | 7:00 PM | New Hampshire | Gutterson Fieldhouse • Burlington, Vermont | ESPN+ | Carriere | W 2–1 | 2,753 | 4–6–1 (2–6–0) |
| November 18 | 7:00 PM | at #9 Providence | Schneider Arena • Providence, Rhode Island | ESPN+ | Carriere | L 0–4 | 2,258 | 4–7–1 (2–7–0) |
| November 19 | 7:00 PM | at #9 Providence | Schneider Arena • Providence, Rhode Island | ESPN+ | Autio | L 3–4 $^{OT}$ | 2,176 | 4–8–1 (2–8–0) |
| November 25 | 7:00 PM | at Rensselaer* | Houston Field House • Troy, New York | ESPN+ | Carriere | W 4–3 $^{OT}$ | 2,316 | 5–8–1 |
| November 27 | 4:00 PM | Rensselaer* | Gutterson Fieldhouse • Burlington, Vermont | ESPN+ | Carriere | L 1–2 | 1,861 | 5–9–1 |
| December 2 | 7:00 PM | Maine | Gutterson Fieldhouse • Burlington, Vermont | ESPN+ | Carriere | L 1–3 | 2,254 | 5–10–1 (2–9–0) |
| December 3 | 5:00 PM | Maine | Gutterson Fieldhouse • Burlington, Vermont | ESPN+ | Carriere | L 1–5 | 2,613 | 5–11–1 (2–10–0) |
| December 11 | 4:00 PM | Dartmouth* | Gutterson Fieldhouse • Burlington, Vermont | ESPN+ | Carriere | W 5–1 | 2,633 | 6–11–1 |
| December 30 | 7:00 PM | Lindenwood* | Gutterson Fieldhouse • Burlington, Vermont | ESPN+ | Carriere | W 4–2 | 2,343 | 7–11–1 |
| December 31 | 4:00 PM | Lindenwood* | Gutterson Fieldhouse • Burlington, Vermont | ESPN+ | Carriere | L 2–3 $^{OT}$ | 2,057 | 7–12–1 |
| January 8 | 2:00 PM | Yale* | Gutterson Fieldhouse • Burlington, Vermont | ESPN+ | Autio | T 1–1 $^{OT}$ | 2,328 | 7–12–2 |
| January 14 | 7:00 PM | American International* | Gutterson Fieldhouse • Burlington, Vermont | ESPN+ | Carriere | L 0–4 | 2,301 | 7–13–2 |
| January 20 | 7:00 PM | at #18 Boston College | Conte Forum • Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts | ESPN+ | Carriere | T 1–1 $^{SOW}$ | 5,763 | 7–13–3 (2–10–1) |
| January 21 | 7:00 PM | at #18 Boston College | Conte Forum • Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts | ESPN+ | Autio | W 3–2 | 6,226 | 8–13–3 (3–10–1) |
| January 27 | 7:00 PM | #16 Merrimack | Gutterson Fieldhouse • Burlington, Vermont | ESPN+ | Carriere | L 2–4 | 2,377 | 8–14–3 (3–11–1) |
| January 28 | 7:00 PM | #16 Merrimack | Gutterson Fieldhouse • Burlington, Vermont | ESPN+ | Autio | W 2–1 | 2,745 | 9–14–3 (4–11–1) |
| February 5 | 2:00 PM | Providence | Gutterson Fieldhouse • Burlington, Vermont | ESPN+ | Autio | L 1–3 | 2,435 | 9–15–3 (4–12–1) |
| February 10 | 7:00 PM | at Massachusetts | Mullins Center • Amherst, Massachusetts | ESPN+ | Carriere | T 4–4 $^{SOL}$ | 4,314 | 9–15–4 (4–12–2) |
| February 11 | 7:00 PM | at Massachusetts | Mullins Center • Amherst, Massachusetts | NESN, ESPN+ | Autio | T 3–3 $^{SOL}$ | 4,320 | 9–15–5 (4–12–3) |
| February 18 | 7:00 PM | #16 Northeastern | Gutterson Fieldhouse • Burlington, Vermont | ESPN+ | Carriere | L 0–3 | 3,069 | 9–16–5 (4–13–3) |
| February 24 | 7:00 PM | #9 Boston University | Gutterson Fieldhouse • Burlington, Vermont | ESPN+ | Carriere | L 3–5 | 2,795 | 9–17–5 (4–14–3) |
| February 25 | 7:30 PM | #9 Boston University | Gutterson Fieldhouse • Burlington, Vermont | ESPN+ | Autio | L 0–3 | 2,799 | 9–18–5 (4–15–3) |
| March 2 | 7:00 PM | at New Hampshire | Whittemore Center • Durham, New Hampshire | ESPN+ | Carriere | W 3–2 | 3,448 | 10–18–5 (5–15–3) |
| March 4 | 7:00 PM | at #16 Merrimack | J. Thom Lawler Rink • North Andover, Massachusetts | ESPN+ | Autio | L 1–4 | 2,017 | 10–19–5 (5–16–3) |
| Hockey East Tournament ||||||||||
| March 8 | 7:00 PM | at Maine* | Alfond Arena • Orono, Maine (First Round) | ESPN+ | Carriere | W 4–2 | 3,748 | 11–19–5 |
| March 11 | 4:30 PM | at #5 Boston University* | Agganis Arena • Boston, Massachusetts (Quarterfinal) | NESN, ESPN+ | Carriere | L 3–7 | 3,915 | 11–20–5 |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from USCHO.com Poll. All times are in Eastern Time. Source: ||||||||||

## Scoring statistics

| Name | Position | Games | Goals | Assists | Points | PIM |
| Isak Walther | C/W | 36 | 9 | 10 | 19 | 24 |
| Andrei Buyalsky | C | 34 | 5 | 13 | 18 | 6 |
| Jacques Bouquot | C/LW | 29 | 6 | 10 | 16 | 4 |
| Will Zapernick | C/RW | 36 | 6 | 10 | 16 | 31 |
| Robbie Stucker | D | 33 | 3 | 12 | 15 | 21 |
| Eric Gotz | F | 36 | 2 | 13 | 15 | 14 |
| Joel Määttä | C | 36 | 7 | 7 | 14 | 18 |
| William Lemay | LW | 30 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 8 |
| Timofey Spitserov | RW | 24 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 4 |
| Simon Jellúš | C/LW | 32 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 20 |
| Carter Long | D | 36 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 4 |
| Ralfs Bergmanis | D | 36 | 0 | 6 | 6 | 22 |
| Massimo Lombardi | C | 17 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 6 |
| Dawson Good | F | 22 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 6 |
| Porter Schachle | F | 34 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 33 |
| Finn Evans | RW | 29 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 21 |
| Luca Münzenberger | D | 28 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 24 |
| Jens Richards | F | 30 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 6 |
| Thomas Sinclair | C | 25 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 2 |
| Philip Törnqvist | D | 32 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 4 |
| Joe Leahy | C//LW | 25 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 27 |
| Luke Mountain | F | 13 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Xavier Henry | D | 18 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Lucas Jones | D | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Oskar Autio | G | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Gabe Carriere | G | 26 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | | | 69 | 115 | 184 | 309 |

## Goaltending statistics

| Name | Games | Minutes | Wins | Losses | Ties | Goals Against | Saves | Shut Outs | SV % | GAA |
| Gabe Carriere | 26 | 1506:26 | 9 | 13 | 3 | 67 | 679 | 1 | .910 | 2.67 |
| Oskar Autio | 12 | 675:52 | 2 | 7 | 2 | 31 | 316 | 0 | .911 | 2.75 |
| Empty Net | - | 13:13 | - | - | - | 4 | - | - | - | - |
| Total | 36 | 2195:31 | 11 | 20 | 5 | 102 | 995 | 1 | .907 | 2.79 |

## Rankings

| Poll | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week |
| Poll | Pre | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 (Final) |
| USCHO.com | NR | - | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | - | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | - | NR |
| USA Today | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR |
Note: USCHO did not release a poll in weeks 1, 13, or 26.