# 2023–24 Vermont Catamounts men's ice hockey season

The 2023–24 Vermont Catamounts men's ice hockey season was the 68th season of play for the program, the 51st at the Division I level and the 19th in Hockey East. The Catamounts represented the University of Vermont, played their home games at the Gutterson Fieldhouse and were coached by Steve Wiedler in his 1st season.

## Season

During the summer, Todd Woodcroft was fired after an internal investigation by the college determine that the coach had exchanged inappropriate text messages with a student. Because the investigation had taken four months, by the time it concluded there was relatively little time to conduct a hiring search before this season. The Athletic department chose simply to promote Steve Wiedler to interim head coach and keep the rest of the staff in place.
With off ice issues settled for the moment, the team set about fixing their biggest problem; the lack of offense. The '23 Catamounts were one of the worst scoring team in the country, averaging less than 2 goals per game for the season. With that in mind it was perhaps a good thing that there were so many new faces for the program in '24. The team had trouble out of the gate with the new roster and coach struggling to find consistency. Vermont, too, was hampered by the vast strides for the rest of the conference as Hockey East was the top ranked league in college hockey that season. However, despite the difficulties, the Catamounts were able to take a step forward and climb out of the cellar.
The offense saw a slight improvement as the year went on with Jens Richards making huge strides in his game. The forward went from 4 points as a freshman to leading the team in his sophomore season. While the overall numbers weren't outstanding, the more-than 5-fold improvement was not something to be discounted. In goal, Gabe Carriere held the fort and kept Vermont in the game on most nights. Even when facing nationally ranked teams, the Catamounts proved to be a tough team to beat and they managed to win their fair share of games. By the end of the season, Vermont was 9th in the standings but, with how difficult their schedule had been, they were in the middle of the PairWise rankings. While the dearth of offensives punch cost them in the playoffs, the team had progressed and looked better than they had in years.

## Departures

| Player | Position | Nationality | Cause |
| Oskar Autio | Goaltender | Finland | Graduation (signed with Allen Americans) |
| Jacques Bouquot | Forward | United States | Graduate transfer to Penn State |
| Finn Evans | Forward | Canada | Graduation (signed with Indy Fuel) |
| Eric Gotz | Defenseman | United States | Graduation (signed with Krefeld Pinguine) |
| Cole Hudson | Goaltender | Canada | Transferred to American International |
| Joe Leahy | Defenseman | Canada | Graduation (signed with Greenville Swamp Rabbits) |
| William Lemay | Forward | Canada | Graduation (signed with Trois-Rivières Lions) |
| Carter Long | Defenseman | United States | Graduation (signed with Savannah Ghost Pirates) |
| Luke Mountain | Forward | United States | Transferred to Augsburg |
| Porter Schachle | Defenseman | Canada | Transferred to Alaska Anchorage |
| Robbie Stucker | Defenseman | United States | Graduation (signed with South Carolina Stingrays) |
| Jesper Tarkiainen | Forward | Finland | Left program (retired) |

## Recruiting

| Player | Position | Nationality | Age | Notes |
| Nick Ahern | Forward | United States | 20 | Chicago, IL; joined mid-season |
| Eli Barnett | Defenseman | Canada | 20 | Ottawa, ON; selected 195th overall in 2022 |
| Jérémie Bucheler | Defenseman | Canada | 23 | Montreal, QC; graduate transfer from Northeastern |
| Matt Cato | Forward | Canada | 20 | Whitby, ON |
| Mateo Dixon | Forward | Canada | 21 | Toronto, ON |
| Zach Dubinsky | Forward | United States | 23 | Highland Park, IL; graduate transfer from Michigan State |
| Mario Gasparini | Defenseman | United States | 20 | Lakeville, MN |
| Connor Mackenzie | Goaltender | Canada | 21 | Toronto, ON |
| Jack Malinski | Defenseman | United States | 21 | Lakeville, MN |
| Axel Mangbo | Goaltender | Sweden | 20 | Höganäs, SWE |
| Ryan Miotto | Forward | Canada | 24 | Thorold, ON; graduate transfer from Canisius |
| Duncan Ramsay | Defenseman | Canada | 19 | Halifax, NS |
| Daniel Sambuco | Forward | United States | 20 | Springfield, PA |
| Chris Théodore | Forward | Canada | 25 | Beaconsfield, QC; graduate transfer from Union |

## Roster

As of January 18, 2024.

## Standings

2023–24 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 |
| #2 Boston College †* | 24 | 20 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 61 | 105 | 56 | 41 | 34 | 6 | 1 | 183 | 89 |
| #3 Boston University | 24 | 18 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 57 | 104 | 53 | 40 | 28 | 10 | 2 | 163 | 97 |
| #10 Maine | 24 | 14 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 44 | 76 | 67 | 37 | 23 | 12 | 2 | 119 | 94 |
| #16 Providence | 24 | 11 | 9 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 37 | 66 | 58 | 35 | 18 | 13 | 4 | 100 | 83 |
| #13 Massachusetts | 24 | 12 | 10 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 36 | 57 | 62 | 37 | 20 | 14 | 3 | 108 | 105 |
| #20 New Hampshire | 24 | 12 | 11 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 36 | 69 | 56 | 36 | 20 | 15 | 1 | 106 | 90 |
| Northeastern | 24 | 9 | 14 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 30 | 65 | 71 | 36 | 17 | 16 | 3 | 113 | 97 |
| Connecticut | 24 | 9 | 14 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 29 | 49 | 77 | 36 | 15 | 19 | 2 | 90 | 105 |
| Vermont | 24 | 7 | 14 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 26 | 52 | 81 | 35 | 13 | 19 | 3 | 87 | 106 |
| Merrimack | 24 | 6 | 17 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 21 | 62 | 85 | 35 | 13 | 21 | 1 | 98 | 114 |
| Massachusetts Lowell | 24 | 4 | 17 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 18 | 39 | 78 | 36 | 8 | 24 | 4 | 72 | 113 |
| Championship: March 23, 2024 † indicates regular season champion * indicates conference tournament champion (Lamoriello Trophy) Rankings: USCHO Division I Men's Poll ||||||||||||||||||

## Schedule and results

| Date | Time | Opponent$^#$ | Site | TV | Decision | Result | Attendance | Record |
| Exhibition ||||||||||
| October 7 | 2:00 pm | McGill* | Gutterson Fieldhouse • Burlington, Vermont (Exhibition) | ESPN+ | Carriere | W 4–0 | 2,896 | |
| Regular Season ||||||||||
| October 13 | 7:00 pm | at St. Lawrence* | Appleton Arena • Canton, New York | ESPN+ | Carriere | W 3–1 | 1,076 | 1–0–0 |
| October 14 | 7:00 pm | at Clarkson* | Cheel Arena • Potsdam, New York | ESPN+ | Carriere | L 2–3 | 2,459 | 1–1–0 |
| October 27 | 7:00 pm | at #7 Providence | Schneider Arena • Providence, Rhode Island | ESPN+ | Carriere | L 1–4 | 2,074 | 1–2–0 (0–1–0) |
| October 28 | 7:00 pm | at #7 Providence | Schneider Arena • Providence, Rhode Island | ESPN+ | Carriere | T 2–2 $^{SOW}$ | 1,727 | 1–2–1 (0–1–1) |
| November 3 | 7:00 pm | Connecticut | Gutterson Fieldhouse • Burlington, Vermont | ESPN+ | Carriere | W 4–1 | 2,796 | 2–2–1 (1–1–1) |
| November 4 | 6:00 pm | Connecticut | Gutterson Fieldhouse • Burlington, Vermont | ESPN+ | Carriere | L 2–5 | 3,235 | 2–3–1 (1–2–1) |
| November 10 | 7:00 pm | at #14 Massachusetts | Mullins Center • Amherst, Massachusetts | ESPN+ | Carriere | L 1–4 | 4,272 | 2–4–1 (1–3–1) |
| November 11 | 6:00 pm | at #14 Massachusetts | Mullins Center • Amherst, Massachusetts | ESPN+ | Carriere | W 6–2 | 4,461 | 3–4–1 (2–3–1) |
| November 18 | 7:00 pm | at American International* | MassMutual Center • Springfield, Massachusetts | FloHockey | Carriere | L 1–2 | 604 | 3–5–1 |
| December 1 | 7:00 pm | #10 Massachusetts | Gutterson Fieldhouse • Burlington, Vermont | ESPN+ | Carriere | W 2–1 $^{OT}$ | 2,748 | 4–5–1 (3–3–1) |
| December 3 | 4:00 pm | Massachusetts Lowell | Gutterson Fieldhouse • Burlington, Vermont | ESPN+ | Carriere | L 1–2 | 2,461 | 4–6–1 (3–4–1) |
| December 8 | 7:00 pm | Union* | Gutterson Fieldhouse • Burlington, Vermont | ESPN+ | Carriere | L 4–5 | 2,061 | 4–7–1 |
| December 9 | 7:00 pm | Union* | Gutterson Fieldhouse • Burlington, Vermont | ESPN+ | Carriere | W 4–1 | 2,122 | 5–7–1 |
| December 16 | 7:00 pm | at Long Island* | Northwell Health Ice Center • East Meadow, New York | ESPN+ | Carriere | W 3–2 | 700 | 6–7–1 |
| December 17 | 7:15 pm | at Long Island* | Northwell Health Ice Center • East Meadow, New York | ESPN+ | Carriere | W 5–1 | 350 | 7–7–1 |
| December 29 | 7:00 pm | St. Thomas* | Gutterson Fieldhouse • Burlington, Vermont | ESPN+ | Carriere | W 5–1 | 2,595 | 8–7–1 |
| December 30 | 5:00 pm | St. Thomas* | Gutterson Fieldhouse • Burlington, Vermont | ESPN+ | Carriere | W 4–1 | 2,652 | 9–7–1 |
| January 6 | 6:00 pm | at Dartmouth* | Thompson Arena • Hanover, New Hampshire | ESPN+ | Carriere | L 3–4 | 3,335 | 9–8–1 |
| January 12 | 7:00 pm | at Northeastern | Matthews Arena • Boston, Massachusetts | ESPN+ | Carriere | W 5–4 | 2,489 | 10–8–1 (4–4–1) |
| January 13 | 7:30 pm | at Northeastern | Matthews Arena • Boston, Massachusetts | ESPN+ | Carriere | L 1–3 | 3,121 | 10–9–1 (4–5–1) |
| January 19 | 7:00 pm | #1 Boston University | Gutterson Fieldhouse • Burlington, Vermont | ESPN+ | Carriere | L 1–5 | 3,640 | 10–10–1 (4–6–1) |
| January 20 | 7:00 pm | #1 Boston University | Gutterson Fieldhouse • Burlington, Vermont | ESPN+ | Carriere | L 2–5 | 3,486 | 10–11–1 (4–7–1) |
| January 26 | 7:00 pm | #17 New Hampshire | Gutterson Fieldhouse • Burlington, Vermont | ESPN+ | Carriere | W 2–1 | 2,604 | 11–11–1 (5–7–1) |
| January 27 | 7:00 pm | #17 New Hampshire | Gutterson Fieldhouse • Burlington, Vermont | ESPN+ | Carriere | L 3–6 | 3,150 | 11–12–1 (5–8–1) |
| February 9 | 7:15 pm | at Massachusetts Lowell | Tsongas Center • Lowell, Massachusetts | ESPN+ | Carriere | T 1–1 $^{SOW}$ | 5,579 | 11–12–2 (5–8–2) |
| February 10 | 7:15 pm | at Massachusetts Lowell | Tsongas Center • Lowell, Massachusetts | ESPN+ | Carriere | T 3–3 $^{SOW}$ | 4,002 | 11–12–3 (5–8–3) |
| February 16 | 7:00 pm | Merrimack | Gutterson Fieldhouse • Burlington, Vermont | ESPN+ | Carriere | L 2–5 | 2,270 | 11–13–3 (5–9–3) |
| February 17 | 7:30 pm | Merrimack | Gutterson Fieldhouse • Burlington, Vermont | ESPN+ | Carriere | W 4–1 | 2,565 | 12–13–3 (6–9–3) |
| February 23 | 7:00 pm | at #1 Boston College | Conte Forum • Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts | ESPN+, NESN | Carriere | L 1–7 | 7,246 | 12–14–3 (6–10–3) |
| February 24 | 5:00 pm | at #1 Boston College | Conte Forum • Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts | ESPN+ | Carriere | L 2–4 | 6,559 | 12–15–3 (6–11–3) |
| March 1 | 7:00 pm | #9 Maine | Gutterson Fieldhouse • Burlington, Vermont | ESPN+ | Carriere | W 2–1 | 3,218 | 13–15–3 (7–11–3) |
| March 2 | 7:30 pm | #9 Maine | Gutterson Fieldhouse • Burlington, Vermont | ESPN+ | Carriere | L 2–3 | 3,177 | 13–16–3 (7–12–3) |
| March 7 | 7:00 pm | at Connecticut | Toscano Family Ice Forum • Storrs, Connecticut | ESPN+ | Carriere | L 1–5 | 2,691 | 13–17–3 (7–13–3) |
| March 9 | 4:00 pm | at #2 Boston University | Agganis Arena • Boston, Massachusetts | ESPN+ | Mangbo | L 1–6 | 5,597 | 13–18–3 (7–14–3) |
| Hockey East Tournament ||||||||||
| March 13 | 7:00 pm | at Connecticut* | Toscano Family Ice Forum • Storrs, Connecticut (Opening Round) | ESPN+ | Carriere | L 1–4 | 2,021 | 13–19–3 |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from USCHO.com Poll. All times are in Eastern Time. Source: ||||||||||

## Scoring statistics

| Name | Position | Games | Goals | Assists | Points | PIM |
| Jens Richards | F | 32 | 10 | 11 | 21 | 10 |
| Jérémie Bucheler | D | 33 | 6 | 12 | 18 | 27 |
| Ryan Miotto | F | 35 | 9 | 8 | 17 | 18 |
| Timofey Spitserov | RW | 35 | 7 | 7 | 14 | 6 |
| Chris Théodore | LW | 30 | 8 | 6 | 14 | 0 |
| Isak Walther | RW | 24 | 5 | 7 | 12 | 6 |
| Will Zapernick | C/RW | 35 | 3 | 9 | 12 | 14 |
| Massimo Lombardi | C | 32 | 5 | 7 | 12 | 17 |
| Ralfs Bergmanis | D | 32 | 2 | 10 | 12 | 60 |
| Andrei Buyalsky | C | 25 | 3 | 8 | 11 | 8 |
| Zach Dubinsky | F | 30 | 2 | 9 | 11 | 20 |
| Simon Jellúš | C/LW | 30 | 6 | 4 | 10 | 2 |
| Joel Määttä | C | 26 | 4 | 5 | 9 | 35 |
| Thomas Sinclair | C | 32 | 5 | 4 | 9 | 8 |
| Nick Ahern | LW | 14 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 10 |
| Philip Törnqvist | D | 29 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 12 |
| Jack Malinski | D | 26 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 16 |
| Eli Barnett | D | 24 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 16 |
| Mateo Dixon | C | 18 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 2 |
| Luca Münzenberger | D | 32 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 51 |
| Dawson Good | F | 9 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 2 |
| Xavier Henry | D | 22 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 22 |
| Gabe Carriere | G | 34 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| Daniel Sambuco | F | 13 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 12 |
| Duncan Ramsay | D | 26 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 6 |
| Mario Gasparini | D | 11 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 |
| Lucas Jones | D | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 17 |
| Axel Mangbo | G | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | | | 86 | 133 | 219 | 401 |

## Goaltending statistics

| Name | Games | Minutes | Wins | Losses | Ties | Goals Against | Saves | Shut Outs | SV % | GAA |
| Gabe Carriere | 34 | 2017:25 | 13 | 18 | 3 | 93 | 897 | 0 | .906 | 2.77 |
| Axel Mangbo | 3 | 83:55 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 42 | 0 | .857 | 5.00 |
| Empty Net | - | 16:10 | - | - | - | 6 | - | - | - | - |
| Total | 35 | 2117:30 | 13 | 19 | 3 | 106 | 939 | 0 | .899 | 3.00 |

## 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 |
| 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 (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 Hockey | 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 11 and 25. Note: USA Hockey did not release a poll in week 12.