Vermont

Vermont is a state in the northeastern United States.
Its population is about 640,000.
The capital is Montpelier and the largest city is Burlington.
==History of hockey in Vermont==
see also: Vermont Amateur Hockey (1959-1986)
The first ever international ice hockey tournament was played in Burlington, Vermont, as part of a Winter Carnival in 1886. Three Canadian teams - the Montreal Crystals, Montreal Hockey Club, and the Ottawa Hockey Club - accepted invitations to participate in the hockey tournament, although Ottawa later withdrew due to scheduling issues. A local team composed of employees from the Van Ness House, a hotel in Burlington, was hastily formed to compete. The local players sported very little hockey experience, having only taken part in several practices prior to the tournament.
The Carnival was held from February 22-26, having been postponed a week due to mild weather. The hockey games were played on the ice rink in the Central Vermont slip on February 26, with windy conditions prevailing. The first game between Montreal HC and the Montreal Crystals was played in two halves of 20 minutes apiece. After regulation ended with both teams scoreless, R. Smith scored in overtime to give the Hockey Club the win. In the second matchup, which was the inaugural international ice hockey game, Montreal HC defeated Van Ness House 3-0, on goals from Hodgson, Smith, and Crispo, respectively, thus clinching the gold medal. This game featured two 15-minute halves. In the match for silver, played in two halves of 10 minutes each, the Montreal Crystals beat Van Ness House 1-0, with J. McGoldrick scoring the lone goal.
On January 20, 1895, East Berkshire beat Enosburgh Falls 4-2 in a hotly contested game of hockey. There was a game played in Burlington in late January, and the local players were expecting a Montreal team to come down and face them. On February 4, 1896, the Burlington Hockey Club defeated the University of Vermont 3-1. Burlington beat UVM again, 3-2 on the 13th. UVM edged Burlington 1-0 in a 20 minute game on March 5. The final game in the series took place on the 17th, and was won 4-0 by the town team. Derby Academy was blanked 4-0 by Stanstead College of Quebec on February 13, 1897. In 1898, the Burlington Hockey Club received a challenge from the Malone (NY) team. 
On December 29, 1902, Shelburne Farms blanked the Burlington Hockey Club 3-0. Burlington beat Fort Ethan Allen 7-1 on January 1, 1903. On February 23, Burlington blasted the Fort 11-1. Shelburne Farms beat Burlington on January 5, 1904. Rutland High School had a hockey team by 1904-05, meeting teams such as Proctor, and Vermont Academy formed a team in 1906. 
The Norwich University Cadets made their debut in 1909, splitting a two game series with Randolph High School. In 1910, they played one game, falling 6-1 to the Barre Canadian Club. After a year off, the team was reorganized for 1911-12, and has been active most years since. The University of Vermont Catamounts had a hockey team that played intermittently between 1924-1951, but only started an official program in 1963-64. They played at the Division II level until 1974, when they made the leap to DI. Vermont has reached the Frozen Four twice, in 1996 and 2009. The Middlebury College Panthers, now a Division III program, played at the DI level from 1922-1964. The St. Michael's College Purple Knights are a Division II hockey school.
The Vermont Wild began the 2011-12 season in the Federal Hockey League, but folded after only 10 games on November 25. At the junior level, the Full Stride Flyers of Burlington played in the Interstate Junior Hockey League in 2004-05, and the Vermont Lumberjacks have competed in the Eastern Hockey League since 2014. The Green Mountain Glades previously played in the EHL from 2000-2012.
Category:States