In the early 1990s, there where these two French-Canadian guys named St. Louis and Perrin, along with some dude named Thomas between the pipes that garnered a lot of attention, and rightfully so. But, those great University of Vermont teams had plenty of other standout players. One of them was Dominique Ducharme. He finished his Catamount career in 1995 with 149 points, which is still ninth all-time. Now, he’s carving out a successful coaching career at the major junior level north of the border. Continue reading
2012-13 UVM Athletic Department Salaries: Sneddon Tops List Again
Each year, the University of Vermont publishes all its employees’ annual rate of base pay. As we did last year, Sporting Vermont has put together a list of athletic department employees for 2012-13. Head men’s hockey coach Kevin Sneddon remains the highest paid member of the athletic department staff, earning a $10,000 raise from the previous season, despite winning just six games in 2011-12. You can view the entire listing for all UVM employees here, and check out the athletic department salaries below.
Also, it should be noted that Pat McBride, Director of Major Giving for Athletics, is not listed in the directory. Continue reading
Vermont Connections to the 2013 Final Four
At first, I thought of the ambitious project of finding a connection to the state of Vermont for all 68 teams in the NCAA Tournament field. But, I didn’t have time (OK, I was lazy and didn’t do it). However, we’ve done the Vermont connections to the Final Four previously, and figure, what the heck, let’s do it again. Continue reading
The 20: A UVM Hockey Game
On March 8, 2013, the University of Vermont men’s hockey team tied Boston College 4-4. It helped the Catamounts earn a spot in the Hockey East Quarterfinals, making it probably one of the most important hockey games played at Gutterson Fieldhouse in a while. Unless you’ve been under a rock for the past few years, we’re a far cry away 2009; when the team reached the Frozen Four, in the midst of three-straight losing seasons since 2010-11.
This could be a post about the state of the team and how this drop happened. But it’s not. I could write a lot of words about that, but I won’t. For the purposes of the Top 20 Sports Experiences in Vermont, I could write about how the team has figured prominently in the community, it’s rich history, it’s wonderful barn, Gutterson Fieldhouse, and more. Instead, this is an entry about family, where hockey figures in just a little bit. Continue reading
The 20: High School Basketball Championships at the Barre Auditorium
Barre, Vt. - It was a scorching 45 degrees on the day of the Division IV boys basketball final at the Barre Auditorium; the kind of day where the players on the court weren’t the only ones wearing shorts.
While you can’t predict the weather, you can always count on the championship Saturday at the Aud to provide you with an experience worthy of having a spot on the Top 20 Sports Experiences in Vermont. Continue reading
The 20: A University of Vermont Women’s Basketball Game
BURLINGTON, Vt. - The attendance for the final regular season home game of the University of Vermont women’s basketball team was 642; far from a packed Patrick Gym. UVM won, downing Binghamton 61-43, in a game that was really never close. For Vermont, it was their ninth win of the season, and they’d finish the year 9-20. It’s the third straight season the Catamounts have lost 20 games in a season. So why is this event on the Top 20 Sports Experiences in Vermont? It’s simple: tradition and history. Continue reading
The 20: A Day of Skiing in Vermont
- Get up early, gather your gear. Throw it in the car.
- Drive up to the mountain.
- Do not heed the advice of resort employees directing traffic.
- Fail at finding a parking space close to the lift.
- Drive back, avoid eye contact with parking crew. Go where they tell you.
- Get out, gear up. Silently judge the arguing family next to you.
- Guess they are from Massachusetts.
- It was Connecticut. Close enough. Continue reading
The 20: A Middlebury Men’s Basketball Game
MIDDLEBURY, Vt. - Originally, we planned on taking in a Middlebury basketball game on Saturday afternoon; a NESCAC showdown where the two teams could have been fighting for a three-way tie for first place. That’s still the case. But, that game is now on Tuesday when Amherst finally gets to town. As for the game canceled on Friday? That was moved to Sunday, with the time changed twice. Ahh, the perils of weather.
But, blizzards aside, we still got in one of our Top 20 Sports Experiences in Vermont. And, have another opportunity preach about one of the more underrated events on the list, perhaps throughout the state. Continue reading
The 20: Northern New England Golden Gloves
BURLINGTON, Vt. - There are plenty of items on the Top 20 Sports Experiences in Vermont that you can take in multiple times. That’s because many of us can enjoy something more than once. It’s easy to be a basketball or hockey fan, for example. Being a fan of boxing? That takes a lot commitment, especially local amateur boxing. Continue reading
The 20: A Vermont Men’s Basketball Game
BURLINGTON, Vt. - If you give away free stuff, and the hockey team isn’t playing on a Friday night, UVM students will come.
For the nationally-televised regular season game between Stony Brook and Vermont, we ditched the media pass and a nice seat on press row for a ticket, taking in the game with a friend. Of course, that’s the way most people go to games, so we figured we’d do likewise. And, we could cross it off our list of the Top 20 Sports Experiences in Vermont. Continue reading