It was a homecoming of sorts for several members of the University of Vermont mens' basketball team, who faced Butler last night in the Hoosier State.
Former Indiana All-Star Josh Speidel was among a quartet of Catamounts visiting their home state. He didn't play, as he continues to rehab from a traumatic brain injury, but did receive a heartfelt standing ovation from the crowd who were delighted that he attended the game. Ernie and Everett Duncan were also back home, having played their prep ball in Evansville, and senior guard Dre Wills, an Indiana native was also getting back to his roots. As for the game, UVM kept it close for most of the contest until the 13th ranked Bulldogs pulled away for an 81-69 win.
Andrew Chrabascz scored a season high 28 points for Butler and the Bulldogs found their shooting touch in the second half, shooting 70% from the floor after the break. The Catamounts showed strength on the boards, matching Butler in rebounds with 32 on the night, and the inside game was strong with UVM scoring 34 points in the paint. Drew Urquhart and Trae Bell-Haynes had 14 points each to lead the Catamounts, but UVM couldn't get any closer than an eight point deficit to try and pull off the upset, dropping their record to 8-5 on the season. Butler, meanwhile, improves to 11-1 in pre-conference play. The Catamounts are off until December 29th when they take on Siena, and that will allow some rehab time for Payton Henson, who's out with a knee injury that UVM coach John Becker says could sideline him for a month.
In the NHL the Boston Bruins return to action tonight, skating against the Panthers in Florida following the team's disappointing 4-2 loss to the last place NY Islanders on Tuesday. The game was easily the worst in the otherwise stellar season for goalie Tuukka Rask, who let in 3 goals on 13 shots before he was pulled, and the goals Rask allowed were of the decidedly soft variety, so it'll be interesting to see if coach Claude Julien puts Rask back in net tonight or opts for back-up Anton Khudobin and a little more down time for the team's number one goalie, who may be showing some signs of fatigue as the Christmas break nears.
The Montreal Canadiens are also back on the ice tonight, hosting the Minnesota Wild at the Bell Centre.
