UNH Wildcats 2013-14 Season Thread (Part 2)

[HockeyRef]

Re: UNH Wildcats 2013-14 Season Thread (Part 2)

Oh hey, thanks for sharing that fun fact...! Here's hoping UNH puts on different skates tonight. Giving UVM a ton of credit for the solid 60 minute effort last night; getting it done...
Speaking of fun facts, didn't realize that we've not been able to come back after being down a couple: UNH is 0-12-0 this year when trailing after two. Welp..round two tonight.

[skyraider0609]

Re: UNH Wildcats 2013-14 Season Thread (Part 2)

I think this thread should be renamed. Let's go with UNH Wildcats 2013-2014 One Step Forward, One Step Back Thread. Or maybe UNH Wildcats 2013-2014 I've Seen This Movie Before And I Already Know The Ending Thread. Maybe you all have some better thread titles.

After last week's two wins I thought okay, this team has a chance to make a little noise moving forward as the regular season winds down. After last night's "turd in the punchbowl" effort, what do we have? Dickie again completely perplexed as to how the team could have been so flat and not ready to play. Hmm, that sounds so familiar.... I just shake my head. If there's ever a statue of Dickie erected in front of the Whitt in another 20 or 25 years when he's finally retired, it will be with his arms crossed over his chest, one hand under his chin and just scowling.

Maybe the Wildcats come out and play better tonight. Who knows, maybe they'll play well enough to win. In the end though, they are what they are, a .500 team that will whither against better competition.

[Chuck Murray]

Re: UNH Wildcats 2013-14 Season Thread (Part 2)

After last week's two wins I thought okay, this team has a chance to make a little noise moving forward as the regular season winds down. After last night's "turd in the punchbowl" effort, what do we have? Dickie again completely perplexed as to how the team could have been so flat and not ready to play. Hmm, that sounds so familiar.... I just shake my head.

Maybe the Wildcats come out and play better tonight. Who knows, maybe they'll play well enough to win. In the end though, they are what they are, a .500 team that will whither against better competition.

It's usually stuff like this that some folks criticize me for being "too negative" ... but truthfully, I suspect anyone who's followed the program for more than a year or two comes to the point where they eventually feel this way.

Losing games happens. Two teams play, and at least one is usually going to leave the game unhappy. And sometimes it's going to be your team that's unhappy. That's unavoidable.

What is entirely avoidable is a perceived lack of effort ... at home ... in February ... in a key game ... against a league opponent ... and with an opportunity to begin to solidify an important home ice foundation for the postseason within their grasp.



As Lucy van Pelt holds it in place, Charlie Brown optimistically begins his charge towards the football ...

[Scott]

Re: UNH Wildcats 2013-14 Season Thread (Part 2)

What is entirely avoidable is a perceived lack of effort ... at home ... in February ... in a key game ... against a league opponent ... and with an opportunity to begin to solidify an important home ice foundation for the postseason within their grasp.

Which is exactly why this team is going nowhere at the end of the season. "Good" teams ("good" coaches??) recognize the importance of winning key games at critical times during the season. UNH just isn't that good. Don't get me wrong....they're great guys and decent hockey players, this team just isn't that good against the 2013-14 competition. Feel free to point your finger at the root cause.

Hope always springs eternal.

[sonar]

Re: UNH Wildcats 2013-14 Season Thread (Part 2)

I think this thread should be renamed. Let's go with UNH Wildcats 2013-2014 One Step Forward, One Step Back Thread. Or maybe UNH Wildcats 2013-2014 I've Seen This Movie Before And I Already Know The Ending Thread. Maybe you all have some better thread titles.

After last week's two wins I thought okay, this team has a chance to make a little noise moving forward as the regular season winds down. After last night's "turd in the punchbowl" effort, what do we have? Dickie again completely perplexed as to how the team could have been so flat and not ready to play. Hmm, that sounds so familiar.... I just shake my head. If there's ever a statue of Dickie erected in front of the Whitt in another 20 or 25 years when he's finally retired, it will be with his arms crossed over his chest, one hand under his chin and just scowling.

Maybe the Wildcats come out and play better tonight. Who knows, maybe they'll play well enough to win. In the end though, they are what they are, a .500 team that will whither against better competition.

Umile says …… “I take responsibility because obviously we weren’t ready to play.”

Snively says …… “It was obvious to me that Sneddon had his team ready for this one, and the one thing that Umile's teams can never seem to do is make between period adjustments.”

Both of these gentlemen are correct and it has been a tiresome scene for many, many, many years.

[HockeyRef]

Umile says …… “I take responsibility because obviously we weren’t ready to play.”

Snively says …… “It was obvious to me that Sneddon had his team ready for this one, and the one thing that Umile's teams can never seem to do is make between period adjustments.”

Both of these gentlemen are correct and it has been a tiresome scene for many, many, many years.

Both are astute commentaries. It's been said the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results! (And boy do I know this on a personal level but this forum aint the place!) Guess its enough to be happy about the individual achievements of the team like the positive season Nick Sorkin is having after last years injury...I'm sure there are others that could come to mind. Being the sensitive sort that I am it pains me to read the tones of resignation from you long time Cat fans but surely understand! Think I "get it" about the situation and also echo the "hope springs eternal" mantra. Hey...that could be the name of our thread! Somehow sounds better than 'Been there, Done that, Bought the Tee Shirt'. Sigh. The boys deserve better!

[sonar]

Re: UNH Wildcats 2013-14 Season Thread (Part 2)

Both are astute commentaries. It's been said the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results! (And boy do I know this on a personal level but this forum aint the place!) Guess its enough to be happy about the individual achievements of the team like the positive season Nick Sorkin is having after last years injury...I'm sure there are others that could come to mind. Being the sensitive sort that I am it pains me to read the tones of resignation from you long time Cat fans but surely understand! Think I "get it" about the situation and also echo the "hope springs eternal" mantra. Hey...that could be the name of our thread! So.mehow sounds better than 'Been there, Done that, Bought the Tee Shirt'. Sigh. The boys deserve better!

Your absolutely correct ... "The boys deserve better."

They certainly deserve better in-game adjustments then .... calling a time out with minutes to go and your team down 5-2.

Lets see now .... If I am not ready for an important meeting and I can't make valid spontaneous comments during the meeting .... then all I have left is strategic withdrawal. Nothing wrong with "strategic withdrawal" .... as long as it does not become the norm. All those people who left the game early last night are familiar with norm .... and he doesn't sit at the end of the bar called Cheers.

[unh1982]

Re: UNH Wildcats 2013-14 Season Thread (Part 2)

New thread named " get rid of status quo".....ok raise your hands if you are suck of hap hazard efforts....ok if its the NHL and you play 82 games, I get it....but there is no excuse for lack of motivation...you can't always rely on the player's to make the adjustments themselfs. yes Mr Umile its your job to recognize and fix during the week if you feel your team is not up to speed.

[Snively65]

Re: UNH Wildcats 2013-14 Season Thread (Part 2)

What I want to "see" (I will not be at game 2) tonight is a plan for the UNH D-men to get the puck through UVM's clogging of the neutral zone; they really miss TVR right now. UNH has one of the top four first lines in Div 1 when Goumas-Sorkin-Willows are together (only BC, St Lawrence, and Bentley have higher scoring first lines). But, need to get them set up in the UVM zone, and dumping and chasing the puck into the corners is a sure failure strategy. Second, Sorkin needs to be set up in front of the UVM net, all of the time, not on the perimeter or behind the net. UVM has a tenacious D, but UNH must find a way to score more than two goals tonight.

[freak]

Re: UNH Wildcats 2013-14 Season Thread (Part 2)

I often wondered why UNH never made more of a concerted effort to recruit Euro-mercenaries?

My guess would be recruiting budgets. The women have had a few Swedes, Swiss and Fins recently (and one Scot), but they certainly haven't banged down that door like Duluth. And most of those players either left school or transferred anyways.

[freak]

Re: UNH Wildcats 2013-14 Season Thread (Part 2)

http://board.uscho.com/showthread.ph...t=#post5710372

Well, let me fill you in on something. UNH's new admissions director has changed the foreign language requirement to be accepted into UNH. You need two years of a foreign language and ZERO exceptions are made. Guess how many years of a foreign language you need to graduate in British Columbia? ONE. This means I never would have went to UNH under their current guidelines, either would have Lanny Gare, Colin Hemingway, Brett Hemingway, etc. The only way UNH can recruit kids out in British Columbia is if they commit them during their sophomore or junior year of high school and can make sure they take two years. As you know, many top players do not emerge until they are 18 or 19---which is too late for UNH.

That is alot of fantastic players off the board. You see that kid playing for Providence named Nick Saracino? He took one year of foreign language and UNH couldnt recruit him. David Pope, a top player out in BC, is another UNH probably could have got, but he did meet the foreign language requirement and is now going to UNO. So, let me make this clear--- A kid from BC could have a 4.0 GPA and done everything in his province to graduate with honors, but UNH will not accept him without two years of a foreign language. That is what they are dealing with. That makes their jobs more challenging. They need to state and the school's administrators to get behind the team. That is a fact.

http://board.uscho.com/showthread.ph...t=#post5710848

There are more challenges and different obstacles. Foreign language is just one issue--their (admissions) expectations have gone up in regards to the type of student they now accept. So many former great players at UNH would not be admitted now. I am trying to paint a picture of reality here, but some individuals appear very adament about finger pointing at certain people.

One more comment---someone said that the foreign language requirement is a minor issue and UNH should just "get out in front of it." Well the problem with identifying and recruiting canadian kids at 15 years old, the age required to "get out in front of it," is that they have not gone through the gaunlet of major junior. Is it really worth recruiting these kids at 15 when more often than not the best ones will head to the CHL? You can see the impact this has had on Michigan. Generally speaking, kids from BC will get recruited out of the BCHL, usually during their senior year of high school--after they have passed on major junior. This is too late for UNH in most cases. I believe that exceptions need to be made for students who dont have to take two years of a foreign language to graduate from their high schools. Do you realize how hard it is to convince a kid to go to summer school and take spanish 2 when Michigan or BU is offering the kid a full scholorship and the kid doesnt have to go to summer school?

These are real challenges. These are real obstacles. I agree the facilities are not "needed." They would REALLY help, but you can still bring in the talent with the current infrastructure. What is needed is for the admissions office to bend. And please do not think that the athletic department has not done everything to make this happen. Men's hockey is not the only program this has hurt. Women's hockey at UNH has been under .500 the last three years. Look at when the new admissions people came in and you will see the Women's teams win total decrease each year.

[e.cat]

Re: UNH Wildcats 2013-14 Season Thread (Part 2)

UVM concerned me coming into the weekend. They have had little success against UNH over the years. UNH better match their intensity tonight or UVM will take it to us again me tinks!

[HockeyRef]

Re: UNH Wildcats 2013-14 Season Thread (Part 2)

UVM concerned me coming into the weekend. They have had little success against UNH over the years. UNH better match their intensity tonight or UVM will take it to us again me tinks!

e.cat I had very similar feelings; of course you know the history much better than I did! I'm all for being confident in the papers and I was glad to hear the team felt good about it self but something didn't sit right for some reason. And we all had good reason to feel good about them after their stellar performance / ND weekend. I was more confident about ND last weekend? Still, the game is ON tonight boys and I'm on my way in about an hour! Here we go 'Cats! Tonight is another night..

[e.cat]

e.cat I had very similar feelings; of course you know the history much better than I did! I'm all for being confident in the papers and I was glad to hear the team felt good about it self but something didn't sit right for some reason. And we all had good reason to feel good about them after their stellar performance / ND weekend. I was more confident about ND last weekend? Still, the game is ON tonight boys and I'm on my way in about an hour! Here we go 'Cats! Tonight is another night..

You know what they say about great minds Headed to Durham in a bit myself.

[sonar]

Re: UNH Wildcats 2013-14 Season Thread (Part 2)

You know what they say about great minds Headed to Durham in a bit myself.

............ me too, as I experience my 45th year as a ticket holder .... as someone once said, "Hope is necessary in every condition."
And please I do not want a diagnosis for my "condition" .............