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UNH Wildcats 2016-17 Vol II -- We Do Have a Hockey Season Here!?!

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  • Originally posted by HockeyRef View Post
    Ugh
    It's good to see Souza's recruits paying off tonight , for UConn

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    • Re: UNH Wildcats 2016-17 Vol II -- We Do Have a Hockey Season Here!?!

      Shoot the freaking puck!!!
      Here we go 'Cats!!

      Comment


      • Re: UNH Wildcats 2016-17 Vol II -- We Do Have a Hockey Season Here!?!

        Can anyone explain what the hell Tirone was doing on the 4th goal? He is regressing per game at a rapid rate. Might as well pull him and play without. He is brutal

        Comment


        • so lets call this one a loss...

          NU just tied the score in Maine. A win puts the Huskies out of reach in the race for home ice. UConn's win will pull them even with UNH and give them a tie-breaking edge. Merrimack is currently down a goal in the third at UVM and would remain two points ahead of the Wildcats if that score holds. A comeback win or a tie from MC and home ice is lost.

          Assuming UVM holds on, UNH will need a win at UConn and a second UVM win over Merrimack to sneak into the final home ice spot for the first round...

          IMO, UNH wins a first round series at home, they do not on the road. Either way the season ends before Boston, but Kelleher needs those extra games and needs to light them up to get serious Hobey consideration (it is his would be teammates award to lose). Losing out on those games could also cost him HE POY and Walter Brown awards. I don't see how he misses out on a first team AA nod...

          ----

          Additionally, hopefully this puts the UConn is a cupcake silliness to rest. They have begun to evolve. Perception of them needs to do the same. We can all whine about how we've fallen this far to be an equal to UConn at this stage in their development. But UNH hockey is NOT better than UConn hockey. No matter how much some hate and disrespect their coach. They are dramatically better between the pipes and on defense - and while UNH scores more goals they are not that far ahead of UConn offensively. Thompson and Letunov are every bit a talent match of r UNHs first line - both are essentially one line teams. I'd trade our coaching situation for theirs in a heartbeat...
          Last edited by Dan; 02-24-2017, 08:12 PM.
          Live Free or Die!!
          Miami University '03

          Comment


          • Re: UNH Wildcats 2016-17 Vol II -- We Do Have a Hockey Season Here!?!

            UVM holds on and beats MC - so home ice is still a possibility. NU still leads ME and Aston-Reese's two-point night (already) vaults him into a tie with Kelleher in the national scoring race and puts him just two point behind in HE scoring...

            Assuming NU wins, a UNH win and an MC loss tomorrow means UNH hosts MC. A UNH loss or an MC win means UNH is on the road with possibilities still in play to travel to NU, MC or UConn...

            Edit - Northeastern wins in OT and ZAR picks up his third point of the night to take over the national scoring lead and draws within one of TK in HE play...
            Last edited by Dan; 02-24-2017, 09:03 PM.
            Live Free or Die!!
            Miami University '03

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            • Originally posted by Dan View Post
              so lets call this one a loss...

              NU just tied the score in Maine. A win puts the Huskies out of reach in the race for home ice. UConn's win will pull them even with UNH and give them a tie-breaking edge. Merrimack is currently down a goal in the third at UVM and would remain two points ahead of the Wildcats if that score holds. A comeback win or a tie from MC and home ice is lost.

              Assuming UVM holds on, UNH will need a win at UConn and a second UVM win over Merrimack to sneak into the final home ice spot for the first round...

              IMO, UNH wins a first round series at home, they do not on the road. Either way the season ends before Boston, but Kelleher needs those extra games and needs to light them up to get serious Hobey consideration (it is his would be teammates award to lose). Losing out on those games could also cost him HE POY and Walter Brown awards. I don't see how he misses out on a first team AA nod...

              ----

              Additionally, hopefully this puts the UConn is a cupcake silliness to rest. They have begun to evolve. Perception of them needs to do the same. We can all whine about how we've fallen this far to be an equal to UConn at this stage in their development. But UNH hockey is NOT better than UConn hockey. No matter how much some hate and disrespect their coach. They are dramatically better between the pipes and on defense - and while UNH scores more goals they are not that far ahead of UConn offensively. Thompson and Letunov are every bit a talent match of r UNHs first line - both are essentially one line teams. I'd trade our coaching situation for theirs in a heartbeat...
              Just pathetic. If the players play like they don't care, why should we? I have it on good authority that a member of the 1999 team, who was there last week as well, walked out in disgust. Really hard to watch.

              Comment


              • Re: UNH Wildcats 2016-17 Vol II -- We Do Have a Hockey Season Here!?!

                Thin thin thin on the blue line heard Wyse is hurt? Doesn't take away how flat we played. Dan I hear you about UConn but we didn't even make it a game. Ok one more...
                Here we go 'Cats!!

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                • Originally posted by Greg Ambrose View Post
                  Just pathetic. If the players play like they don't care, why should we? I have it on good authority that a member of the 1999 team, who was there last week as well, walked out in disgust. Really hard to watch.
                  3-9-3 second half, 1-8-1 in the last ten...
                  Live Free or Die!!
                  Miami University '03

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                  • Originally posted by HockeyRef View Post
                    Thin thin thin on the blue line heard Wyse is hurt? Doesn't take away how flat we played. Dan I hear you about UConn but we didn't even make it a game. Ok one more...
                    If you're arguing that I'm being generous in saying we're equal to UConn, I wouldn't disagree much if at all...

                    Live Free or Die!!
                    Miami University '03

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                    • Originally posted by Dan View Post
                      3-9-3 second half, 1-8-1 in the last ten...
                      Not acceptable...it's just not acceptable. Period. But I'm not going to lay this entirely on the players....they did not look prepared and then couple that with a lack of motivation through most of the game. Oh whatever...
                      Here we go 'Cats!!

                      Comment


                      • Originally posted by Dan View Post
                        If you're arguing that I'm being generous in saying we're equal to UConn, I wouldn't disagree much if at all...

                        You'll get no argument from me have nothing left to say on the subject...
                        Here we go 'Cats!!

                        Comment


                        • Re: UNH Wildcats 2016-17 Vol II -- We Do Have a Hockey Season Here!?!

                          Originally posted by Dan View Post
                          Additionally, hopefully this puts the UConn is a cupcake silliness to rest. They have begun to evolve. Perception of them needs to do the same. We can all whine about how we've fallen this far to be an equal to UConn at this stage in their development. But UNH hockey is NOT better than UConn hockey. No matter how much some hate and disrespect their coach. They are dramatically better between the pipes and on defense - and while UNH scores more goals they are not that far ahead of UConn offensively. Thompson and Letunov are every bit a talent match of r UNHs first line - both are essentially one line teams. I'd trade our coaching situation for theirs in a heartbeat...
                          UConn is a cupcake, simple as. Of course, so is UNH. Same exact HE conference record at this point, and tonight's UConn win is only their second win in their last 12 games (sound familiar?). I honestly don't see the evolution, any more than a generation ago when folks claimed UMass and their own BC assistant-turned-HC Joe Mallen was supposedly building the Minutemen into the "sleeping giant" of Hockey East. Well, that "sleeping giant" obviously has narcolepsy, and with UConn looking at only a narrow chance to eke into the top 8 this season, I don't see the "evolution". I see "treading water in the HE kiddie pool". Like you said, it's a one-line team, and the depth of their recruiting looks to have generally leveled out after the top two forwards. And the fact there were almost 100 shots on goal combined tonight doesn't say much about either team's defense.

                          If your proposition is that UConn is still in its building phase, while UNH has been on a consistently downwards path for over a decade now, you're not going to get me to disagree. But there was a lot of chatter last season and this season about UConn pressing up the standings, upping its game on the recruiting trails, etc. ... and it's simply just not materialized. There's a good argument that UConn's most effective recruiter was standing behind the opposite bench tonight.

                          So please, let's go easy on the UConn coronation. The only way their program can be deemed to have been successful in their time in HE to date would be if you set the bar exceedingly low. Like, they're (marginally?) better than UNH at this point.

                          --------------------

                          Good to see old regular d.gerry on here today with some of his thoughts on topics we have been debating on and off over the last few weeks/months/years. There are literally dozens like d.gerry who used to post fairly regularly but have dropped off due to the program's descent, which translates to hundreds of hard-core every-game fans, and thousands of regular and casual fans who have lost interest in what used to be the most energetic program in HE, if not the country. Yeah, UNH may never have won the "big one", but when UNH got themselves to the Garden regularly for postseason play, or had NCAA Regional play across New England and out to Albany, no one - and that included the big Boston schools - traveled better than UNH. I hope I live long enough to see that again, 'cuz it was a wonderful thing.

                          As to the "Umile Question" ... kudos to HR for stepping out with a brutally honest (and obviously painful) conclusion. Losing tonight was a bitter pill to swallow, and now home ice even in the pathetic MBPBEGAM *playoffs* is no longer within UNH's control. Another non-win on the road tomorrow night cements a road series, and (as others have said already) I don't see this team winning a road series. 13 wins leaves Coach needing 16 next season (and 12 leaves 17 W's as the target) to get to "the next round number", and that's going to be a tall order. Will Coach take it upon himself to gracefully step aside then? I doubt it. And if not, will BS35+4 have the intestinal fortitude to write Coach a check for next season in advance, give him a retirement party to celebrate (December seems apropos), and give Souza an early start to his HC career?

                          As I've said before ... as much as I hope Coach Souza proves to be the real thing, and gets things back to where they used to be ... I think it's eventually going to be Souza's successor that eventually turns the tide. And as d.gerry points out, that could mean we are watching more of the same from UNH for the better part of a decade. But that doesn't mean I'm not rooting for Coach Umile to pull a final rabbit out of his hat over the last few games of this season (and has a terrific going-away season next year IF he gets that chance), nor am I rooting for Coach Souza (and Coach Stewart) to fall flat once they are given the reins. I'm not a masochist, and it's way more fun writing stuff on here when things are going well. It's been a long time since things were that way, though ... and I just suspect we've got some tough road ahead of us at least into the early 2020's. Prove me wrong, guys. Please.
                          Sworn Enemy of the Perpetually Offended
                          Montreal Expos Forever ...

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                          • Originally posted by HockeyRef View Post
                            Not acceptable...it's just not acceptable. Period. But I'm not going to lay this entirely on the players....they did not look prepared and then couple that with a lack of motivation through most of the game. Oh whatever...
                            This team is still making the same mistakes they made in the exhibition in October. Nothing ever changes, stagnant defense, no neutral zone transition, and a decent offense when they actually get into the offensive zone.

                            The fact that nothing ever changes as a result of the recent 'umiliations is totally on the coaching staff.

                            Comment


                            • Re: UNH Wildcats 2016-17 Vol II -- We Do Have a Hockey Season Here!?!

                              Chuck - you are welcome to your definition of a cupcake, but you are the only one who views a cupcake as any poor team. A cupcake is an expected easy win. UConn was that expected win, they are no longer. Especially for UNH. In addition to winning three straight against UNH, they took 7 of 16 points against the top four in HE this year. UNH took two.

                              This is UConns third season in HE and a win gets them home ice tomorrow, more than likely. They are still growing out of their AHA roots. Their last year in the AHA the Wildcats were an NCAA tourney team. The gap is closed and not entirely because UNH has slipped. People who view them as a team trending up are not wrong because they haven't immediately reached the top-four of HE.

                              If Thompson and Letunov leave - they won't be taking a huge leap next year either. But their defense and goaltending is legit and their future recruiting classes are much deeper than UNHs.

                              Defensively they've allowed 2.8 GPG to UNHs 3.5 (which trumps however many shots they gave up tonight). Their NHL prospect of a goalie is a freshman and they return their entire D Corp next year - 4 underclassmen along with a deep group of incoming blue liners. They will get better offensively because their best recruiter is their HC and he has a proven track record landing forwards. Which HE did with Thompson, Letunov and Nass. If all three return next year, their one line will be pretty dangerous.

                              The argument has been made here already that Souza was most responsible for landing their top kids and it's been proven false through simple research. When faced with the actual evidence there is no argument that UConns best recruiter was on UNHs bench tonight. None.

                              Many said UMass had potential and they did/do. No one thought Mallen would achieve it, nor Cahoon, nor Michelletti. They have, for the first time in their history made a good hire. We'll see if, for the first time in their history, they actually invest in their program, too.

                              Three years into their HE tenure there is NO doubt that UConns commitment to hockey is far greater than UMass'...

                              When UNH lost to Bentley, there ceased to be any cupcakes on their schedule. A few pillow fights perhaps, but no cupcakes. The lone reason UNH is not WELL out of the home ice race and behind UConn already is because they caught Northeastern at the right time and without Nolan Stevens. Otherwise they'd be 2-11-2 agains this supposed cupcake-walk of a second half we heard so much about...
                              Last edited by Dan; 02-24-2017, 11:47 PM.
                              Live Free or Die!!
                              Miami University '03

                              Comment


                              • Re: UNH Wildcats 2016-17 Vol II -- We Do Have a Hockey Season Here!?!

                                [QUOTE=Dan;6450620]Chuck - you are welcome to your definition of a cupcake, but you are the only one who views a cupcake as any poor team. A cupcake is an expected easy win. UConn was that expected win, they are no longer. Especially for UNH. In addition to winning three straight against UNH, they took 7 of 16 points against the top four in HE this year. UNH took two.

                                This is UConns third season in HE and a win gets them home ice tomorrow, more than likely. They are still growing out of their AHA roots. Their last year in the AHA the Wildcats were an NCAA tourney team. The gap is closed and not entirely because UNH has slipped. People who view them as a team trending up are not wrong because they haven't immediately reached the top-four of HE.

                                If Thompson and Letunov leave - they won't be taking a huge leap next year either. But their defense and goaltending is legit and their future recruiting classes are much deeper than UNHs.

                                Defensively they've allowed 2.8 GPG to UNHs 3.5 (which trumps however many shots they gave up tonight). Their NHL prospect of a goalie is a freshman and they return their entire D Corp next year - 4 underclassmen along with a deep group of incoming blue liners. They will get better offensively because their best recruiter is their HC and he has a proven track record landing forwards. Which HE did with Thompson, Letunov and Nass. If all three return next year, their one line will be pretty dangerous.

                                The argument has been made here already that Souza was most responsible for landing their top kids and it's been proven false through simple research. When faced with the actual evidence there is no argument that UConns best recruiter was on UNHs bench tonight. None.

                                Many said UMass had potential and they did/do. No one thought Mallen would achieve it, nor Cahoon, nor Michelletti. They have, for the first time in their history made a good hire. We'll see if, for the first time in their history, they actually invest in their program, too.

                                Three years into their HE tenure there is NO doubt that UConns commitment to hockey is far greater than UMass'...

                                When UNH lost to Bentley, there ceased to be any cupcakes on their schedule. A few pillow fights perhaps, but no cupcakes. The lone reason UNH is not WELL out of the home ice race and behind UConn already is because they caught Northeastern at the right time and without Nolan Stevens. Otherwise they'd be 2-11-2 agains this supposed cupcake-walk of a second half we heard so much about...[/QUOTE]

                                The second half cup cake schedule? All those tough HE games? Maybe I'm not understanding your comment...
                                Here we go 'Cats!!

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