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UNH Wildcats 2012-2013 Season Thread

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  • billb
    replied
    Re: UNH Wildcats 2012-2013 Season Thread

    Maybe this will start a trend.
    Jackie Parker is stepping down after 40 years at BU.
    He always was a classy, intelligent coach.

    Leave a comment:


  • Chuck Murray
    replied
    Re: UNH Wildcats 2012-2013 Season Thread

    Originally posted by Greg Ambrose View Post
    But the coaching staff and the players have to know that the fan base is not happy. More than once Umile has told me, after some poor performances, that we (meaning the coaching staff) are as unhappy as the fans. The difference is that the coaches can have some impact over performance, the fans no. The meltdown (and that is the only way to describe it) over the last three months does not appear to have been addressed at any time. At least that is how it looked on the ice.
    See, I'm fascinated by this small morsel of insight. I know Coach Umile isn't in the business of plumbing the depths of his coaching philosophy with the media, or anyone else to make sure the fans of his program have this "transparent" insight into how he runs things with his team. I get that. But I do wonder (and clearly I've got a lot of company on this) how he can see this stuff happening over and over again, and not find a way to adjust and improve? It WAS happening back in the late '90's/early '00's, and I still give him TONS of credit for that. The simple fact is, players come and go, and four years out from '03, you lose "institutional knowledge" from your players on how to respond in the REALLY BIG games. But the "institutional knowledge" from your head coach should still be there, and then it's Coach Umile's job to make sure future players benefit from his experience, no?

    As some of you folks know, the primary reason I've disappeared from the boards for the better part of the last decade is because I've been coaching a different sport, hundreds of games, all ages right up to varsity high school athletes, and over a dozen of them have gone on to play at the next level (there will be no pros due to the sport). Those teams have ranged from winning their last game of the postseason (AND losing the same game) to winning zero (0) games in a season. The insight I've gained doing it has given me more respect for Coach Umile than I had before I started out. But regardless of how things turn out, any coach has to do some sort of post-season self-analysis after a season is done. What's working, what isn't, and how can I change the latter to be a better coach, etc.?

    It MUST be killing Coach Umile to keep running into the same wall, over and over. He can't still be doing the job for monetary reasons, although I'm sure it's a nice fall-back. He's been well-paid for 23 years now, and I'm guessing his retirement benefits (when the time comes - clearly it will be his call, and just as clearly I think he's earned that right, at least as things now stand) will be pretty sweet. So right now, at this stage of his career, we are probably talking about a single-minded Captain Ahab who is still in search of the elusive white whale (admit it - I know you guys miss this stuff ). And he also knows time is no longer on his side.

    I guess one thing that puzzles me, and I know I've mentioned this before, is why Coach Umile's teams are not more aggressive, and sometimes border on the verge of being "soft"? I never had the privilege of seeing Umile play 40+ years ago in those pre C-H-C days, but all reports I've ever heard from those who did see him play was that he was a talented player who also played with a physical edge. You would think that someone with that kind of playing mindset would place more value in seeking out more players with those same characteristics? The UNH teams that did win the league hardware in '02 and '03 had more of that that any of the teams before OR since under Coach Umile. It seems like some of the younger kids this year (Pesce, Correale and Gaudreault) are going back in that direction, and if so, I think (hope?) that's a good sign. We can only hope this year's UNH post-season at least has some success, the players (and perhaps the coaches?) learn some important lessons, and in doing so Coach Umile gets things pointed back in the right direction for the future.

    Nothing would make me happier than to see UNH finally get over this and win it all. And it really would be nice to see Coach Umile still on board to enjoy it.

    Originally posted by Greg Ambrose View Post
    Look, I had no illusions that UNH was on the cusp of winning a the national championship this year. But I did think that they were more than capable of garnering either or both the regular season and playoff titles. That they failed to gain the first when it was basically handed to them and, in all likelihood, are not going to have a chance to obtain the second, is disappointing. Am I "Crestfallen"? No. Disappointed? Yes.
    Put me down for all of that. Roll on with the postseason now ...

    Leave a comment:


  • IrishWildcat
    replied
    Re: UNH Wildcats 2012-2013 Season Thread

    Originally posted by catsfan View Post
    ??? If you don't want to see predictions or discussions of teams one would suggest that you stay off of the major college hockey Fan Forum on the internet.
    I think what he was getting at is recruiting. It seems that the teams that have the greatest "reach," rather than the ones with the best actual coaching (in terms of improving a player's skill level) are going to be winning games/championships.

    Leave a comment:


  • zoofer
    replied
    Re: UNH Wildcats 2012-2013 Season Thread

    I understand what you're saying Greg but even back from 74, how does a Coach motivate an athlete that doesn't know how to "get up" for a big game. Everyone always said that Coach Holt was always being out coached by Cleary or Johnson because he couldn't get his players motivated...
    so a team with 11 future NHL players not winning the NC are correct? Disappointed yes but they were picked 4th in HE and in essence ended up there...all I'm saying is that I thoroughly enjoyed this season and continue to do so....
    Although I must admit I agree with Umileated's forecast above....

    Leave a comment:


  • chickod
    replied
    Re: UNH Wildcats 2012-2013 Season Thread

    Originally posted by Umileated View Post
    Not at all. Providence and Lowell are the two teams to watch in this tournament. Providence stumped us to the tune of 0-2-1 this season, and that was back when the cats were trying to win a game.
    I'm not convinced. Everyone acts like they ran away with the league. And let's see how well these "high powered" squads do if someone gets a two-goal lead on them...

    Leave a comment:


  • catsfan
    replied
    Re: UNH Wildcats 2012-2013 Season Thread

    Originally posted by Nifty16 View Post
    Well glad I don't have to watch the game because the game is played on the Internet these days and not on the ice
    ??? If you don't want to see predictions or discussions of teams one would suggest that you stay off of the major college hockey Fan Forum on the internet.

    Leave a comment:


  • Piels25
    replied
    Re: UNH Wildcats 2012-2013 Season Thread

    Originally posted by Piels25 View Post
    First post in a long time from this guy....here goes.

    While I appreciate the game reviews from C-H-C, I think they have to be taken with a grain of salt as they are clearly taken through "blue-colored" glasses if you will. Having been at both games Friday and Saturday, I don't think the 'Cats played nearly as well on Friday as the blog would indicate, and much of their poor defensive zone play that they got away with vs. NU at Matthews came back to bite them on Saturday vs. Merrimack.

    UNH was bad all weekend, borderline awful, in their own defensive zone....witness the 47 shots that NU had Friday night. Many of those were a result of UNH defensemen trying to do too much with the puck individually, not making the easy pass, or just failing to clear. Some credit goes to the NU forecheck, but UNH shot themselves in the foot many times. While Merrimack did not have nearly as many shots on Saturday, it was a similar story. Case in point - late in the 1st period Goumas has plenty of time to make a breakout pass up the left wing or clear the puck, instead takes too much time, gets his pocket picked, and takes a bad hooking call as a result. Merrimack did not capitalize on that PP, but that turnover and penalty was the Wildcats weekend in a nutshell.

    As I said, UNH was able to make up for the poor defensive play on Friday with some timely goals and a strong effort from DeSmith, but they did not dominate NU, and it was clearly the opposite on Saturday. I can't fault DeSmith for the loss as the UNH defense just hung him out too many times. Lack of scoring has suddenly become a problem for the Wildcats, as Darien pointed out - too many chances went begging on Saturday, and if they can't right the ship defensively they are going to need a lot of 4, 5, and 6 goal games down the stretch.

    I know it's just two games, but I didn't like what I saw this weekend. Back-to-back home losses (at the Whitt) against Providence and Merrimack just doesn't sit well, especially at this point of the season. Hope to see them bounce back this weekend with a home-and-home against Merrimack and pray they're not looking ahead to Boston College the following weekend at Chestnut Hill.
    I think Freak just put some hard numbers to what many of us have been saying for a while - team was playing far better at both ends of the ice in the first half of the season. Post above is taken from early February after a less-than-impressive win at NU followed by a loss at home the next night to Merrimack....the writing on the wall has been there for the last month and a half.

    Leave a comment:


  • Nifty16
    replied
    Originally posted by Umileated View Post
    I do! I think we'll lose in 2 to Providence this coming weekend. The Friar's will take the Conference championship, and muster into Manchester with a 4 seed. Both teams will win the first round, and then we'll get to lose to Providence again.
    Well glad I don't have to watch the game because the game is played on the Internet these days and not on the ice might as well just let the people in the crowd who yell at everything and make fools of themselves and not let the players on the ice decide the game

    Leave a comment:


  • billb
    replied
    Re: UNH Wildcats 2012-2013 Season Thread

    Early in the season I read an article telling of UNH's sub-par record last year and also of the auspicious start with which the team had begun this year, pointing to in all likelihood another twenty win season for Mr. Umile. Since the article I believe the team has garnered seven wins, had the #1 ranking bullseye on their backs, and gone into another season-ending tailspin. This is very disappointing to all UNH fans, but the big puzzle to me is why anyone is surprised?
    The big constant is still there.
    Congratulations to UMass Lowell. They have always had a great program with outstanding coaches and players. It is nice to see someone new with the trophy.
    Last edited by billb; 03-10-2013, 06:17 PM.

    Leave a comment:


  • NUCC93
    replied
    Re: UNH Wildcats 2012-2013 Season Thread

    Originally posted by chickod View Post
    I completely disagree...are you just trying to stir people up??
    Have you seen anything out of this team that would indicate they will?

    I've been a UNH fan for over 20 years and it's "I am Henry VIII I am" year after year.

    Norwich lost three to Babson in the regular season but beat 'em when it counted, so anything is possible, but UNH doesn't look like a team that deserves to be playing in the Garden, or in the NCAAs for that matter. I hope they prove me wrong.

    Leave a comment:


  • Umileated
    replied
    Re: UNH Wildcats 2012-2013 Season Thread

    Originally posted by freak View Post
    Now, certainly the entire team has slacked on defense over the last half+ of the season, but it just doesn't seem like DeSmith is the guy who can steal us a game when it matters. He is highly dependent upon the defensive play in front of him, which as has been noted, has been sub-par since November.
    I'll say the same thing a bit more nicely. DeSmith has the potential to be a great goalie on another team. He's noticeably terrified about having the puck behind the net - it's why he's so quick to go back and clear it himself. We got to see it with that UMO wrap-around this weekend. His greatest strength is glove side, in my opinion. A team whose defensive strategy is to push the attackers to the boards and out of the diamond is the wrong team for him. A rink that's Olympic width with quick NHL corners is the wrong sheet for him. I'm not offering criticism for either of those components, they just produce a mismatch with his strengths.

    Leave a comment:


  • Umileated
    replied
    Re: UNH Wildcats 2012-2013 Season Thread

    Originally posted by chickod View Post
    I completely disagree...are you just trying to stir people up??
    Not at all. Providence and Lowell are the two teams to watch in this tournament. Providence stumped us to the tune of 0-2-1 this season, and that was back when the cats were trying to win a game.

    Leave a comment:


  • freak
    replied
    Re: UNH Wildcats 2012-2013 Season Thread

    Just some perspective...

    I've been catching up on this thread today and several times have seen people claim that the defense has generally been good all season. That certainly didn't square with my impressions.

    In the first 15 non exhibition games, UNH gave up 3, 2, 1, 3, 0, 2, 0, 0, 0, 1, 4, 4, 2, 2, and 3 goals, or an average of 1.8ga/game.

    Starting with Darty (19 games), they've given up 4, 2, 2, 5, 1, 6, 3, 2, 1, 4, 3, 1, 4, 3, 1, 2, 0, 4, and 4 goals, or an average of 2.7ga/game.

    This is made worse by the fact that they scored an average of 3.6gpg in those first 15 games, but only 2.9gpg in the last 19.

    I also read some time ago, either on this thread or a series thread, the claim that DeSmith had a knack for coming up big in important games in juniors. Maybe so, but it doesn't seem to me that that knack has carried over to D1. My impression has been that DeSmith has been decidedly mediocre in games against top opponents and/or important games. Recently in this thread, at least one person has voiced a similar opinion.

    Here are some of his numbers from big/important games this season, regardless of the result:

    @CC - 4ga/25sog
    @DU - 3ga/5sog
    BU - 3ga/24sog
    @DC - 3ga/27sog
    @BC - 5ga/12sog
    PC - 4ga/11sog
    MC - 3ga/20sog
    @BC - 4ga/22sog
    UMO - 4ga/20sog
    UMO - 4ga/32sog

    37ga/198sog/506:44min
    .813 save %/4.38gaa

    Now, certainly the entire team has slacked on defense over the last half+ of the season, but it just doesn't seem like DeSmith is the guy who can steal us a game when it matters. He is highly dependent upon the defensive play in front of him, which as has been noted, has been sub-par since November.

    Leave a comment:


  • chickod
    replied
    Re: UNH Wildcats 2012-2013 Season Thread

    Originally posted by Umileated View Post
    I do! I think we'll lose in 2 to Providence this coming weekend.
    I completely disagree...are you just trying to stir people up??

    Leave a comment:


  • snively
    replied
    Re: UNH Wildcats 2012-2013 Season Thread

    "If you're talking about the national poll, the "voters" look at the PWR and go by that."

    I.E., Quinnipiac remains week after week the nation's top ranked team.

    Correction on my other... pending the updated poll, UNH is currently the 4th best team in the country, and the 5th best in Hockey East.

    Both Vermont and Maine receive no votes at all, which puts them one vote behind Robert Morris (which I actually thought was a cigarette).

    http://www.uscho.com/rankings/d-i-mens-poll/
    Last edited by snively; 03-10-2013, 03:26 PM.

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