UNH Wildcats 2012-2013 Season Thread

[J.D.]

Re: UNH Wildcats 2012-2013 Season Thread

Didn't mean to put the whammy on you before the UMass series when I said you guys had the inside track to 1st place...craziest year I can remember.

[Blearyman]

Re: UNH Wildcats 2012-2013 Season Thread

UNH deserves where they ended up in the HE tournament. They had their chances to cinch, but once again failed to capitalize. Every year it's the same Greek tragedy. The team gets our hopes up and then fades during the closing of the post season. An auto bid into the NCAA's and then a quick exit in the 1st. round. I still am devoted and support the team, but this same inconsistency year after year has got to end. Good luck in Providence, hopefully it least one game is televised, so I can watch and feel my blood pressure rise.

[goblue]

Not a tough break. They earned it. they finished with six games against bottom dwellers, four of which were at home, and could only muster seven of twelve points. I'm pretty sure they only have 3-4 games left in this season and that's because they look to be in at Manchester regardless of the next two games. Man am I aggravated. I better go have a beer or something.

BINGO!!! My worst fears of a month ago are realized -- we play PC in the 1/4s. Doesn't matter if it's home or away. We had the scheduling opportunity of the conference to run away with 1st place, and blew it. We deserve this position. (May be wishful thinking, but it's probably a good thing that UNH will have to earn anything beyond a 2 and out HE series and a single game in Manchester. Maybe that will inspire them.)

[Scott]

Re: UNH Wildcats 2012-2013 Season Thread

Not a tough break. They earned it. they finished with six games against bottom dwellers, four of which were at home, and could only muster seven of twelve points. I'm pretty sure they only have 3-4 games left in this season and that's because they look to be in at Manchester regardless of the next two games. Man am I aggravated. I better go have a beer or something.

PC takes two out of three and advances to Boston.
UNH bows out of the NCAA's in the first game in ManchVegas .
A once-promising-but-then-turned-mediocre season ends.

Sorry folks....too many years of seeing this same recording play itself over and over.

UNH Hockey: Lather, Rinse, Repeat.

[goblue]

Re: UNH Wildcats 2012-2013 Season Thread

PC takes two out of three and advances to Boston.
UNH bows out of the NCAA's in the first game in ManchVegas .
A once-promising-but-then-turned-mediocre season ends.

Sorry folks....too many years of seeing this same recording play itself over and over.

UNH Hockey: Lather, Rinse, Repeat.

It was promising in 2012. 2013 has been largely abysmal. But for some early wins (and some fortuitous breaks,) UNH would have dropped in the PW as fast as their record sunk as the season progressed.

UNH = Hockey East's 2013 Potemkin Village. (Sure, I'm pretty bitter right now.)

[Snively65]

Re: UNH Wildcats 2012-2013 Season Thread

I thought that this team played about as well as I might have expected this season, and certainly overachieved the first two months. I suspect that there will be only three more games, but that is one more post-season game than last year. And, there is always a chance that the Cats could steal one in Manchghanistan, as they are overdue for some puck luck there.

[chickod]

Re: UNH Wildcats 2012-2013 Season Thread

I thought that this team played about as well as I might have expected this season, and certainly overachieved the first two months. I suspect that there will be only three more games, but that is one more post-season game than last year. And, there is always a chance that the Cats could steal one in Manchghanistan, as they are overdue for some puck luck there.

OK...ManchVegas, Manchghanistan. Now I'm not from New Hampshire but I have been there plenty of times. What am I missing here? I mean, it's not the South Side of Chicago...

[snively]

Re: UNH Wildcats 2012-2013 Season Thread

Hey Chuck It's literally been years!!! Hope you're well and good.

I've occasionally been on the Score Updates pages, but never on the main Thread this year (or most others). Everything's fine down here in 08559.

Fingers crossed for the playoffs (seen this movie before). But weird things happen -- great goaltending, lucky bounces -- and hopefully a few will break our way.

Best,
Richard

PS: was up in NH two weeks ago for the first time in years, and actually passed through Newfields taking the back way from Newmarket to Portsmouth (went to see an old buddy in Newmarket). Thought of you as I did -- seriously.

[catsfan]

Re: UNH Wildcats 2012-2013 Season Thread

Oh well, so much for that.

I hope the Patriots sign Welker.

[UNH09]

Re: UNH Wildcats 2012-2013 Season Thread

just got my "driver work ticket", UNH heads to Rhode Island Thursday night. awesome (sarcasm)

I'm happy that Premier understands the HEA playoff system better than the UNH coach. Time to fire Umile.

[Snively65]

OK...ManchVegas, Manchghanistan. Now I'm not from New Hampshire but I have been there plenty of times. What am I missing here? I mean, it's not the South Side of Chicago...

Just names used by some friends who live there; they love the city.

Good to hear from you, Snively.

[Chuck Murray]

Re: UNH Wildcats 2012-2013 Season Thread

Criticizing Coach Umile for not memorizing every single potential permutation of what might/might not happen in three games starting after his game was finished is a bit much, if you ask me. If he's going to be criticized, there are plenty of other, more relevant issues to look at. After all, does anyone REALLY think not having home ice next weekend is a huge loss for UNH? I mean, the 1-1-2 record these past two weekends at home against the #8 and #9 teams in the league I'm SURE would have caused coaches and players at (fill in the blank) UMass-Lowell/BC/BU/Merrimack/UVM/Sacred Heart, et als sleepless nights.

Let's wait to see what happens next weekend (and thereafter) before we break out the pitchforks. No, I'm not happy with the events of the last few weekends, but just for spits and giggles ... can you imagine if Umile pulls the goalie, gives up an ENG OT loser ... and then Providence sweeps out UMass-Lowell, which was the one team UNH REALLY needed to be involved in the tiebreaker process with?? Then you play yourself out of the #3 seed, with no guarantee a slumping BC team gets two points out of their road game up at UVM either (with a UNH 2nd seed theoretically within reach, IF that quite possible scenario played out).

As one of our other posters has been pointing out ... UNH has been riding its luck with other results in the league in recent weeks, but depending on other results (rather than taking care of your own business) is ultimately a loser's game. UNH finally ran out of luck, and frankly got what they deserved, which was to be the odd man out, holding the train tickets for out of town in this very interesting season. Now it is up to them to dig and claw their way back into contention.

With momentum gradually but steadily slipping away from them over the last two-plus months, it will not be easy. But they are playing against a young PC team which just experienced a crushing last-game loss, with the RS title there to be taken. They also had UNH's number in the RS, but this is hardly a program with a superior post-season history in the last 15+ years. I see a bunch of low scoring games, with the team that ultimately holds its nerve advancing to Boston.

In fairness, Providence wins this series 6 times out of 10. So UNH ... invoking the spirit of the immortal Lloyd Christmas, lI'm saying you got a chance.

[Chuck Murray]

Re: UNH Wildcats 2012-2013 Season Thread

Hey Chuck It's literally been years!!! Hope you're well and good.

I've occasionally been on the Score Updates pages, but never on the main Thread this year (or most others). Everything's fine down here in 08559.

Fingers crossed for the playoffs (seen this movie before). But weird things happen -- great goaltending, lucky bounces -- and hopefully a few will break our way.

Best,
Richard

PS: was up in NH two weeks ago for the first time in years, and actually passed through Newfields taking the back way from Newmarket to Portsmouth (went to see an old buddy in Newmarket). Thought of you as I did -- seriously.

Good to hear all is well, Richard - long time indeed! Surprised you didn't miss Newfields on Rte. 108 when you blinked.

[Felger]

Re: UNH Wildcats 2012-2013 Season Thread

The above post from you on 1/26 was in response to my saying UNH would struggle to maintain home ice for the playoffs. I hope you are not a gambling man.

Can't blame you for calling me out...not afraid to say I was wrong...would never have believed that given a tour of the Yankee Conference over the final three weeks that UNH would get only 7 of 12 points...but I guess that represents what they have been for the past three months, a team barely above .500...

At this point can't imagine what difference it makes to be on the road anyway, after all since beating BC two months ago they have won ONE GAME at the Whitt, that against a team that didn't make the playoffs...

There, I've made my mea culpa....waiting for NESN to give us theirs.

[snively]

Re: UNH Wildcats 2012-2013 Season Thread

Great points, Chuck.

I'm taking my border collie out for her nightly walk through woods, listening to the game as it heads to OT. The guys assure me that UNH needs only a tie to lock up home ice, so I'm mentally counting down the seconds the final horn. Bingo. Relieved, if unimpressed. So the discovery later last night that the next game is in Rhode Island is less than amusing.

As has been said, four points out of your final four games (on home ice against mid level competition) leaves you with no one but yourself to blame.

Odd that the #5 ranked team in the nation going into the final week of the season ends up 48 hours later losing home ice because it's not even in the top four in its own division.

Oh well. Nothing will ever be worse that 1974, right Chuck?