UNH Wildcats 2012-2013 Season Thread

[Felger]

Re: UNH Wildcats 2012-2013 Season Thread

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.

I think that says more about the voters than anything else....

[Chuck Murray]

Re: UNH Wildcats 2012-2013 Season Thread

I think that says more about the voters than anything else....

Agreed. It's funny, I got the impression early on this season that voters were being wary of giving UNH too much credit despite their hot start, but gradually the polls warmed to them, culminating of course with the all-too-typical pre-holiday season #1 ranking. From there on out, the voters seemed to maintain a love-in with the 'Cats, as I'm pretty sure they never really dropped out of the top 5 for most of the rest of the season, despite basically playing .500 hockey the rest of the way in. I'm sure they will take a hit from this past weekend's events, but likewise I'm guessing they'll somehow remain solidly inside the top 10.

Both the polls and PWR are flawed for different reasons, but since you gotta seed a 16 team tourney, there has to be a process in place. It's amazing that even if they get swept out in the QF's by a Providence squad that likely needs to win the tourney to make the NCAA's, UNH seems a shoe-in for the Manch regionals.

Just another example of UNH leading a charmed life this year. We can only hope they decide to accept the gift that's been handed to them this time around ...

[chickod]

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.

I don't want to go on a rant, but I guess this thread is as good as any place to start...it's almost comical going on all of these threads and reading the same thing: "Fire (fill in the blank)" - except for Jerry York. I understand that it's a natural thing to analyze every playoff scenario (we love to do it in football - who's getting the wild cards, who's getting home field, what's the seeding going to be, etc), but that's something that the fans have fun with. This is what I don't understand. And I guess it's sort of an existential thing...why is it so difficult for these guys to just go out and play every game with the same level of intensity? Then nobody would be questioning the little things if the effort were there. Now before everyone says, "Do YOU always have a good day at work?" let me point out that these kids are, for the most part, playing twice a week for two hours. It's not like they have to give maximum effort for 40 hours a week (or in my case, 60 if you count the commuting time). Aren't we getting just a little tired of (and I know I'm extending this to the pro ranks but many of these guys will be there soon) hearing how "tough" it is to "maintain focus" and all that baloney? Is it a generational thing? Maybe I'm getting old, but, for example, if I'm Wes Welker, does it really matter whether I get 9 million or 10.136436392499 million? Give me a break. Tom Brady is building a gazillion square foot house with a MOAT around it and is about to buy another gazillion dollar home in Brookline. These are people that have so much money they don't even know what to do with it!

Frankly, Chuck, I agree with you. If you go out and play every game hard to win, the rest of the stuff will take care of itself. Falling back on "getting help" on the last weekend to improve your playoff position is akin to "the horse has left the barn." You had all season to do something about it, and now we're complaining about one decision on the last game of the year, when winning even ONE of the games where a lead was blown would have rendered all of this moot. I wish I had the talent that some of these guys do, because playing a game for a living is about the best any of us could ever hope for. In the words of George Clooney in "The Perfect Storm," "Is there anything better in the world?" It's not a lot to ask that they give everything they have on every shift. Whenever I played anything I tried my best and always remembered that once the game was over, it was back to the "real world." It's pretty simple, if you ask me.

[chickod]

Re: UNH Wildcats 2012-2013 Season Thread

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.

Which gives me a chance to emphasize my other pet peeve...the obsession about the PWR!!!! This is just what I was arguing about with Todd over on the BU thread. The PWR is NOT meant to be used as a prediction tool. The fact that you may have been in the Top 5 all year means NOTHING, because there are so many incomplete variables that it's worthless. In fact, it's not even correct to say "If the season ended today..." because until the entire schedule is played, the numbers are meaningless. So what has this done? It has given everyone the impression that you are in a better position that you really are, all because of a few results at the beginning of the year that skewed the numbers. Again, teams and fans getting distracted (and I know it's "fun" to discuss all these possibilities) takes away from the task at hand, which is WINNING GAMES. If teams focused more on winning and less of what every other team is doing and who is beating whom, then they would be far better off.

I mean, what difference does the PWR make now anyway? You're down to a best of three season. You win, you move on. If not, your seeding is going to drop, so why waste energy worrying about things you can't control? The focus should be on Providence. Just block everything else out and play the game. That #5 ranking meant nothing...it's all a deception! If UNH plays the way it is capable of (and that's the key), they will beat Providence and move on to the Garden...

[chickod]

Re: UNH Wildcats 2012-2013 Season Thread

I think that says more about the voters than anything else....

If you're talking about the national poll, the "voters" look at the PWR and go by that. They don't see all the teams so they have no clue who is "better" than whom. That's why that stuff is unreliable...

[goblue]

Re: UNH Wildcats 2012-2013 Season Thread

...

Just another example of UNH leading a charmed life this year. We can only hope they decide to accept the gift that's been handed to them this time around ...

They didn't accept the gift of having the easiest schedule in HE for the last few weeks of the season. As we have seen year in/year out, UNH starts out playing well and ends up playing badly, while many other teams (notably BC, apart from this season) gradually improve. It's sort of like a marathon runner who gives his all over the 1st half of the race and falters, only to be passed by competitors who saved their best for last.

Other than that, I don't see any "gift" being handed to them: by perhaps overachieving early and accumulating key wins (along with some other important breaks along the way,) the Cats have maintained PW position which hasn't truly reflected their quality of play. I'm heartened on one hand by their refusal to quit at the end of games, but am quickly brought back to the disturbing thought that they shouldn't have to rely on such heroics, especially leading 3-1 at home.

I'll repeat the Chinese proverb: If we don't change direction, we are likely to end up where we are headed. The relevant question is: will they be able to change direction? I was hoping these past 2 weekends would have answered that question in the affirmative. They'll have a tough task beating PC 2 out of 3 -- and it's certainly not impossible, but... not very realistic.

[goblue]

Re: UNH Wildcats 2012-2013 Season Thread

I don't want to go on a rant, but I guess this thread is as good as any place to start...it's almost comical going on all of these threads and reading the same thing: "Fire (fill in the blank)" - except for Jerry York. I understand that it's a natural thing to analyze every playoff scenario (we love to do it in football - who's getting the wild cards, who's getting home field, what's the seeding going to be, etc), but that's something that the fans have fun with. This is what I don't understand. And I guess it's sort of an existential thing...why is it so difficult for these guys to just go out and play every game with the same level of intensity? Then nobody would be questioning the little things if the effort were there. Now before everyone says, "Do YOU always have a good day at work?" let me point out that these kids are, for the most part, playing twice a week for two hours. It's not like they have to give maximum effort for 40 hours a week (or in my case, 60 if you count the commuting time). Aren't we getting just a little tired of (and I know I'm extending this to the pro ranks but many of these guys will be there soon) hearing how "tough" it is to "maintain focus" and all that baloney? Is it a generational thing? Maybe I'm getting old, but, for example, if I'm Wes Welker, does it really matter whether I get 9 million or 10.136436392499 million? Give me a break. Tom Brady is building a gazillion square foot house with a MOAT around it and is about to buy another gazillion dollar home in Brookline. These are people that have so much money they don't even know what to do with it!

Frankly, Chuck, I agree with you. If you go out and play every game hard to win, the rest of the stuff will take care of itself. Falling back on "getting help" on the last weekend to improve your playoff position is akin to "the horse has left the barn." You had all season to do something about it, and now we're complaining about one decision on the last game of the year, when winning even ONE of the games where a lead was blown would have rendered all of this moot. I wish I had the talent that some of these guys do, because playing a game for a living is about the best any of us could ever hope for. In the words of George Clooney in "The Perfect Storm," "Is there anything better in the world?" It's not a lot to ask that they give everything they have on every shift. Whenever I played anything I tried my best and always remembered that once the game was over, it was back to the "real world." It's pretty simple, if you ask me.

I completely agree, especially with the "FIRE COACH (fill in the blank)!!!" threads, and most especially, among Maine fans. Perhaps their program isn't what it once was, but Whitehead isn't Shawn Walsh. Nobody is. Despite having the past 2 seasons not go well, they still managed last year to: vie for the HE championship and make it to the NCAAs last year; beat BC twice on its home ice and take 3 out of 4 against UNH at the Whitt, thus qualifying for a playoff spot against UML -- a team they beat twice already (and once at Lowell). They have a realistic chance of making it back to the Garden, and who knows what happens then, with HE up for grabs? It's tiresome reading their rants against Whitehead, but it is their thread, and they are entitled to their own opinions, so I keep quiet as best I can. I feel the same about the most recent "Fire Dick Umile" thread. Give me a break.

[Greg Ambrose]

Re: UNH Wildcats 2012-2013 Season Thread

Nancy Marrapese in the Globe described Umile as crestfallen after the game last night. For the life of me, I don't know why. Did he really believe that this team, which started 11-1-2 (thru Dec. 1st), and won just 7 games the rest of the way, was going to pull a rabbit out of their hat? They gained a point last night but big deal. The same mistakes that we have seen over the last 5 or 6 weeks were in full evidence again last night. No positional defense, no sticks to pucks, offensive and (unfortunately) defensive players freelancing. Same old same old. The team has a possible 9 games left. Does anybody doubt that they will play anymore than 3?

[zoofer]

Re: UNH Wildcats 2012-2013 Season Thread

You know Nifty, I guess I look at college hockey and UNH differently then most here, in that despite giving a good percentage of income yearly to the Univ., in going to the GAMES at UNH, I relax and enjoy the level of athleticism and competition within a 10 mile drive for a fair price....I wonder how some of the folks here deal with the real serious issues of life!!
Their college kids people!! Doing their best at times and learning what happens when they don't! To be a D-1 athlete today is no easy task and despite what UConn basketball thinks, they are there for an education....
Does anyone care that UNH is in the top echelon of athletic team success and GPA graduation rate in the country! Yea I know fire Umile, cause thats what counts.....me, I'll sit back and enjoy the next month for the FUN of it....perspective people......

[Greg Ambrose]

Re: UNH Wildcats 2012-2013 Season Thread

Neil, you know as well as I do that the expectations at UNH, inside the program and out, is to compete at the highest level. When you were a student, they did that more often than not. From the late 90's to the mid-oughts they did as well. With success comes expectations. UNH has not lived up to them, especially in the last two years. Like you, I think it is ridiculous to think that the school is going to "Fire Umile". It ain't gonna happen. 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. Playing the 8th and 9th ranked teams at home the last two weekends of the season and gaining only 5 points, especially with what was at stake, is unacceptable for a program that is supposedly in the "top echelon".

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.

[Umileated]

Re: UNH Wildcats 2012-2013 Season Thread

Nancy Marrapese in the Globe described Umile as crestfallen after the game last night. For the life of me, I don't know why. Did he really believe that this team, which started 11-1-2 (thru Dec. 1st), and won just 7 games the rest of the way, was going to pull a rabbit out of their hat? They gained a point last night but big deal. The same mistakes that we have seen over the last 5 or 6 weeks were in full evidence again last night. No positional defense, no sticks to pucks, offensive and (unfortunately) defensive players freelancing. Same old same old. The team has a possible 9 games left. Does anybody doubt that they will play anymore than 3?

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.

[snively]

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/

[chickod]

Re: UNH Wildcats 2012-2013 Season Thread

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??

[freak]

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.

[Umileated]

Re: UNH Wildcats 2012-2013 Season Thread

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.