UNH Wildcats 2012-2013 Season Thread

[Goldie]

Re: UNH Wildcats 2012-2013 Season Thread

with all of this in depth analysis- any of you guys thinking about applying for Jackie Pahka's job?

[Rover]

Re: UNH Wildcats 2012-2013 Season Thread

Now that our pain is over here at BU, I can say it. Dick Umile should be fired immediately after the end of the season. He's had long enough. If Maine can win championships, so should UNH once in awhile. I'm sure he's a nice guy, great family man, cares about the players and all that, but that's not the point. I hate going up against a Jerry York or in past years a Sean Walsh coached team. A Umile team? He's about the only guy Parker could regularly outcoach. Get rid of him already, not because he's a bad guy, but because he's not getting the job done. Your fans have suffered enough.

[Nick Papagiorgio]

Re: UNH Wildcats 2012-2013 Season Thread

If Maine can win championships*

Asterisk added.

[Rover]

Re: UNH Wildcats 2012-2013 Season Thread

Asterisk added.

Not one to defend Walshy, but have you been to Orono? If I were a player forget about cash I'd be asking for gold bullion to play in that place.

[ClOuD 9]

Re: UNH Wildcats 2012-2013 Season Thread

Honest question: What is the record of the team in the HE semis/finals + NCAA games (assuming UNH has only played in a regulation size rink in the NCAAs) since moving to the Whitt from Snively?

Sure there are a few FFs and a few HE titles in there but they were bound to win a few games here and there as a result, right?

I can probably find that if I have some time, but more generally:

They won two regular season titles ('74 ECAC, '92 Hockey East) & one tournament title ('79 ECAC) in Snively. They made six NCAA appearances in the Snively era ('77, '79, '82, '83, '92, '94) including three semi-finals ('77, '79, '82).

They made an additional NCAA appearance in '94-'95 when most of their home games were played at JFK Arena in Manchester while the Whittemore Center was being built.

In the Whittemore Center era ('95-'96 season - present ) they've won seven regular season titles ('97, '99, '02, '03, '07, '08, '10) & two Hockey East tournaments ('02, '03). They've made fourteen NCAA appearances ('97, '98, '99, '00, '02, '03, '04, '05, '06, '07, '08, '09, '10, '11), four Frozen Fours ('98, '99, '02, '03), and two National Championship games ('99, '03).

Undoubtedly much of the success in the late 90's was directly tied to having a brand new building with which to recruit.

Can someone confirm their first year in Division I? I know they joined the ECAC for the 1967-1968 season, did they play any years as an independent prior to that or did they just make the jump from DII to ECAC?

[Rover]

Re: UNH Wildcats 2012-2013 Season Thread

Can someone confirm their first year in Division I? I know they joined the ECAC for the 1967-1968 season, did they play any years as an independent prior to that or did they just make the jump from DII to ECAC?

That was Chuck Murray's senior year on campus so he ought to be able to help you out.

[ClOuD 9]

Re: UNH Wildcats 2012-2013 Season Thread

That was Chuck Murray's senior year on campus so he ought to be able to help you out.

In the media guide under "Year-By-Year At A Glance" it says we made the ECAC II tournament in 1966-1967, but in the more detailed "Annual Results" section it shows us in ECAC II in 1965-1966 & ECAC from 1966-1967 onward. Adding to the confusion the AD's website lists our first DI ECAC win as being against Colgate on November 29, 1967 - http://unhwildcats.com/sports/mice/Tradition_Cont.

[Snively65]

Re: UNH Wildcats 2012-2013 Season Thread

In the media guide under "Year-By-Year At A Glance" it says we made the ECAC II tournament in 1966-1967, but in the more detailed "Annual Results" section it shows us in ECAC II in 1965-1966 & ECAC from 1966-1967 onward. Adding to the confusion the AD's website lists our first DI ECAC win as being against Colgate on November 29, 1967 - http://unhwildcats.com/sports/mice/Tradition_Cont.

From 2001 UNH Alum Magazine:

"1960s

In 1961, senior goalie Rod Blackburn becomes the first UNH player to be named first-team All American.

A. Barr "Whoop" Snively replaces Martin as hockey coach in 1962, but dies two years later. He is succeeded by Rube Bjorkman. In 1965, the University encloses Batchelder Rink, with an arena and names it in Snively's honor.

The Wildcats move up to ECAC Division I in 1967. They post winning records in the next two seasons, and Bjorkman is named New England Hockey Coach of the Year in 1968. Then, Charlie Holt takes the helm, steering the Wildcats to the ECAC playoffs in each of his first two years."

I can confirm that Snively was built in 1965, as I took photos.


Hey, I just noticed that with 17 more posts, we can begin a post-regular season thread. Thanks, Nick!

[ClOuD 9]

Re: UNH Wildcats 2012-2013 Season Thread

Honest question: What is the record of the team in the HE semis/finals + NCAA games (assuming UNH has only played in a regulation size rink in the NCAAs) since moving to the Whitt from Snively?

1997
----------------
HE Semi:
UNH 4 - Boston College 0 | Win

HE Final:
UNH 2 - Boston University 4 | Loss

NCAA East Regional:
UNH 2 - Colorado College 4 | Loss

1998
----------------
NCAA East Regional:
UNH 7 - Wisconsin 4 | Win
UNH 4 - Boston University 3 | Win

NCAA Semi-Final
UNH 0 - Michigan 4 | Loss

1999
----------------
HE Semi:
UNH 6 - Providence 2 | Win

HE Final:
UNH 4 - Boston College 5 (OT) | Loss

NCAA East Regional:
UNH 2 - Michigan 1 (OT) | Win

NCAA Semi-Final:
UNH 5 - Michigan State 3 | Win

NCAA Championship Game:
UNH 2 - Maine 3 (OT) | Loss

2000
----------------
HE Semi:
UNH 1 - Boston College 2 | Loss

NCAA West Regional:
UNH 1 - Niagara 4 | Loss

2002
----------------
HE Semi:
UNH 4 - UMass Lowell 3 | Win

HE Final:
UNH 3 - Maine 1 | Win

NCAA East Regional:
UNH 4 - Cornell 3 | Win

NCAA Semi-Final
UNH 2 - Maine 7 | Loss

2003
----------------
HE Semi:
UNH 5 - UMass 4 | Win

HE Final:
UNH 1 - Boston University 0 (OT) | Win

NCAA Northeast Regional:
UNH 5 - St. Cloud State 2 | Win
UNH 3 - Boston University 0 | Win

NCAA Semi-Final:
UNH 3 - Cornell 2 | Win

NCAA Championship Game:
UNH 1 - Minnesota 5 | Loss

2004
----------------
HE Semi:
UNH 2 - UMass 5 | Loss

NCAA Northeast Regional:
UNH 1 - Michigan 4 | Loss

2005
----------------
HE Semi:
UNH 5 - Boston University 2 | Win

HE Final:
UNH 1 - Boston College 3 | Loss

NCAA Northeast Regional:
UNH 3 - Harvard 2 (OT) | Win
UNH 2 - Denver 4 | Loss

2006
----------------
HE Semis:
UNH 2 - Boston University 9 | Loss

NCAA East Regional:
UNH 0 - Michigan State 1 | Loss

2007
----------------
HE Semi:
UNH 3 - UMass 2 (OT) | Win

HE Final:
UNH 2 - Boston College 5 | Loss

NCAA Northeast Regional:
UNH 1 - Miami 2 | Loss

2008
----------------
HE Semi:
UNH 4 - Boston College 5 (3 OT) | Loss

NCAA West Regional:
UNH 3 - Notre Dame 7 | Loss

2009
----------------
NCAA Northeast Regional:
UNH 6 - North Dakota 5 (OT) | Win
UNH 1 - Boston University 2 | Loss

2010
----------------
NCAA Northeast Regional:
UNH 6 - Cornell 2 | Win
UNH 2 - RIT 6 | Loss

2011
----------------
Hockey East Semi:
UNH 1 - Merrimack 4 | Loss

NCAA Northeast Regional:
UNH 3 - Miami 1 | Win
UNH 1 - Notre Dame 2 | Loss

[ClOuD 9]

Re: UNH Wildcats 2012-2013 Season Thread

Honest question: What is the record of the team in the HE semis/finals + NCAA games (assuming UNH has only played in a regulation size rink in the NCAAs) since moving to the Whitt from Snively?

In the Whittemore Center era
Hockey East Semis: 11 total; 6 Wins, 5 Losses
Hockey East Finals: 6 total; 2 Wins, 4 Losses
NCAA first round: 12 total; 6 Wins, 6 Losses
NCAA second round/quarterfinals: 8 total; 4 Wins, 4 Losses
NCAA semi-final: 4 total; 2 Wins, 2 Losses
NCAA Championship game: 2 total; 0 Wins, 2 Losses

[Darius]

Re: UNH Wildcats 2012-2013 Season Thread

14 more. Yay, us.

[Snively65]

Re: UNH Wildcats 2012-2013 Season Thread

Hey, Nick, how about a thank you post for all of the intel?

[Greg Ambrose]

Re: UNH Wildcats 2012-2013 Season Thread

I find this thread kind of amusing. Is it the players, is it the rink, is it the coach? All I can tell you is that from the time the Whit opened until a couple of years ago, UNH won the vast majority of their games at the Whit. I think the winning percentage was something like .850.Things have dropped off the last couple of years, not because of the rink, but because the talent level has dropped off, and precipitously. The last two senior classes, talent wise, have been god awful. I dare say that none of the forwards on the last two teams would have been better than third line back in the Mowers/Krog days.

As to whether UNH "wins the big ones" In the post-Snively era we've been to four FF. To get there you have to win big games. In fact, I would dare to say that since the rink opened we have had more "big game" wins than BU (save the miracle games in 2009). UNH beat BU in the "98 regionals (Drury's last game btw), Ayers shut then out in both the HE final and the regional final in '03. Big wins vs. Michigan in '99 regionals (avenging the '98 semis loss), Cornell in the '03 semis (would BU, BC or Maine have beaten Vanek in final, I don't think so). North Dakota, Cornell, Miami in the regionals three years in a row. We didn't advance, true, but where was BU those years?

The point I'm trying to make is, okay, we are not as good as BC (for the last 15 years) and Maine (back then but not now). So what school has BC's record? They've been in the FF something like 10 times in the last 15 years, won four championships. No team in history, even Michigan and Denver back in the '50's can match that. As for Maine, for the knob of Alfie's stick we'd have the same number of championships without the stain of SW and without having to admit that our school is in freakin' Orono, 10 miles from freakin' Bangor (home of the slots parlor and not much else).

One other point. UNH's first D! season was '67-'68. UNH hired Rube Bjorkman from North Dakota to be the coach, replacing the legendary Whoop (as in the arena) Snively. Rube had two good seasons, but he left to go back to the midwest and was replaced by Charlie Holt. Charlie admitted that Rube left him some pretty good players and, as a result, they had good seasons in the '69'-70 and '70-'71 before finally making the playoffs in "71-'72. Won't bore you with the details but Charlie had a good run for 15 years. Lot of great players, lot of great times. Just ask Zoofer.

[sonar]

Re: UNH Wildcats 2012-2013 Season Thread

I find this thread kind of amusing. Is it the players, is it the rink, is it the coach? All I can tell you is that from the time the Whit opened until a couple of years ago, UNH won the vast majority of their games at the Whit. I think the winning percentage was something like .850.Things have dropped off the last couple of years, not because of the rink, but because the talent level has dropped off, and precipitously. The last two senior classes, talent wise, have been god awful. I dare say that none of the forwards on the last two teams would have been better than third line back in the Mowers/Krog days.

As to whether UNH "wins the big ones" In the post-Snively era we've been to four FF. To get there you have to win big games. In fact, I would dare to say that since the rink opened we have had more "big game" wins than BU (save the miracle games in 2009). UNH beat BU in the "98 regionals (Drury's last game btw), Ayers shut then out in both the HE final and the regional final in '03. Big wins vs. Michigan in '99 regionals (avenging the '98 semis loss), Cornell in the '03 semis (would BU, BC or Maine have beaten Vanek in final, I don't think so). North Dakota, Cornell, Miami in the regionals three years in a row. We didn't advance, true, but where was BU those years?

The point I'm trying to make is, okay, we are not as good as BC (for the last 15 years) and Maine (back then but not now). So what school has BC's record? They've been in the FF something like 10 times in the last 15 years, won four championships. No team in history, even Michigan and Denver back in the '50's can match that. As for Maine, for the knob of Alfie's stick we'd have the same number of championships without the stain of SW and without having to admit that our school is in freakin' Orono, 10 miles from freakin' Bangor (home of the slots parlor and not much else).

One other point. UNH's first D! season was '67-'68. UNH hired Rube Bjorkman from North Dakota to be the coach, replacing the legendary Whoop (as in the arena) Snively. Rube had two good seasons, but he left to go back to the midwest and was replaced by Charlie Holt. Charlie admitted that Rube left him some pretty good players and, as a result, they had good seasons in the '69'-70 and '70-'71 before finally making the playoffs in "71-'72. Won't bore you with the details but Charlie had a good run for 15 years. Lot of great players, lot of great times. Just ask Zoofer.

Hard to believe but I agree with a lot of your post. I saw my first UNH game at Snively in the Fall of 1967 .... been a STH ever since. Rube left UNH and went to North Dakota and had some good years. I respected Holt (by the way his grandson does a great job as the Assistant Coach on my grand-daughter's Oyster River High School hockey team) and yes he had great players but the painful loses are extremely hard to forget .... and somehow do not balance out the great times.

I also agree that Vanek was a man amongst the boys and certainly stood in the way of UNH's chances at their 1st NC.

So why has the talent level dropped off as much as it has at UNH .... I mean Providence brings in a new coach - they skate 10 or 11 freshman and almost won HE .... how did he find the talent?

[bakchk20]

Re: UNH Wildcats 2012-2013 Season Thread

So is creativity with the puck and ability to see scoring areas. The 1995-2004 teams had the benefit of Krog (2nd in BCHL scoring), Mowers (led USHL in goals), Bogi (led US U18 team in scoring), Haydar (set OJHL goal scoring record), Colin H (9th in BCHL scoring) and Brett H (7th in BCHL scoring).

Today's team has no player who finished in the top 40 in USHL scoring, or the top 10 in BCHL scoring, and only one made the US Select team (Henrion). [Think about that and let it sink in]. Frankly, Umile has done a great job motivating this pile of talent to have the intensity to resemble a top 20 team.

Somehow I think making the rink smaller isn't the issue.

[I am not counting the impressive achievement that EACH time UNH has actually gotten commitments from that type of talent, they have not come. The USHL's top 15 scorer (Vecchione), The BCHL's top d and top 10 scorer (Laleggia), the USHL's Top Forward (Matt White) and the Select 17 and 18 top scorer (Bourque) and BCHL #11 scorer (Cam Reid)]

I hear ya and agree that talent overcomes a lot of other variables. On that front, you've got McCloskey leaving recruiting, and then the recruiting restrictions than landed from the mass email caper, both of which hurt and still haven't recovered from. There are comparative facility shortcomings vis a vis, player lounge and weight rooms. A virtual cast of variables to argue/fix.

But to extend my rant...
I believe these below are the Oly sheets in D-1. Of that group, only 1 school has won national titles with home ice being the big sheet -- MN -- twice. MN has 3 other titles on a smaller sheet, and CC's 2 championships occurred before most of us here were born. That's it.

Colorado College - World Arena
Minnesota - Marriuci Arena
Alaska Anchorage - Sullivan Arena
St. Cloud State - National Hockey Center
Minnesota State - Alltel Center
New Hampshire - Whittemore Center
Alaska Fairbanks - Carlson Center
Northern Michigan - Berry Events Center

Now, could you randomly pull 8 other schools out of the D-1 hat (all with NHL sheets) and get the same result? Absolutely. But still, just sayin'... it's one of the variables that complicates the picture getting to the end-game (literally), especially at the end of the year when you don't even breathe on the Oly sheet down the crucial stretch. Now, give me 3 more beers, and I'll swear on a Bible there's a correlation here!

And just for fun, its recently ironic that the 200x100 sheet is referred to as "Olympic", when the 2010 Olympics were played on a standard NHL sheet.. (Actually, "International" is the official nomenclature I believe).