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UNH Wildcats 2012-2013 Postseason Thread
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Re: UNH Wildcats 2012-2013 Postseason Thread
http://www.westerncollegehockeyblog....eason-rankings
Hockey East Preview with some good quotes from Coach Umile.
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Re: UNH Wildcats 2012-2013 Postseason Thread
Originally posted by wildcatdc View PostHow did it look last night? DeSmith not sharp? Lines? Etc?
Desmith let in a soft one shortly after coming in but looked much better after that. Wyer had the shutout, but I feel Desmith faced better opportunities. I did leave feeling disappointed that they gave up 3 goals.
It was tough to accurately judge the offense since they spent a lot of time on the powerplay, back to back a couple of times which I think carried momentum into the 5 on 5 situations. There were a few times however that they struggled to get out of their zone, mostly in the first period and the first half of the second period. When in the offensive zone just like the beginning of last year they were winning puck battles, and on numerous occasions the defensemen made excellent plays to keep the puck in the zone and extend the pressure.
It was good to see some of the young guys play well as well as some of the older guys expected to step up (Downing). Kelleher had some nice moves at times and a couple of opportunities but also trailed the play, hanging around center ice while Acadia went down and scored a goal. He was playing with Downing and Goumas on the top line so it will be interesting to see where he ends up next week.
Other than that it was the typical chippy exhibition game against a Canadian university that we see to start every season. It was nice to see the Whit as full as it was for an exhibition. Makes me hopeful for the crowds this year.
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Re: UNH Wildcats 2012-2013 Postseason Thread
Originally posted by boblav1 View PostWas it really a sellout?
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Re: UNH Wildcats 2012-2013 Postseason Thread
Originally posted by Dropkicknh View PostSince it was just an exhibition I was only have paying attention to the game, and the other half trying to figure out why they moved the banners into positions blocking the scoreboard from view in certain areas (My seat).
Originally posted by boblav1 View PostWas it really a sellout?I will not be out cheered in my own building.
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Re: UNH Wildcats 2012-2013 Postseason Thread
Originally posted by wildcatdc View PostHow did it look last night? DeSmith not sharp? Lines? Etc?
Wyer was very good, but I do agree that other than one flurry DeSmith did have the tougher chances. The first goal he probably should have had, but he had just come in cold. He didn't really have a chance on either of the other goals. One was a nifty passing play and one came off a horrid turnover by TvR who tried to force a long cross ice pass out of the zone.
Defensively there were some shaky moments and I thought we struggled a bit with the physical play. Fortunately UNH won't play many teams that physical during the regular season. I don't think our inefficiency moving pucks out of the zone is solely put on our defensemen...too many times they weren't able to hit someone in stride because nobody was really moving their feet. I think Cleland will be able to play solid minutes right out of the gate, but was disappointed we didn't get to see Maller. I'm concerned about Quast...other than Randle who only played a few token shifts in the last 5 minutes of the game, he struggled the most IMO...and by a considerable margin. If Maller can't give us more than Quast, then UNH may be in trouble if they get hit by injuries on the back line.
Up front, the Goumas-Downing-Kelleher line has a chance to be very explosive if they stick together. Kelleher was real good in the first period but I thought he tailed off as the game went on. He got knocked around pretty good by Acadia. He'll find more space in the regular season games against the less physical NCAA teams...and over time he'll get stronger and be a very dynamic offensive player the likes of which UNH hasn't seen very often before.
I thought the Speelman-Sorkin-Gaudreault line was dreadful. Sorkin had one little explosion in the last 2 or 3 minutes where he made a great play to create a 2v0 break in with Speelman before he gave a little 8 inch cross crease pass that never had a snowballs chance in hell of being successful. They managed to finish the game even, but they had no chemistry and didn't generate a sniff offensively...only 2 shots on goal between them, one of them coming off that 2v0 chance. Not very inspiring given the competition. For UNH to be good this year, they are going to have to find a 2nd unit that can put the puck in the net, but there wasn't much in this game that gave me the impression that this is the group that will do it.
As bad as those guys were, I thought the Willows, Smith, Thrush line played very well. There seemed to be some chemistry there, and they all handled the physical game pretty well. Smith showed some nice burst on his first goal and some toughness in front of the net on his 2nd goal. I don't know that they'll score consistently enough to be top 6, but if this can be UNH's 3rd line, I think they'll be better than most 3rd lines out there.
I expected more out of the Camper-Silengo-Correale line. I think Camper and Silengo are good role guys who can bounce around the 3rd and 4th lines wherever they are needed but I think Correale is more of an offensive guy who needs to be put in more of an offensive situation.
MacDonald and Hill got very limited ice time, maybe 4 or 5 shifts each, but I actually thought in limited opportunities that MacDonald in particular looked very confident and poised on the puck...especially low in the offensive zone where things were physical. I am hopeful (though maybe not optimistic) that Umile will go away from his tendency to rely on the older players and give some of these younger guys a shot at a bigger role this year. If guys like Sorkin and Speelman continue to disappoint...they have other people who can step in and bring something to the table. I'm not sure that's really been the case in the past.
I was personally excited that Kelleher was up with Downing and Goumas to start this game. It was what I had hoped to see all summer long, but honestly after last nights game I'm not 100% sure it's the best recipe for this team (though admittedly I think you need a bigger sample size to really know for sure). Had that 2nd unit really looked cohesive and dangerous, I'd be all for loading up that top line...but if those secondary guys aren't going to be a threat then I think UNH would be wise at maybe taking a guy like Goumas who can create a lot of his own offense and sticking him with Sorkin and Speelman and maybe tossing a guy like Correale who has some skill and isn't afraid to be physical up with Downing and Kelleher. Goumas and Sorkin have played together in the past with some success in the past...and Downing and Kelleher are both skilled enough to finish or distribute, so they'll be fine. If you want to load up your top PP line, go for it (the Downing-Goumas-Kelleher-TvR-Knodel pp group should be one of the best in the country)...but at 5 on 5 they are going to need some secondary scoring.
Just my thoguhts.
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Re: UNH Wildcats 2012-2013 Postseason Thread
A few notes from me in the student section
From the student section the banners look very good. I doesn't look ridiculous like it did before with the swinging hockey east championship banner. But that is no reason to obstruct the view of the scoreboard from anyone so it hopefully the banners will be put back to their old spot. Even though the season ticket area wasn't that full it was a good atmosphere
Why didn't we see Smith last year? He looked very confident and really attacked the net with speed. I was very impressed by his game. I also was very impressed with Cleland. He looked very poised and moved the puck very well. Wyers also had a great game.
I was not too impressed with Kelleher. He looked very out of place and didn't seem to sync too well with Downing and Goumas. He showed some flashes of why he is going to be a great player with some very nifty passes and moves. I just felt like he was reacting to the play and needs some more time. I also give Desmith a pass on that game because he had no chance on 2 of those goals but I was really hoping this year that he will do better on the softies. He needs to be more consistent and not allow the early soft goal.
I love the early chippy game to get the team together. Make you have to stand up for your teammate and that will help bond the team for the season. Overall a very good game and I liked the speed and fight the team showed. Its going to be a good year.
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Re: UNH Wildcats 2012-2013 Postseason Thread
Originally posted by 603Wildcats View PostMaller wasnt even dressed last night... rumor is he will be taking the semester off and most likely redshirting his freshmen year
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Re: UNH Wildcats 2012-2013 Postseason Thread
"UNH Downs Acadia 6-3 in Exhibition"
Updated to include Tyler Kelleher, Kyle Smith and Matias Cleland highlights.Last edited by C-H-C; 10-06-2013, 05:19 PM.
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