UNH Wildcats 2016-17 Vol II -- We Do Have a Hockey Season Here!?!

[Dan]

The sad thing is, Dan ... every time someone like you or me starts to believe, or makes a projection about where they should be after a certain stretch of games ... they just seem to find a way to come up short.

I expected at least 10 wins by the time they returned to action for the UMaine game in ManchVegas. Your statement that 12-4-0 would not be unreasonable, given the talent level (meh, but ... ) and especially the cupcake-laden schedule, is right on the button. Think about the games this team has lost so far. Tonight's disappointing loss barely cracks the top five (ASFU/Sacred Heart/Bentley/CC). UGH.

UNH almost never wins the "back from break" game (or at least it seems like a rarity?), so UMaine is in doubt ... Normie's boys are up next and he's got their number in recent years ... then Brown on the road. That's got 1-1-1 written all over it. So like I have been disappointed with their inability to hit certain benchmarks to date, I think you will be disappointed too (although obviously I hope it works out for you).

I can only imagine how quiet the bus ride back down Rte. 89 would have been after tonight's dud.

I'm going to stew on this for a few days before letting rip with the next edition of The Quest. This one hurts.

Oh, believe me - I get it. My post was not necessarily to promote optimism. Rather I was questioning it. Far be it from me to tell anyone else to get excited about a few wins, but I agree that in general the first half was disappointing. We're not talking about going 12-4 against a typical schedule. It's wins over CC (I saw CC at DU last weekend - and they are every bit as dismal as they were last year.), Bentley, Sacred Heart, ASU, etc that would have gotten them to that mark. And wins over Maine and RPI are hardly tent-pole victories...

And your first statement was really driven home tonight. It wasn't so much I expected them to go 3-1 over this four game stretch - but if they were truly getting better, they would have found a way. Dartmouth, Maine and Brown are bad. Unfortunately, so is UNH right now...

----

Lemonade - I still need to see some more from Souza to get on board with you. He hadn't done much to lead me to believe he was the coach of the future, until landing Commesso. But Commesso is a huge get and I hope he continues to follow it up. If he is able to turn this commitment into more of the same I'll be thrilled to death! At the very least, Commesso's comment about not wanting an urban campus should silence the rumors that kids only want to go to school in Boston...

If Souza can keep the defense playing well against better scoring teams and his PP continues to fire on all cylinders it will be another great sign for his future.

[Snively65]

Nice!

Enjoy the UV!

Here's a trivia question for ya. When did UNH move from Hanover to Ben Thompson's farm in Durham?

Move began in 1891 with construction of Thompson Hall, but first freshman class began in fall 1893, I think.

Back atcha: Four-part question (so, can earn partial credit): What year did UNH play its first collegiate hockey game, what was UNH team's name, who did they beat 2-1 in that game, and where was the rink located on campus?

[e.cat]

Move began in 1891 with construction of Thompson Hall, but first freshman class began in fall 1893, I think.

Back atcha: Four-part question (so, can earn partial credit): What year did UNH play its first collegiate hockey game, what was UNH team's name, who did they beat 2-1 in that game, and where was the rink located on campus?

Right in all counts. Dartmouth couldn't get the farmers outta town fast enough though!

Gotta do some research and get back to ya later

[Snively65]

Right in all counts. Dartmouth couldn't get the farmers outta town fast enough though!

Gotta do some research and get back to ya later

Also, please add the following extra credit question: In what year was UNH outdoor Batchelder Rink constructed, and what made it different from the previous outdoor rinks at UNH?

[e.cat]

Also, please add the following extra credit question: In what year was UNH outdoor Batchelder Rink constructed, and what made it different from the previous outdoor rinks at UNH?

I think Batchelder Rink was behind New Hampshire Hall. I give on the other stuff!

[sonar]

Re: UNH Wildcats 2016-17 Vol II -- We Do Have a Hockey Season Here!?!

Move began in 1891 with construction of Thompson Hall, but first freshman class began in fall 1893, I think.

Back atcha: Four-part question (so, can earn partial credit): What year did UNH play its first collegiate hockey game, what was UNH team's name, who did they beat 2-1 in that game, and where was the rink located on campus?

1928; Bulls; Bates; out back of NH Hall

[Snively65]

1928; Bulls; Bates; out back of NH Hall

Excellent, sonar.

E.cat, Batchelder Rink, which was essentially on the same footprint as Snively, was constructed in 1955, and used underground cooling pipes, unlike the previous outdoor rinks, which were simply flooded with a hose.

[Greg Ambrose]

1928; Bulls; Bates; out back of NH Hall

As the main writer of the Diamond Anniversary Tribute of UNH Hockey, written in the fall of 1999, I can tell you that UNH played their first game in December, 1924 at a winter carnival at Colby College. The Bulls defeated Colby and Bates, then lost to St. Dom's of Lewiston. UNH didn't play their first home game until February, 1926 at a flooded rink behind New Hampshire Hall. For several years they played on the other side of Main Street, near College Woods, where there was more shade and the ice would not melt as fast.

Batchelder Rink opened in 1955, adjacent to New Hampshire Hall. The money for artificial ice was ponied up by Harry C. Batchelder, who ran an ice making business in my home town of Lynn, MA. Although Batchelder was an alum (1913), I learned just last week from my 81 year old locker mate at the Lynn YMCA that Mr. Batchelder came forward because his son played on the team. Ten years later Snively opened, hence our Snively '65's screen name. The rest is history.

[HockeyRef]

Re: UNH Wildcats 2016-17 Vol II -- We Do Have a Hockey Season Here!?!

From the Union Leader:

http://www.unionleader.com/article/2...37/-1/sports22

For those of you who went, was this the way of it? "out competed and outplayed"....our OOC woes continue to haunt..

[Snively65]

Re: UNH Wildcats 2016-17 Vol II -- We Do Have a Hockey Season Here!?!

As the main writer of the Diamond Anniversary Tribute of UNH Hockey, written in the fall of 1999, I can tell you that UNH played their first game in December, 1924 at a winter carnival at Colby College. The Bulls defeated Colby and Bates, then lost to St. Dom's of Lewiston. UNH didn't play their first home game until February, 1926 at a flooded rink behind New Hampshire Hall. For several years they played on the other side of Main Street, near College Woods, where there was more shade and the ice would not melt as fast.

Batchelder Rink opened in 1955, adjacent to New Hampshire Hall. The money for artificial ice was ponied up by Harry C. Batchelder, who ran an ice making business in my home town of Lynn, MA. Although Batchelder was an alum (1913), I learned just last week from my 81 year old locker mate at the Lynn YMCA that Mr. Batchelder came forward because his son played on the team. Ten years later Snively opened, hence our Snively '65's screen name. The rest is history.

Good stuff, Greg; many thanks!

Growing up in Durham during the 1950s, we skated on the old flooded "rinks" before Batchelder Rink was constructed. A. Barr "Whoop" Snively was always out there for public free skating, blowing his whistle every 4-5 minutes to have us reverse direction (we had to skate in one direction). There was a small concession stand at the outdoor pool end of the rink where one could purchase hot cocoa and hot dogs, maybe 10 cents each, IIRC. One time, a friend's younger sister got her tongue stuck on the sub-freezing fence above the boards (no, we did not dare her to lick the fence), and Whoop got her tongue unstuck with hot cocoa. Same friend and I collected hockey pucks in the spring as they melted out of the snow banks; I sold mine back to the Athletic Department at the time for $1 each, but my friend astutely kept his until recently as he has been selling them on EBay for up to $65 each.

I have photos of the Snively construction that I need to scan and post somewhere with a link. In follow up to the Thompson Arena construction comments on the Dartmouth thread this past weekend, although both the Thompson and Whitt rinks were dug out below ground level with a 360-degree concourse, that is about all that they have in common. Thompson Arena has buttresses (perhaps 20 along each side?) to counter the incredible weight of over 1000 concrete triangular panels that weigh one ton each and make up the vaulted roof. So, very different from both Snively's arches and the Whitt's roof.

I will need to skip the Cats' next visit to Hanover, as we have lost on my only two visits in 2012 and 2016.

Maybe I can bring better luck to Providence when we play Brown next month.

Finally, why does one pull the goaltender when down 4-1 with about 2 minutes left, when your team has not recorded a shot on three power plays the entire night?

[HockeyRef]

Good stuff, Greg; many thanks!

Growing up in Durham during the 1950s, we skated on the old flooded "rinks" before Batchelder Rink was constructed. A. Barr "Whoop" Snively was always out there for public free skating, blowing his whistle every 4-5 minutes to have us reverse direction (we had to skate in one direction). There was a small concession stand at the outdoor pool end of the rink where one could purchase hot cocoa and hot dogs, maybe 10 cents each, IIRC. One time, a friend's younger sister got her tongue stuck on the sub-freezing fence above the boards (no, we did not dare her to lick the fence), and Whoop got her tongue unstuck with hot cocoa. Same friend and I collected hockey pucks in the spring as they melted out of the snow banks; I sold mine back to the Athletic Department at the time for $1 each, but my friend astutely kept his until recently as he has been selling them on EBay for up to $65 each.

I have photos of the Snively construction that I need to scan and post somewhere with a link. In follow up to the Thompson Arena construction comments on the Dartmouth thread this past weekend, although both the Thompson and Whitt rinks were dug out below ground level with a 360-degree concourse, that is about all that they have in common. Thompson Arena has buttresses (perhaps 20 along each side?) to counter the incredible weight of over 1000 concrete triangular panels that weigh one ton each and make up the vaulted roof. So, very different from both Snively's arches and the Whitt's roof.

I will need to skip the Cats' next visit to Hanover, as we have lost on my only two visits in 2012 and 2016.

Maybe I can bring better luck to Providence when we play Brown next month.

Finally, why does one pull the goaltender when down 4-1 with about 2 minutes left, when your team has not recorded a shot on three power plays the entire night?

Yeah thought that was odd...the gk thing! Will also be at Providence...(Brown)

[Chuck Murray]

Re: UNH Wildcats 2016-17 Vol II -- We Do Have a Hockey Season Here!?!

Finally, why does one pull the goaltender when down 4-1 with about 2 minutes left, when your team has not recorded a shot on three power plays the entire night?

It's been all the rage in recent years. I think it may have been Patrick Roy at the NHL level who began pulling his goalies earlier than the old thinking had previously stipulated - before then, a coach down 1 goal would usually (traditionally) pull a goalie with about 1 minute left, and once in awhile sooner (often later). Goalie pulls down 2 goals usually only happened once in awhile - mostly in the postseason. You pretty much never saw anyone get pulled down 3 or more goals - even in the postseason.

I want to blame it on the so-called "advanced analytics" lobby, but truth be told, I think once the first coach stepped out of the old thinking - y'know, basically, from "why bother?" to "what's the harm?" - it probably shamed the rest of them, who now don't want to look like they're just giving up without throwing everything at it first.

That's always been a solid argument for postseason settings. For 99.9999% of RS games, well ... why bother?

[Felger]

Re: UNH Wildcats 2016-17 Vol II -- We Do Have a Hockey Season Here!?!

It's been all the rage in recent years. I think it may have been Patrick Roy at the NHL level who began pulling his goalies earlier than the old thinking had previously stipulated - before then, a coach down 1 goal would usually (traditionally) pull a goalie with about 1 minute left, and once in awhile sooner (often later). Goalie pulls down 2 goals usually only happened once in awhile - mostly in the postseason. You pretty much never saw anyone get pulled down 3 or more goals - even in the postseason.

I want to blame it on the so-called "advanced analytics" lobby, but truth be told, I think once the first coach stepped out of the old thinking - y'know, basically, from "why bother?" to "what's the harm?" - it probably shamed the rest of them, who now don't want to look like they're just giving up without throwing everything at it first.

That's always been a solid argument for postseason settings. For 99.9999% of RS games, well ... why bother?

Can't speak to the motivation this weekend, but I also know that sometimes pulling the goalie is about sending a message to the rest of the team.

My memory is a bit hazy, but I recall a game at Providence way back when Coach Umile was just a youngn' when he pulled the goalie with like 8 or 10 minutes left and down by something like four goals. I believe the message was if you guys are going to play that bad I'm not going to make my goalie have to suffer....

Doubt that was the case on Saturday

EDIT: As I said earlier I have no idea the thought process behind Saturday's decision. However it would seem to me that it would be a good time to work on such a thing. You can just lay down on your belly and play out the string or you can make the best of a bad situation. Who knows, perhaps they will see something during film review, work on it, and somewhere down the road, when they really need an EAG, they will get one. Nothing ventured, nothing gained.

[Greg Ambrose]

Good stuff, Greg; many thanks!

Growing up in Durham during the 1950s, we skated on the old flooded "rinks" before Batchelder Rink was constructed. A. Barr "Whoop" Snively was always out there for public free skating, blowing his whistle every 4-5 minutes to have us reverse direction (we had to skate in one direction). There was a small concession stand at the outdoor pool end of the rink where one could purchase hot cocoa and hot dogs, maybe 10 cents each, IIRC. One time, a friend's younger sister got her tongue stuck on the sub-freezing fence above the boards (no, we did not dare her to lick the fence), and Whoop got her tongue unstuck with hot cocoa. Same friend and I collected hockey pucks in the spring as they melted out of the snow banks; I sold mine back to the Athletic Department at the time for $1 each, but my friend astutely kept his until recently as he has been selling them on EBay for up to $65 each.

I have photos of the Snively construction that I need to scan and post somewhere with a link. In follow up to the Thompson Arena construction comments on the Dartmouth thread this past weekend, although both the Thompson and Whitt rinks were dug out below ground level with a 360-degree concourse, that is about all that they have in common. Thompson Arena has buttresses (perhaps 20 along each side?) to counter the incredible weight of over 1000 concrete triangular panels that weigh one ton each and make up the vaulted roof. So, very different from both Snively's arches and the Whitt's roof.

I will need to skip the Cats' next visit to Hanover, as we have lost on my only two visits in 2012 and 2016.

Maybe I can bring better luck to Providence when we play Brown next month.

Finally, why does one pull the goaltender when down 4-1 with about 2 minutes left, when your team has not recorded a shot on three power plays the entire night?

Good stuff yourself! Wish had known you back then, you input would have added to the enjoyment of doing that program.

[wildcatdc]

Good stuff, Greg; many thanks!

Growing up in Durham during the 1950s, we skated on the old flooded "rinks" before Batchelder Rink was constructed. A. Barr "Whoop" Snively was always out there for public free skating, blowing his whistle every 4-5 minutes to have us reverse direction (we had to skate in one direction). There was a small concession stand at the outdoor pool end of the rink where one could purchase hot cocoa and hot dogs, maybe 10 cents each, IIRC. One time, a friend's younger sister got her tongue stuck on the sub-freezing fence above the boards (no, we did not dare her to lick the fence), and Whoop got her tongue unstuck with hot cocoa. Same friend and I collected hockey pucks in the spring as they melted out of the snow banks; I sold mine back to the Athletic Department at the time for $1 each, but my friend astutely kept his until recently as he has been selling them on EBay for up to $65 each.

I have photos of the Snively construction that I need to scan and post somewhere with a link. In follow up to the Thompson Arena construction comments on the Dartmouth thread this past weekend, although both the Thompson and Whitt rinks were dug out below ground level with a 360-degree concourse, that is about all that they have in common. Thompson Arena has buttresses (perhaps 20 along each side?) to counter the incredible weight of over 1000 concrete triangular panels that weigh one ton each and make up the vaulted roof. So, very different from both Snively's arches and the Whitt's roof.

I will need to skip the Cats' next visit to Hanover, as we have lost on my only two visits in 2012 and 2016.

Maybe I can bring better luck to Providence when we play Brown next month.

Finally, why does one pull the goaltender when down 4-1 with about 2 minutes left, when your team has not recorded a shot on three power plays the entire night?

This is just such a cool story, Snively65. Love these stories. So how the heck, with such proximity to the school and the program, did you end up "south of the border" for school?!?! 😄