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

[chickod]

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

Tonight I hit Bentley's rink in Watertown to see Sacred Heart play and all I have to say is "yikes!" Makes Merrimack's facility look like the TD Garden. Thank god they're building a new rink on campus as I have no idea how you survive as a DI program in that place. There was even a gentleman in the row in front of me who unsolicited said to me "How can a DI program play here? Is it even regulation?" so it wasn't just me taken aback by it. After seeing that place tonight, I will never diss Merrimack's facility again as at least they've done upgrades you can't see and ones you can like the second ice sheet, expanded lobby, etc.

Tell him to check this out.

[Middle Street]

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

Chuck, how many rinks have you been to in recent times? Hockey East doesn't have the following it once did and I think Merrimack has the perfect size for the brave new world we are in.

Now that Merrimack has installed chair backs, the video board, etc. it's not that bad. Personally I think Schneider and Gutterson are worse places to watch a game.

Is Lawler any worse than half of the ECAC rinks?

[MC Alumni]

I don't really understand your argument. Merrimack's enrollment is only about 3,500 students. Andover isn't a huge community - so the size of lawler is fine. As a former collegiate athlete myself, I'd rather play in a smaller rink that's sold out most games than a big arena that's half empty. And the locker room/weight room are way more important than the ice sheet in recruiting, that's just a fact with 18-22 year old kids.
We know our identity as an athletics department and that's our strength.

[Yuppie Scum]

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

I mean, I basically chose MC over UNH because Merrimack had waaaay better freshman dorms at the time.

[Dirt]

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

For the size of the school and the size of the fan base I think Lawler arena is perfect size. My only complaint is that I wish the seats in the corner sections wrapped around the rink instead of remaining straight to the end wall, that would fix the gym feel people have IMO.

[The Earl of Bodine]

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

Hey I just remembered that I had not made my annual post yet: I'm really bummed that the Whitt stopped selling cheeseburgers.

[The Earl of Bodine]

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

And another thing........ I will miss watching Jamie Hill. He gives his very best effort at all times.

[riverchief1]

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

Just think how good UNH would be if they had a decent rink like Merrimack has.

[Darius]

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

Eiserman and Vela are missed. Big time.

[HockeyRef]

Eiserman and Vela are missed. Big time.

No truer words in the past 24 hrs on this board.

[Chuck Murray]

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

To the hordes of MC fans and alums who chimed in to defend your facility, and deny the need for a "start from scratch" upgrade ... never once did I say your arena needed more seats. I've been to your arena more often than any other rink in college hockey except for Snively and The Whitt, and I worked within a 10 minute drive of your facility for over a decade, so I do know the lay of the land. Would any of you folks really be all that upset if President Hopey issued a press release tomorrow that MC was going to demolish Lawler once they completed a 3,500 seat rink (with wraparound seating and a slightly higher ceiling) somewhere else on campus? With even better locker rooms, and just move the weight room stuff over from the old place (or upgrade that too?)?

Some of you folks are acting like this is an either/or situation. Either we stay at Lawler and keep all the new goodies we've plugged into it, or go to a new facility ... with all the same goodies, no?

Don't be so defensive, ferchrissakes. Take it as a compliment, your program has outgrown that HS rink.

Bottom feeders were outscored 15-1 tonight. The league is a joke this year.

In the "Silver Lining Department", it must be pointed out that last night, UConn moved to 0-5-0 all time in the MBPBEGAM "playoffs" under legend-in-his-own-mind Luce Canaan. Just sayin' ...

So, is tomorrow night it for the coach? Did not go tonight but was in constant texting contact with a friend who did. He observed that Umile was pretty slump shouldered as he walked off after the second period. He exited directly to the coach's room, not the locker room. The proverbial passing of the torch? I know there is not a lot of love for DU on this forum, but he was behind the bench for a lot of the best years of UNH Hockey. Just amazing how his end parallels the end of his coach, Charlie Holt. Time to move on.

Good observation by your pal, Greg. From the few times I've seen him over the last month plus, Coach Umile's body language has eroded weekly. His appearances in the short bits on the WMUR 9 sports broadcasts, I've never seen him so detached and disinterested, or critical of his players as a whole. Say what you will about his postseason history ... but usually when it's gotten to this part of the season, there has always been a sparkle of competitive fire in Coach's eyes. Not so this year.

On the similarities with how the end came for Coach Holt's, here is a link to my "Open Letter to Coach Umile" from 2010, which contains some really excellent contributions from folks who don't post on here anymore. With the offseason possibly less than 12 hours away, you may want to bookmark that one for an hour's worth of "What do I do to keep me sane until next October?" time.



http://board.uscho.com/showthread.ph...ch-Umile/page9

[Greg Ambrose]

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

Tonight I hit Bentley's rink in Watertown to see Sacred Heart play and all I have to say is "yikes!" Makes Merrimack's facility look like the TD Garden. Thank god they're building a new rink on campus as I have no idea how you survive as a DI program in that place. There was even a gentleman in the row in front of me who unsolicited said to me "How can a DI program play here? Is it even regulation?" so it wasn't just me taken aback by it. After seeing that place tonight, I will never diss Merrimack's facility again as at least they've done upgrades you can't see and ones you can like the second ice sheet, expanded lobby, etc.

Haven't been to Watertown in a few years but when I did, for a high school tournament game, I notice two big banners at the far end celebrating Watertown HS back-to-back Middlesex League championships in the mid-80's. Big deal, what with Melrose, Reading, and Wakefield ruling the roost back then. The coach of those teams? None other than Dick Umile.

[Greg Ambrose]

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

Say what you will about his postseason history ...

Well, he won two Hockey East titles, his teams went to the Frozen Four four times, the finals twice. I think he holds the record for most consecutive NCAA appearances as well. The only thing missing is the NCAA championship, one that was in his grasp if not for a save off the knob of a goalie stick. The thing that people forget these days is how hyper competitive Hockey East was back in the day with the big four (UNH, Maine, BU, BC). An awful lot of Hobey winners, all-americans, and future pros on those teams. College hockey just is not as good as it used to be, and I'm not saying that just because UNH is in the toilet.

[Yuppie Scum]

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

Well, he won two Hockey East titles, his teams went to the Frozen Four four times, the finals twice. I think he holds the record for most consecutive NCAA appearances as well. The only thing missing is the NCAA championship, one that was in his grasp if not for a save off the knob of a goalie stick. The thing that people forget these days is how hyper competitive Hockey East was back in the day with the big four (UNH, Maine, BU, BC). An awful lot of Hobey winners, all-americans, and future pros on those teams. College hockey just is not as good as it used to be, and I'm not saying that just because UNH is in the toilet.

Three way tie for first place and it's not competitive?

[sterlippo1]

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

Haven't been to Watertown in a few years but when I did, for a high school tournament game, I notice two big banners at the far end celebrating Watertown HS back-to-back Middlesex League championships in the mid-80's. Big deal, what with Melrose, Reading, and Wakefield ruling the roost back then. The coach of those teams? None other than Dick Umile.

He was a great hockey player at Melrose High, a big part of our school's last state championship team in the mid 60's