UNH Wildcats 2018-2019: Souza the Opportunity or Louza the Opportunity

[Darius]

Re: UNH Wildcats 2018-2019: Souza the Opportunity or Louza the Opportunity

Nice win last night. Too bad NU could not beat BC. We got a lot of good bounces last, will have to be much better tonight. Vela had a couple of big defensive zone face off wins while UML skated the extra attacker. It felt like the game did not match the SOGs. In the third, UML was bringing it, but it didn't feel like they were 8 - 1 bringing it. Lots of complete team defense all night, but again, lots of favorable bounces. Note to forwards: when a defenseman loses is stick? Give him the one in your hands. Jeez.

Go 'cats, Warriors, Huskies and Minutemen!

[HockeyRef]

Amen. Back to .500. Are you headed to Lowell tomorrow?

Well just got off a trip to Florida in fact endured that horrible Route 1 traffic to make it tonight so I’m thinking am going to skip it....however that could change lol!!!

Personally thought it was a typical UNH v UML game there were a lot of heroics out there tonight (that goal line save?!?) but the ‘Cats scratched it out!!! We’ll savor this one and see what happens tomorrow! Souza notes in the story that he knows they (UNH) won't get away with giving what they gave tonight tomorrow and there were some scrums. Mike Robinson had a great game for shut out #5 and there were timely defensive plays that helped them secure the win so we will take it!!!

Congrats to our Seniors who played their last home game at the ‘Whitt: Captain Marcus Vela, Assistant C Ara Nazarian, Frankie
Cefalu, Rich Boyd and Chris Miller. Matt Dawson will be back for a 5th season it was disclosed tonight. Awesome bunch wishing them well going forward still plenty of hockey left!!

[wildcatdc]

Nice win ‘Cats!!!

Amen. Back to .500. Are you headed to Lowell tomorrow?

[HockeyRef]

Re: UNH Wildcats 2018-2019: Souza the Opportunity or Louza the Opportunity

Nice win ‘Cats!!!

[wildcatdc]

The disparity in SOG in the third is exactly what would be expected for a team clinging to a lead by one goal, according to Chuck, this game being a perfect piece of evidence in support of his thesis.

Certainly true for our most recent games. However. unlike previous games, we didn’t play like we were clinging tonight, per se. we didn’t get many real chances, but we also played very well in the neutral zone and did a lot of dumping the puck in. Announcers called it “conservative”. I might have used the word “controlled”. We definitely didn’t look on our heels, even with them playing 6 on 5. A few big face off wins helped our cause as well late in the game.

[Snively65]

Huge win. Played better as night when on, a nice reversal of trend. Had a hard time early of dispossessing them of the puck in our own end, that changed over the course of the 2nd and 3rd. Better on the breakout later in the game, and generally played much more aggressively in the latter two periods. Stayed out of the box after taking three earlier on. Robinson rock solid.

A case where SOG would tell you the exact opposite!

Great game to watch, period. Wish we had more than a “Friday night crowd”. Especially on senior night.

The disparity in SOG in the third is exactly what would be expected for a team clinging to a lead by one goal, according to Chuck, this game being a perfect piece of evidence in support of his thesis.

[wildcatdc]

Re: UNH Wildcats 2018-2019: Souza the Opportunity or Louza the Opportunity

Huge win. Played better as night when on, a nice reversal of trend. Had a hard time early of dispossessing them of the puck in our own end, that changed over the course of the 2nd and 3rd. Better on the breakout later in the game, and generally played much more aggressively in the latter two periods. Stayed out of the box after taking three earlier on. Robinson rock solid.

A case where SOG would tell you the exact opposite!

Great game to watch, period. Wish we had more than a “Friday night crowd”. Especially on senior night.

[wildcatdc]

Beauty of a goal by Pierson!! Going to be a hummer of a third Go ‘Cats!!

Haven’t been consistent tonight but that was what you call taking care of business. Fun game to watch - nice pace

[HockeyRef]

Re: UNH Wildcats 2018-2019: Souza the Opportunity or Louza the Opportunity

Beauty of a goal by Pierson!! Going to be a hummer of a third Go ‘Cats!!

[chickod]

Re: UNH Wildcats 2018-2019: Souza the Opportunity or Louza the Opportunity

It does not surprises me at all, that Karson Kuhlman is the kind of prospect that recently has them excited, while Donato is the kind they're giving up on - but that is more of a concern for people who closely follow and support the Bruins. And I am not one of those people (though being the NHL rep. from Boston, I prefer they do well). So agree to disagree...

Agreed. And sort of sad...I have mentioned this previously. The Bruins organization is stuck in a time warp and they worship the days of the rockem sockem 'Big Bad Bruins' of O'Reilly, Wensink, etc. They still don't seem to have figured out that the name of the game today is speed and skill. I can only speculate that they are a blueprint of Cam Neely (I think Sweeney basically does what Neely tells him), although I have no proof of this. How much of this is the Jacobs identifying potentially "expensive" players and jettisoning them is also open to debate. But with this kind of template, I wouldn't be surprised if it's another 39 years before they win a cup (and they wouldn't have won that one without Thomas standing on his head and a guy called Seguin -who apparently they didn't feel they needed either - having a giant game).

[Nifty16]

Re: UNH Wildcats 2018-2019: Souza the Opportunity or Louza the Opportunity

No Wyse tonight?

[Dan]

Re: UNH Wildcats 2018-2019: Souza the Opportunity or Louza the Opportunity

Not sure I'd draw that conclusion.

Its not a conclusion, as much as a general rumination. If Dawson does come back and Bahn had also matriculated, UNH would be looking at (assuming Gildon leaves) nine defenseman and eight-scholarship blue liners (including a so-so group of seven tied up for the next 3 years)...

Wyse - Maass
McKinnon - Verrier
Erickson - Dawson
Bahn - McElhaney
Hickey

It doesn't seem outside the realm of possibility that one of the three incoming D would have been asked to defer (and stuck up their nose)? It seems as likely as Bahn being dropped outright or changing his mind in a vacuum. Either way, if it allows UNH to add a true impact D for the future than that is for the best. Just a curiosity...

[Dan]

Re: UNH Wildcats 2018-2019: Souza the Opportunity or Louza the Opportunity

I do not think that the Bruins were going to get much value for Donato with him languishing in Providence, where he was not producing much there either.

Need some scoring or least some toughness on the bottom two lines when Pasternak returns to claim his spot in the top six.

I would disagree whole-heartedly. First of all, I do not think languishing applies to a 22 year-old top prospect averaging 2/3 a PPG in the AHL, during his first full-season as a pro. He may have some developing to do, but he's hardly struggling.

Just one year ago, Donato was a darling (and top goal-scoring) prospect. All he's done since then (again at 22) is score 12 goals in 50 NHL games (a 20 G/Season Pace) - I doubt the bloom has come off the rose for anyone but the Bruins (apparently). They could have gotten more impact for him - which is completely separate from the fact that they didn't have to give him up to acquire a guy like Coyle. Coyle's best scoring season in the NHL was 21 goals - Donato will do that on the regular and in his sleep, at a minimum. I'd expect he'll have a number of 25-30 goal seasons before his career is over and possibly as early as next year. You don't trade that for a hard-working, third-liner - that type of player is so much easier to find...

It does not surprises me at all, that Karson Kuhlman is the kind of prospect that recently has them excited, while Donato is the kind they're giving up on - but that is more of a concern for people who closely follow and support the Bruins. And I am not one of those people (though being the NHL rep. from Boston, I prefer they do well). So agree to disagree...

[NCAA watcher]

Re: UNH Wildcats 2018-2019: Souza the Opportunity or Louza the Opportunity

Meaning Dawson is back next year? If so, is retaining Dawson the direct catalyst for losing Bahn...?

Not sure I'd draw that conclusion.

[Dan]

Re: UNH Wildcats 2018-2019: Souza the Opportunity or Louza the Opportunity

UNH honoring the five seniors playing their last home games tonight.

Vela
Nazarian
Boyd
Miller
Cefalu

Meaning Dawson is back next year? If so, is retaining Dawson the direct catalyst for losing Bahn...?