UNH- How Far West Do We Go?

[JB]

In fairness, I think this is probably a common issue with schools located out in the relative boonies, as there are usually limited options for repurposing or reuse outside the school itself. A funky outdated building in Allston (BU) or on Huntington Ave. (NU) can become a donut or coffee shop, or even an upscale bar or any number of options. With the locations of these now seemingly doomed UNH buildings, it's not like some honky-tonk establishments can pop up there without taking away from the bucolic nature of the campus. Obviously, that doesn't matter so much in urban Boston, or Providence to a lesser degree. It is what it is.

Then again ... taking government funding to the tune of $10 million (give or take) to do the "lipstick on a pig" temporary thingy, and then tearing these places down (with more government funding) is the kind of stuff that makes the folks in Concord get agita over further funding of the U.

In this case I think we can put aside the conspiracy theory. Last time Nesmith was renovated, 10 years ago, the University student population was still growing. The master plan was built around the student trends and honestly minor upgrades was probably responsible use of the money. Considering further other than Rudman (25+ years old now) the new buildings foot prints don't line up with the space available of the buildings going into mothball.

The last 5-6 years have been a sea shift for 4 year schools. Between students starting their first 2 years at community college and more choosing not to go to school. This drop in enrollment is causing an unexpected change.

That the University is now right sizing is the responsible thing to do. That is not wasting tax payer money it is making the right decision to best spend it with the facts and projections at the time. This is a classic hindsight is 20/20 so don't put good money after what can now be considered bad.

 

[norbert]

Serious question is the short OT and shutouts at the Bean Pot the NCAA? Or is the schools and the garden (both venue and event organizer)?

Crazy alternate world thought... would 2-on-1 or 3-on-2 "drills" be better than a shoutout? It is more common in hockey to have odd man rush than a break away. I am still more of a let them play until they drop.

I am going on a hunch here but I think it is a time aspect and a collaboration on all their parts. You don't want the first game going into double OT and the second game starting at 10pm.

I hate 3-3 OT. It is not hockey and basically becomes a circle jerk of enter the zone have no play and retreat. It is boring.

 

[2013hockeyfan]

I hate 3-3 OT. It is not hockey and basically becomes a circle jerk of enter the zone have no play and retreat. It is boring.

I like the 3v3 because the frequency of breakaways and odd-man rushes which are the most exciting part of hockey. That said, it is dramatically different from the actual game and often devolves into several straight minutes of keep away. I know when the NCAA made that change that many coaches were frustrated.

I personally think shootouts are far worse for the game and should be eliminated at all costs. Horrific way to determine league standings.

 

[JB]

I am going on a hunch here but I think it is a time aspect and a collaboration on all their parts. You don't want the first game going into double OT and the second game starting at 10pm.

I hate 3-3 OT. It is not hockey and basically becomes a circle jerk of enter the zone have no play and retreat. It is boring.

I think in OT 3-on-3 if you leave the zone on your own you need to loose the puck. I don't know the exact how but I wouldn't want a faceoff. If we are all the way down this "pick up hockey" rabbit hole, carry it back out of zone, just dump it behind the net and let the other team have it.

 

[FlagUp17]

new goalie commit Roberto Leonardo (Leo) Henriquez from Green Bay Gamblers, Dominican and Slovakian, played for Slovakia in WJC

you might have already seen him before, when he went viral in late november for a tussle. hes a legit good goalie though, nice pickup

Thanks for sharing! Just saw his name updated on the Heisenberg list.

For those more well-versed on scouting/recruiting, what are people’s thoughts on Henriquez? From a cursory glance, a 0.929 save pct in the USHL looks pretty good especially out of a 18 YO.

Eliteprospects has him matriculating in 27-28 according to their website. Can we assume Grout is joining this fall? They’re both 07 kids, but Grout hasn’t seemed to have as good a year in the WHL (save pct 0.878), albeit I don’t know the strength of the rest of his team. Perhaps there will be a goalie competition in Durham this fall, but I still presume there will be a transfer of some kind as Chavuette is graduating, and I’m not sure if Whale will qualify for a redshirt year.

I don’t think we have had a freshmen start right out of the gate since Adam Clark in 2013. Albeit there were certainly extenuating circumstances that led likely led to that situation.

 

[Snively65]

I used to be a regular at the Beanpot for about 20 years, but stopped a few years ago when my usual event companions from down in the big city passed, so I haven't summoned up the interest to return without them. And here I am, realizing that the recent editions of the Beanpot are using shortened OT's and now shootouts in the title games?? As usual, the NCAA has to stick its nose into everything, make everything vanilla, and mess up an amazing tradition. Eff the NCAA.

NCAA will likely stick its nose into our Manchvegas Chowdah Pot also.

 

[Robert Balin]

Thanks for sharing! Just saw his name updated on the Heisenberg list.

For those more well-versed on scouting/recruiting, what are people’s thoughts on Henriquez? From a cursory glance, a 0.929 save pct in the USHL looks pretty good especially out of a 18 YO.

Eliteprospects has him matriculating in 27-28 according to their website. Can we assume Grout is joining this fall? They’re both 07 kids, but Grout hasn’t seemed to have as good a year in the WHL (save pct 0.878), albeit I don’t know the strength of the rest of his team. Perhaps there will be a goalie competition in Durham this fall, but I still presume there will be a transfer of some kind as Chavuette is graduating, and I’m not sure if Whale will qualify for a redshirt year.

I don’t think we have had a freshmen start right out of the gate since Adam Clark in 2013. Albeit there were certainly extenuating circumstances that led likely led to that situation.

Heisenburg has him coming in 2026 which is more reliable than Eliteprospects. Grout more than likely will be held back a year and your probably right about a transfer. I'm also wondering if Connor MacPherson is coming back next year his stats are average at best this year in the Q 47-8-14-22. I'd like to see Coombs play a game this year and see what he looks like.

 

[Potluck]

UNH hockey appears to be heading for its 9th losing season in the past 11 seasons. Of the other two non-losing seasons, one was a winning season and the other was .500 (thanks to non-conference schedule). UNH hasn't been in the HE tourney semis since Obama was in the White House. In other words, the program is nearly moribund.

Similarly, UVM is on its way to its 11 consecutive losing season. UVM has changed coaches twice without improvement. It has a new facility drawn up, promised and "in the works", which may draw chuckles from UVM fans because its been awaiting funding for many years. Nevertheless, there's at least a recognition that massive change and improvement is necessary.

Let's assume Mike Souza is replaced in the next 16 months - its been 11 years of failure so 16 months isn't that long. Let's also assume Coach ? has similar results as Souza and the two coaches that followed Sneddon at UVM. It's a solid bet that's what will occur. Yes, UNH could hire Superman and he could pull a Borek and have 2 winning seasons in 7 years (btw, is that really all that good?). But let's just assume the gravity of running an underfunded nearly moribund program has the same impact on Coach ? as it has had at UVM's two post Sneddon coaches.

What would UNH do next?

 

[Snively65]

UNH hockey appears to be heading for its 9th losing season in the past 11 seasons. Of the other two non-losing seasons, one was a winning season and the other was .500 (thanks to non-conference schedule). UNH hasn't been in the HE tourney semis since Obama was in the White House. In other words, the program is nearly moribund.

Similarly, UVM is on its way to its 11 consecutive losing season. UVM has changed coaches twice without improvement. It has a new facility drawn up, promised and "in the works", which may draw chuckles from UVM fans because its been awaiting funding for many years. Nevertheless, there's at least a recognition that massive change and improvement is necessary.

Let's assume Mike Souza is replaced in the next 16 months - its been 11 years of failure so 16 months isn't that long. Let's also assume Coach ? has similar results as Souza and the two coaches that followed Sneddon at UVM. It's a solid bet that's what will occur. Yes, UNH could hire Superman and he could pull a Borek and have 2 winning seasons in 7 years (btw, is that really all that good?). But let's just assume the gravity of running an underfunded nearly moribund program has the same impact on Coach ? as it has had at UVM's two post Sneddon coaches.

What would UNH do next?

Dunno, move to Atlantic Hockey?

 

[Felger]

UNH hockey appears to be heading for its 9th losing season in the past 11 seasons. Of the other two non-losing seasons, one was a winning season and the other was .500 (thanks to non-conference schedule). UNH hasn't been in the HE tourney semis since Obama was in the White House. In other words, the program is nearly moribund.

Similarly, UVM is on its way to its 11 consecutive losing season. UVM has changed coaches twice without improvement. It has a new facility drawn up, promised and "in the works", which may draw chuckles from UVM fans because its been awaiting funding for many years. Nevertheless, there's at least a recognition that massive change and improvement is necessary.

Let's assume Mike Souza is replaced in the next 16 months - its been 11 years of failure so 16 months isn't that long. Let's also assume Coach ? has similar results as Souza and the two coaches that followed Sneddon at UVM. It's a solid bet that's what will occur. Yes, UNH could hire Superman and he could pull a Borek and have 2 winning seasons in 7 years (btw, is that really all that good?). But let's just assume the gravity of running an underfunded nearly moribund program has the same impact on Coach ? as it has had at UVM's two post Sneddon coaches.

What would UNH do next?

I have resigned myself to the reality that UNH is Lake State without the titles.

 

[teez]

UNH hockey appears to be heading for its 9th losing season in the past 11 seasons. Of the other two non-losing seasons, one was a winning season and the other was .500 (thanks to non-conference schedule). UNH hasn't been in the HE tourney semis since Obama was in the White House. In other words, the program is nearly moribund.

Similarly, UVM is on its way to its 11 consecutive losing season. UVM has changed coaches twice without improvement. It has a new facility drawn up, promised and "in the works", which may draw chuckles from UVM fans because its been awaiting funding for many years. Nevertheless, there's at least a recognition that massive change and improvement is necessary.

Let's assume Mike Souza is replaced in the next 16 months - its been 11 years of failure so 16 months isn't that long. Let's also assume Coach ? has similar results as Souza and the two coaches that followed Sneddon at UVM. It's a solid bet that's what will occur. Yes, UNH could hire Superman and he could pull a Borek and have 2 winning seasons in 7 years (btw, is that really all that good?). But let's just assume the gravity of running an underfunded nearly moribund program has the same impact on Coach ? as it has had at UVM's two post Sneddon coaches.

What would UNH do next?

There’s some context to the post-Sneddon UVM era that you’re glossing over: Woodcroft's firing for inappropriate conduct. It's hard to know where UVM would be right now if that hadn't happened. Sure, his record stunk, but so did Reid Cashman’s and Greg Carvel’s in their first couple of seasons. Woodcroft actually had legitimate recruiting momentum before the scandal blew it up.

Alex Bump was a UVM commit. He decommitted after the firing, went to Western Michigan, and put up 80+ points in two seasons. Point being, I don’t think UVM is a fair comparison to what would happen if UNH moved on from Souza. Hiring a coach is always a bit of a crapshoot, but keeping the current staff for as long as they have is negligence. You can win at UNH despite the facilities and middling budget. Umile, Carvel, and Cashman are proof that if you turn a program around on the ice, the rest will follow.

 

[Jellsville USA]

UNH hockey appears to be heading for its 9th losing season in the past 11 seasons. Of the other two non-losing seasons, one was a winning season and the other was .500 (thanks to non-conference schedule). UNH hasn't been in the HE tourney semis since Obama was in the White House. In other words, the program is nearly moribund.

Similarly, UVM is on its way to its 11 consecutive losing season. UVM has changed coaches twice without improvement. It has a new facility drawn up, promised and "in the works", which may draw chuckles from UVM fans because its been awaiting funding for many years. Nevertheless, there's at least a recognition that massive change and improvement is necessary.

Let's assume Mike Souza is replaced in the next 16 months - its been 11 years of failure so 16 months isn't that long. Let's also assume Coach ? has similar results as Souza and the two coaches that followed Sneddon at UVM. It's a solid bet that's what will occur. Yes, UNH could hire Superman and he could pull a Borek and have 2 winning seasons in 7 years (btw, is that really all that good?). But let's just assume the gravity of running an underfunded nearly moribund program has the same impact on Coach ? as it has had at UVM's two post Sneddon coaches.

What would UNH do next?

UNH “moribund”? Interesting take for a team that is just one year removed from its best season in 11 years, hit 20 wins.

They’re also pouring $10M into a $16M facility upgrade

The attendance remains strong (double the avg attendance of VT btw)

And while you’re busy writing obituaries, UNH’s roster is loaded with a young core of new players with only one upper classman on defense. Newcombe, Gagnon, Oliver, Carr, Lavins, Ring, Macpherson, Turner, Siedem, MacDonald and the entire defense returning next year. We should have tempered our expectations with so many new players this year (see Maine).

But please, tell us more about how the sky is falling. Your argument points at this group of players not being talented enough to win (despite some pretty big wins this season), while you sit on both sides of the "fire the coach" fence. I disagree with most of your points and believe UNH hockey is getting ready to turn the corner. UNH will always be a hockey town, and we root for the boys through the good and bad times. Conmy should have stayed and played some defense. He may have been a difference maker this season and would have stood out in the crowd. My 2 cents.... (Forever Optimistic!)

 

[Potluck]

I disagree with most of your points and believe UNH hockey is getting ready to turn the corner.

I love your optimism but wonder if that's all it is. What is the basis of the optimism? UNH is the lowest scoring team in HE. UNH is continually bereft of scoring talent, which is the hardest skill to recruit by a long shot.

BTW, is said nearly moribund.

UNH’s roster is loaded with a young core of new players

None of whom are proficient at scoring goals. Of course, if one was he'd be accused or being a prima donna that doesn't play tough enough defense. David Pastrnak would not be permitted to play for UNH.

while you sit on both sides of the "fire the coach" fence

I've been clear that Souza may be a problem but is not THE PROBLEM. Firing him does not address that larger key problems. Drawing narrow distinctions is beyond the capacity of Buford, Elwood, Meathead and Emily the Flunky but not you, Jellsville.

 

[norbert]

I love your optimism but wonder if that's all it is. What is the basis of the optimism? UNH is the lowest scoring team in HE. UNH is continually bereft of scoring talent, which is the hardest skill to recruit by a long shot.

BTW, is said nearly moribund.


None of whom are proficient at scoring goals. Of course, if one was he'd be accused or being a prima donna that doesn't play tough enough defense. David Pastrnak would not be permitted to play for UNH.

I've been clear that Souza may be a problem but is not THE PROBLEM. Firing him does not address that larger key problems. Drawing narrow distinctions is beyond the capacity of Buford, Elwood, Meathead and Emily the Flunky but not you, Jellsville.

Yes Conmy's 14 points (on a superior team by the way) is the difference in UNH booking a bus to the Garden next month versus being in last place. That 14 points gets you into the top 303 in NCAA Div 1 hockey.

 

[Chuck Murray]

At least we now know for sure potty's earlier post was a pretext to allow xim to b!tch about the same old, stupid worn out excuses.

Not that there was really ever any doubt ... but like the Jells says, "forever optimistic" ... and of course, potty did not disappoint.

 

[HockeyRef]

There’s some context to the post-Sneddon UVM era that you’re glossing over: Woodcroft's firing for inappropriate conduct. It's hard to know where UVM would be right now if that hadn't happened. Sure, his record stunk, but so did Reid Cashman’s and Greg Carvel’s in their first couple of seasons. Woodcroft actually had legitimate recruiting momentum before the scandal blew it up.

Alex Bump was a UVM commit. He decommitted after the firing, went to Western Michigan, and put up 80+ points in two seasons. Point being, I don’t think UVM is a fair comparison to what would happen if UNH moved on from Souza. Hiring a coach is always a bit of a crapshoot, but keeping the current staff for as long as they have is negligence. You can win at UNH despite the facilities and middling budget. Umile, Carvel, and Cashman are proof that if you turn a program around on the ice, the rest will follow.

 

[Potluck]

At least we now know for sure potty's earlier post was a pretext to allow xim to b!tch about the same old, stupid worn out excuses.

Not that there was really ever any doubt ... but like the Jells says, "forever optimistic" ... and of course, potty did not disappoint.

Nothing warms my heart more than when I respond to the posts of others, refer to Buford, and watch you respond.

 

[Jellsville USA]

I love your optimism but wonder if that's all it is. What is the basis of the optimism? UNH is the lowest scoring team in HE. UNH is continually bereft of scoring talent, which is the hardest skill to recruit by a long shot.

BTW, is said nearly moribund.


None of whom are proficient at scoring goals. Of course, if one was he'd be accused or being a prima donna that doesn't play tough enough defense. David Pastrnak would not be permitted to play for UNH.

I've been clear that Souza may be a problem but is not THE PROBLEM. Firing him does not address that larger key problems. Drawing narrow distinctions is beyond the capacity of Buford, Elwood, Meathead and Emily the Flunky but not you, Jellsville.

I believe the low scoring is intentional. He has a very young defense still learning to play together. Last year's defense was all upper classmen. The system MS7 is utilizing is a defensive structure to protect that young defense (although it doesn't help the forwards who are taking on a lot of hard pucks). You hardly ever see the UNH defensemen jumping into the offensive zone, not even on the weak side. This structure puts a lot of pressure on the forwards, and they are pressing (see Cy Leclerc). In my honest opinion the biggest scoring issue is on the power play. If this group stays together, they will score and UNH will win. My optimism is not wishful thinking it is the eye test. I have watched every game, and this team is more talented than last year's team but a lot younger in terms of time they will play together. (Forever Optimistic!).

 

[Potluck]

Yes Conmy's 14 points (on a superior team by the way) is the difference in UNH booking a bus to the Garden next month versus being in last place. That 14 points gets you into the top 303 in NCAA Div 1 hockey.

At UNH he was the leading scorer as a sophomore and you hated him. Too much scoring, you figured.

You are the quintessential fan of any last place team

BTW, it really is adorable how you can't help but respond to Norbert.

 

[Potluck]

I believe the low scoring is intentional. He has a very young defense still learning to play together. Last year's defense was all upper classmen. The system MS7 is utilizing is a defensive structure to protect that young defense (although it doesn't help the forwards who are taking on a lot of hard pucks). You hardly ever see the UNH defensemen jumping into the offensive zone, not even on the weak side. This structure puts a lot of pressure on the forwards, and they are pressing (see Cy Leclerc). In my honest opinion the biggest scoring issue is on the power play. If this group stays together, they will score and UNH will win. My optimism is not wishful thinking it is the eye test. I have watched every game, and this team is more talented than last year's team but a lot younger in terms of time they will play together. (Forever Optimistic!).

Yours is an interesting theory. But UNH's 10 ppg in HE games is the fewest by any team. No team plays defense first on power plays. That's lack of offensive talent.