UNH- How Far West Do We Go?

Snively65 said:

Tyler Muszelik 36 saves tonight against Cats.

Why cannot we get goaltenders like dat?

Oh ………. wait ………

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Beat us at the 'Whitt last year too..we have 'quietly' lost 4 games straight to UCONN (I saw their last W at the Toscano ...maybe we get lucky tomorrow)

pucksindeep said:

UNH lost again to UConn and their terrible head coach. 8 of 9 UConn top scorers returned to Storrs, because coach sucks. UConn has gone from zero hockey tradition, to consistently top of hockey east, even with brutal coach. All facts. Amazing success despite their horrendous leader.

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You have a right to brag. UCONN is dam good this year, and UNH is a work in progress with a group of kids that are fun to root for! Muszelik was very good. We out shot them 17-4 in the second and several were one on ones in front and we only scored 1 goal. Pretty much a must win tomorrow and I am being optimistic.

Jellsville USA said:

You have a right to brag. UCONN is dam good this year, and UNH is a work in progress with a group of kids that are fun to root for! Muszelik very good. We out shot them 17-4 in the second and several were one on ones in front and we only scored 1 goal. Pretty much a must win tomorrow and I am being optimistic.

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Anyone (unh) stand out last night? Noticed Cy seemed to have a better game and Winters was a welcome piece back in the line up. Agreed UConn is excellent that returning core will serve them well...they aren't leading HE for nothing.
UConn 3 UNH 1 is my predict for tonight as we continue to struggle scoring. Not for lack of trying with what 36 SOG??

Jellsville USA said:

You have a right to brag. UCONN is dam good this year, and UNH is a work in progress with a group of kids that are fun to root for! Muszelik was very good. We out shot them 17-4 in the second and several were one on ones in front and we only scored 1 goal. Pretty much a must win tomorrow and I am being optimistic.

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Not bragging, just astonishing how they can win in this league, especially with what I read about their head coach on this board.

pucksindeep said:

Not bragging, just astonishing how they can win in this league, especially with what I read about their head coach on this board.

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The last time UNH had any real success with UCONN was the 2015 qtrs in the HE playoffs...if you believe the announcers last night they said Cavannaugh (sp) was pleased with the job his protégé (MS7) has done at UNH...that is pretty generous considering the HE record we have...

If I were a competing team, I also would be pleased with the job Souza has done. (Add in AD Rich)

NCAA watcher said:

If I were a competing team, I also would be pleased with the job Souza has done. (Add in AD Rich)

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Well, at this point even your arch rival feel like your fan base is being held hostage due to an AD that can’t admit her mistake in extending a sub par coach. Souza was a great player but has proven nothing even close to success as a coach. I assumed with the new talent that they brought in this season UNH would rebound. It really is a good talented rookie class. However, what has happened traditionally is a hot start for UNH followed by progressively worse play and more losses as the season wears on. To me, this means if you see this trend then it is clearly the coaching staff failing to develop and improve their players, or once the players play the coaches system that system isn’t the right choice, or both. I suspect it is both. I don’t watch many UNH games, but enough. I recall going to Whitemore watching Maine vs UNH. I was surprised that despite being down 2 goals UNH stayed in a defensive nuetral zone trap and didn’t forecheck with even one guy let alone 2 or 3 to get back in the game. I feel like it was an acknowledgment that losing 3-0 was better than losing 5-2 so just trap the game out and hope to get ahead early in the next game. Not exactly an aggressive win at all costs attitude. His posture behind the bench seems quite passive as well. And these things could be a microcosm of how he runs his practices. That is - let’s just go through the motions and not bother to adjust our methods because that would require uncomfortability and more work. So likely he just has his guys doing the same thing without any adjustments or focus on system change and player development. Just keep doing the same thing, repetition makes you perfect. In reality, repition keeps you stuck and going nowhere if adjustments and versatility is needed to win.

I think UNH fans would need to be very vocal to the AD in forcing her to end this even if it means Souza “sues-ya” for severance. Until then, as you said, we(Mainers) will enjoy the hockey east points and bragging rights.

pucksindeep said:

Not bragging, just astonishing how they can win in this league, especially with what I read about their head coach on this board.

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I mean..it's a Cinderella story! (Said in Bill Murray CaddyShack voice...ha!)

Sparkee said:

Well, at this point even your arch rival feel like your fan base is being held hostage due to an AD that can’t admit her mistake in extending a sub par coach. Souza was a great player but has proven nothing even close to success as a coach. I assumed with the new talent that they brought in this season UNH would rebound. It really is a good talented rookie class. However, what has happened traditionally is a hot start for UNH followed by progressively worse play and more losses as the season wears on. To me, this means if you see this trend then it is clearly the coaching staff failing to develop and improve their players, or once the players play the coaches system that system isn’t the right choice, or both. I suspect it is both. I don’t watch many UNH games, but enough. I recall going to Whitemore watching Maine vs UNH. I was surprised that despite being down 2 goals UNH stayed in a defensive nuetral zone trap and didn’t forecheck with even one guy let alone 2 or 3 to get back in the game. I feel like it was an acknowledgment that losing 3-0 was better than losing 5-2 so just trap the game out and hope to get ahead early in the next game. Not exactly an aggressive win at all costs attitude. His posture behind the bench seems quite passive as well. And these things could be a microcosm of how he runs his practices. That is - let’s just go through the motions and not bother to adjust our methods because that would require uncomfortability and more work. So likely he just has his guys doing the same thing without any adjustments or focus on system change and player development. Just keep doing the same thing, repetition makes you perfect. In reality, repition keeps you stuck and going nowhere if adjustments and versatility is needed to win.

I think UNH fans would need to be very vocal to the AD in forcing her to end this even if it means Souza “sues-ya” for severance. Until then, as you said, we(Mainers) will enjoy the hockey east points and bragging rights.

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Fantastic post, Sparkee. And you even went into a good amount of depth in analyzing the situation - kudos.

I wish I could say I knew you had it in you ... but this was a surprise (and a pleasant one at that). Keep up the good work.

pucksindeep said:

Not bragging, just astonishing how they can win in this league, especially with what I read about their head coach on this board.

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The poster in question, Buford, well let’s just say he doesn’t know much about hockey.

Sparkee said:

Well, at this point even your arch rival feel like your fan base is being held hostage due to an AD that can’t admit her mistake in extending a sub par coach. Souza was a great player but has proven nothing even close to success as a coach. I assumed with the new talent that they brought in this season UNH would rebound. It really is a good talented rookie class. However, what has happened traditionally is a hot start for UNH followed by progressively worse play and more losses as the season wears on. To me, this means if you see this trend then it is clearly the coaching staff failing to develop and improve their players, or once the players play the coaches system that system isn’t the right choice, or both. I suspect it is both. I don’t watch many UNH games, but enough. I recall going to Whitemore watching Maine vs UNH. I was surprised that despite being down 2 goals UNH stayed in a defensive nuetral zone trap and didn’t forecheck with even one guy let alone 2 or 3 to get back in the game. I feel like it was an acknowledgment that losing 3-0 was better than losing 5-2 so just trap the game out and hope to get ahead early in the next game. Not exactly an aggressive win at all costs attitude. His posture behind the bench seems quite passive as well. And these things could be a microcosm of how he runs his practices. That is - let’s just go through the motions and not bother to adjust our methods because that would require uncomfortability and more work. So likely he just has his guys doing the same thing without any adjustments or focus on system change and player development. Just keep doing the same thing, repetition makes you perfect. In reality, repition keeps you stuck and going nowhere if adjustments and versatility is needed to win.

I think UNH fans would need to be very vocal to the AD in forcing her to end this even if it means Souza “sues-ya” for severance. Until then, as you said, we(Mainers) will enjoy the hockey east points and bragging rights.

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Many fans have voiced their displeasure but to no avail...perhaps the donors felt his last season in the contract renewal was adequate. That's all I can come up with...and the very stalwart fans who give $$$ are steadfast in their support.

Agree...we have seen this before a decent start then what? How many times can you see the same movie and expect a different ending!?!

Potluck said:

Buford: Nothing is a better example of how little you know about college hockey than how wrong you've been about Mike Cavanaugh and UConn. He took a program in the ashes and with significant support from Connecticut tax payers and an excellent athletic department turned it into a top 10 program.

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As usual, potty's "Paean to Taxes" as the true measure of success for a D-1 hockey program. As if the grunts working at the City of Bridgeport's DPW give a flaming rat's a$$ about the travails of a bunch of rich kids chasing a puck at the opposite corner of the state. But while we're on that subject ... explain to me then how the formerly richest state in the US (via mean household income) has fallen to #10 over the last generation, while NH has passed CT at #7, and still rising?!? Actually. as discussed below, maybe the State of NH tracks with the rise of UConn Hockey, while the State of CT tracks with the decaying UNH Hockey program?

While on the subject ... can the "Connecticut taxpayers" dig a little deeper for lighting and improved tech gear so we can better enjoy this softball session???


Notice the zeal exhibited by Luce in describing the "success" of his protege MS7, described as a "close personal friend". Wow, with "friends" like that ...

pucksindeep said:

UNH lost again to UConn and their terrible head coach. 8 of 9 UConn top scorers returned to Storrs, because coach sucks. UConn has gone from zero hockey tradition, to consistently top of hockey east, even with brutal coach. All facts. Amazing success despite their horrendous leader.

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I must say, both of you folks are very generous in measuring the "success" of the UConn Men's Hockey program. The head coach still has a career losing record at Storrs (including a year beating up on AHA teams) and putting aside the "CT Ice" in-state tourney, he has yet to win ANY hardware for their program. No league hardware (RS and postseason), and certainly nothing remotely close on the national stage. All this "top 10 program" and "top of Hockey East" stuff is subjective, nice but means pretty much diddly-squat. To be fair, but for one supremely fortunate D-1 title (Thanks O'Connor!) we could say pretty much the same about the guy who runs the HEA program that's due East of Storrs (albeit Leaman does have an overall winning record, comfortably), but Nate's never claimed to being the reason for Walshy's success when he assisted up in Orono, whilst Luce would still have us all believe he was the power behind the York throne at BC lol.

If the question is whether Luce is a better HC than "his personal friend" MS7, then there's no doubt - Luce wins. I've said that several times before. Luce is clearly less mediocre than Souza. And he is admittedly trending up, from abject mediocrity to something approaching competence. Congrats.

I notice neither of you admitted my predictions of no UConn hardware last season was spot on. Maybe this Spring you'll man up a bit when you're wrong (again)?

pucksindeep said:

UNH lost again to UConn and their terrible head coach. 8 of 9 UConn top scorers returned to Storrs, because coach sucks. UConn has gone from zero hockey tradition, to consistently top of hockey east, even with brutal coach. All facts. Amazing success despite their horrendous leader.

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You left out that Yukon’s on-campus rink (Tuscano Family Form, but apparently it has a world-class weight room), built on the cheap by frugal Univ. Connecticut admin, seats only 2600, a mere 50 more than Lawler at Merrimack, which BTW has a great men’s hockey head coach, but still 400 fewer seats than Schneider at PC, which BTW also has a great men’s hockey head coach.

Chuck Murray said:

To be fair, but for one supremely fortunate D-1 title (Thanks O'Connor!) we could say pretty much the same about the guy who runs the HEA program that's due East of Storrs (albeit Leaman does have an overall winning record,

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I think you're selling Leaman extremely short here Chuck. The man took Union from a cellar-dweller and built them up to the NCAA tournament and set them up for the national title 3 seasons after he left and also was selected to coach the USA WJC (just being picked is notable) and won the gold medal on Canadian soil. His record at Union is above .500 overall.

Cavanaugh and Leaman are nothing alike.

Carmine Scarpaglia said:

I think you're selling Leaman extremely short here Chuck. The man took Union from a cellar-dweller and built them up to the NCAA tournament and set them up for the national title 3 seasons after he left and also was selected to coach the USA WJC (just being picked is notable) and won the gold medal on Canadian soil. His record at Union is above .500 overall.

Cavanaugh and Leaman are nothing alike.

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Carmine, I tried to make it clear that I consider Leaman to be the far better HC, the regular season records are sharply in contrast with each other, for sure.

Yet, but for one moment of extreme good fortune, Coach Leaman's postseason record as a D-1 coach is extremely shallow and lacking. You guys used to rip into Coach Umile for his lack of postseason success, yet but for O'Connor throwing the puck into his own net, Leaman makes Umile look like Parker, York and Walshy combined, ferchrissakes. And unlke Umile, Leaman never had to deal with ANY of those heavyweights in the primes of their glittering HoF careers.

There is this term in other parts of life called a "one hit wonder", and if you were looking for the D-1 Men's HC version, Leaman's photo would be right there.

Even a guy like Bazin has more depth of postseason success than Leaman, excepting that one super lucky moment NL enjoyed. But you defend him?? Wow ...

Sorry to say this but last nights game was not a horrific followup to last weekends game at Union. They were clearly not dominated, we’re abLe to get out of their own end and shoot. Unfortunately they still can’t seem to score. Split woahld be nice but they will make adjustments we will not.

Wow...Coombs gets the start tonight!! Nope...its Whale..line sheet must be wrong or written backwards???

Ugh...just another Saturday night.....leadership UNH!!!! Seriously...harrumph.

Well hush my puppies!!! Congrats boys excellent 3rd period!!! Straskins Ring Carr...Turner..well done!

We won on a Saturday!

Awesome effort by the cats! Gutsy win. The kids are capable, it just comes down to coaching - IMO.