10/15-10/16 UNH vs. Miami (OH-No!): Reborn from the ashes

[IrishWildcat]

So that other thread fell apart, I felt it my duty to start a new one.

Game tomorrow, and Saturday, and Miami (OH, really?) is the #1 team in the most meaningless poll this side of the 5th Grade student council election. The only reason the USCHO poll, and the USA Today poll, for that matter, exist, is to throw ESPN off into thinking they matter, which only makes ESPN look even dumber for relying on them. If you also put any credence into those polls, simply replace ESPN with your name.

As far as implications for the season ahead: sure, it will have a ebaring on our PWR at the end of the year. But it won't affect UNH for winning as much as it will for Miami (OH-crap!) because winning while on a trip to another team's barn gets you BONUS POINTS! Well whoppty-do. Hopefully it comes to a point where we don't really need bonus points, or have to worry about TUCs, or RPI (they gave us enough problems last weekend ) or any of that other crap come March. Although the chances are we will.

Heart of the matter is, in the grand scheme of things, these aren't the most important games we're going to play this year. It's early in the season, so it'll be a good measuring stick of where we stand at this point. However, we can't beat ourselves up too much over a loss (either team) because again...it's early season. UNH showed last year that you can basically tank an entire month against superior (and inferior) competition and still make the NCAA's.

In conclusion, let's have fun this weekend. Good hockey, good company, and mediocre pizza.

Friday: Miami (OH-by the way) 3, UNH 2
Saturday: UNH 4, Miami (OH-nevermind) 1

 

[muredhawks2008]

Re: 10/15-10/16 UNH vs. Miami (OH-No!): Reborn from the ashes

Friday: Miami (OH-by the way) 3, UNH 2
Saturday: UNH 4, Miami (OH-nevermind) 1

You aren't thinking clearly here. Miami's bigger, stronger, faster, has one of the best defenses in the nation, and can score with anyone. And I forgot to mention that we tend to travel pretty well.

Friday: Miami 4-2
Saturday: Miami 3-1

 

[mcfarljd]

Re: 10/15-10/16 UNH vs. Miami (OH-No!): Reborn from the ashes

Last year we did pretty well on the big sheet too. We'll find out soon enough, but you forgot to add that Miami is the younger team too in that list 2008 .

 

[gounhwildcats]

Re: 10/15-10/16 UNH vs. Miami (OH-No!): Reborn from the ashes

You never want to lose a game, but I thought there were lots of positives from the RPI game. We really carried the the game to RPI, at least from what I could tell listening to it on the radio. We just ran into a really hot goaltender, otherwise UNH probably wins that game. The PP continues to be an issue for the team, as they went I believe 1 for 7. If they can improve that, and Kessel returning, certainly would then things should start looking rosier in Durham. I actually really like this team. Lot's of hustle and they skate really well. They are really young, but if they can gel things should really improve post Christmas. I'm really looking forward to seeing how they stack up against an excellent team like Miami.

 

[mcfarljd]

Re: 10/15-10/16 UNH vs. Miami (OH-No!): Reborn from the ashes

You never want to lose a game, but I thought there were lots of positives from the RPI game. We really carried the the game to RPI, at least from what I could tell listening to it on the radio. We just ran into a really hot goaltender, otherwise UNH probably wins that game. The PP continues to be an issue for the team, as they went I believe 1 for 7. If they can improve that, and Kessel returning, certainly would then things should start looking rosier in Durham. I actually really like this team. Lot's of hustle and they skate really well. They are really young, but if they can gel things should really improve post Christmas. I'm really looking forward to seeing how they stack up against an excellent team like Miami.

I wouldn't expect much better numbers than 1 of 7 on the PP this weekend. SCSU has some good playmakers on their PP and they went 0 for 10. Miami had the best PK in the country the past 2 seasons, and the 4th best a year before that. The PK has been a staple of this team for awhile, sadly our Powerplay sometimes we try to do too much with it and make an extra cute pass instead of shooting and going for a rebound. Had a couple pretty man advantage goals last weekend though.

 

[DaveDan]

Re: 10/15-10/16 UNH vs. Miami (OH-No!): Reborn from the ashes

You aren't thinking clearly here. Miami's bigger, stronger, faster, has one of the best defenses in the nation, and can score with anyone. And I forgot to mention that we tend to travel pretty well.

Friday: Miami 4-2
Saturday: Miami 3-1

Sounds like the description of UNH before the UNH - Miami NCAA Regional Semi back in 2007. That game played like a tilted ice sheet, but score defied the play, which showed on the scorecard:
Score Shots PP
Miami 2 25 7-14
New Hampshire 1 44 6-12

So the 'on-paper' is not much to go by, certainly at this early juncture in season.
UNH has the youngest team I have seen in many years, so that, IMO, is the differentiator.

BTW: Not much difference in the size the these two teams in 09-10. Miami has a couple guys in 6-5 range, but they are not the impact players
Much of Miami's punch comes from the little guys, Camper, Miele, Cannone.
We all know what Gerbe did for BC - 5-9 in skates.

For what it matters: Miami takes game 1 - lopsided. Game 2 a tie.
UNH is too good to sweep back to back at home.

 

[JHG722]

Re: 10/15-10/16 UNH vs. Miami (OH-No!): Reborn from the ashes

UNH has this, unless Zac Dysert throws for like 6 touchdowns, but even so, I think UNH's defense is far too strong.

 

[Aerman]

Re: 10/15-10/16 UNH vs. Miami (OH-No!): Reborn from the ashes

You aren't thinking clearly here. Miami's bigger, stronger, faster, has one of the best defenses in the nation, and can score with anyone. And I forgot to mention that we tend to travel pretty well.

Not so sure about faster, can't be bothered to check on bigger, but odds are rather high Miami will be more physical.

We really carried the the game to RPI, at least from what I could tell listening to it on the radio. We just ran into a really hot goaltender, otherwise UNH probably wins that game.

Wasn't there either, but this analysis sounds eerily like a lot of last year's games. With very few finishers on the squad, UNH can make a lot of goalies look good for a night. Not trying to rain on our parade, but it has been well-documented how few goals we scored last year and how much of THAT offense is gone. This team may have a lot of upside, but I think it is too early to see it - Miami sweeps

Anybody else expect to see the tinmen take the ice one of these two evenings, more likely tomorrow?

 

[unh_hockey]

Re: 10/15-10/16 UNH vs. Miami (OH-No!): Reborn from the ashes

For what it matters: Miami takes game 1 - lopsided. Game 2 a tie.
UNH is too good to sweep back to back at home.

tell that to BC, a team that didn't even make the NCAAs last year...

 

[muredhawks2008]

Re: 10/15-10/16 UNH vs. Miami (OH-No!): Reborn from the ashes

Unfortunately, I watched the first and third periods, but missed the second. Aargh! That being said, I saw a mixed bag for Miami. Definitely showed spurts of pretty good hockey. 3rd period they showed great vision and anticipation to close out a game. I am most disappointed in their passing on the PP. See...passing only works when you move to an open lane. Otherwise the D can simply redirect the pass down ice (as UNH was able to do in the 3rd) and youre forced to reset constantly. That may be nit-picking, but I would like to see them clean that up. I was most pleased to see them be aggressive and respond rather quickly after being down early on the road. That is great to see.

 

[muredhawks2008]

Re: 10/15-10/16 UNH vs. Miami (OH-No!): Reborn from the ashes

just finished watching one of the more high-octane periods that i can recall. 9 goals! i mean really!!!!

a few observations before we head into the deciding frame:

UNH has a serious bounce right now. they are skating with a lot of confidence. They are playing very aggressively on the PK. They were helped a great deal by what seemed like 5 straight minutes of 5-on-3. Miami is playing in spurts - and that is frustrating. (I know! I'm Captain Obvious).

I can't really comment on the legitimacy of the penalties since the UNH feed keeps cutting out. Plus....what's with the fish on the ice?!

 

[Mosrite]

Re: 10/15-10/16 UNH vs. Miami (OH-No!): Reborn from the ashes

I can't really comment on the legitimacy of the penalties since the UNH feed keeps cutting out. Plus....what's with the fish on the ice?!

It's a long time tradition whenever UNH scores their first goal...don't know where it started, but I'm pretty sure it's been done at other schools too.

Penalties called on both sides were legit...the refs put their whistles away during the OT period, no surprise there.

Good comeback for UNH tonight to a very talented Redhawk team. I expected Miami to be in a somewhat "letdown" mood tonight after last night's win, but they composed themselves and came back after being down 5-3. Your team's definitely going to go far this year....kudos!

 

[JB]

Re: 10/15-10/16 UNH vs. Miami (OH-No!): Reborn from the ashes

I didn't expect UNH to win either game and would have been pleasantly surprised if they kept the games close. For that view coming into the weekend the tie tonight is a good thing.

I do like this UNH team. It is young will need to work hard and grow. I saw some nice things tonight. I saw player growth from last night. Starting in the second period UNH loosed up and started to just play. There were surprises and good signs all around.

They need to figure out how the center keeps loosing the guy in the slot and if a winger should be rotating. All weekend Miami was getting guys free coming down the slot and buried many of those chances. This should be correctable.

 

[muredhawks2008]

Re: 10/15-10/16 UNH vs. Miami (OH-No!): Reborn from the ashes

I was really impressed with UNH. They were inconcistent, mind you. But they showed a great deal of heart on saturday. They came out on a mission in that second period and executed it perfectly. They really imposed their will in that 20 min. If they can clean up those defensive miscues in front of the goalie (he was hung out to dry more than once) they'll win a good number of games this year. Good luck the rest of the year, guys!

 

[C-H-C]

Re: 10/15-10/16 UNH vs. Miami (OH-No!): Reborn from the ashes

Just got home from the game - the ride home doesn't get any shorter.

A couple of quick observations from my first look at the 09-10 Wildcats:

(1) Looks to be a breakout season for Steve Moses. He's getting a ton of icetime - much deserved and much as many of us had hoped.

(2) Mighty mite Borisenok was a blast to watch.

(3) Campanale looked good - he carried the puck out of the zone pretty effectively (I sure miss Kevin Kapstad).

(4) I think Connor Hardowa may be a pleasant surprise. He played his man effectively all night and was effective at taking the body and controlling the puck.

(5) Desimone is still an enigma. He's amazing at controlling the puck and keeping it away from the opposition - he just doesn't make many effective plays. His linemates seem to watch him and can't figure out what kind of play he is trying to make.

(6) Kessel is showing amazing poise for a young sophomore.

(7) Anyone know the story on Peter Leblanc's injury? When he was assisted/carried off the ice, his left leg was just dangling - didn't look good.

(8) As JB noted, the team seemed to loosen up in the second period and I say they played the #1 team in the nation pretty even.

(9) I never noticed it before tonight but when Coach Umile whistles for a line change, the Miami team occasionally tried to take advantage by skating behind the UNH players as they were leaving the ice. It's like Coach is telegraphing his next move.

The tie should boost the confidence of this young team.
Another exciting season seems to be in the cards.

 

[JB]

Re: 10/15-10/16 UNH vs. Miami (OH-No!): Reborn from the ashes

(9) I never noticed it before tonight but when Coach Umile whistles for a line change, the Miami team occasionally tried to take advantage by skating behind the UNH players as they were leaving the ice. It's like Coach is telegraphing his next move.

I have been to a talk where Umile said the whistle is not intended to be line change now. It is line change next time it makes sense. Tonight I did notice there were time where it was translated as line change right now with at least three guys turning hard to head to the bench. Other times 2 forwards would stay out with the line change behind and then hit the bench shortly after.

 

[Snively65]

Re: 10/15-10/16 UNH vs. Miami (OH-No!): Reborn from the ashes

For what it matters: Miami takes game 1 - lopsided. Game 2 a tie.
UNH is too good to sweep back to back at home.

Wow, good call.

From afar, sounds like UNH played with some heart this weekend, and that is all that I ask at this point in the season. Good to have Kessel back, but hope that LeBlanc is ok.

 

[Greg Ambrose]

Re: 10/15-10/16 UNH vs. Miami (OH-No!): Reborn from the ashes

I have to be honest and say that, after the first period last night, I was trying to figure which teams in HE UNH could be better than - Providence (beat Notre Dame), Merrimack (lost narrowly to UND). I was straining for some positives. Up to that point, all I had seen was shoddy defensive play, a PP that can't even get set up in the zone, and too much individualism by the forwards. But then came the second period when the goals came fast and furious, almost like the old ECAC days. The defense worked hard, the PP was clicking and crowd was electric. That gave me some hope that there is something to build on, but we do have to be realistic.
On defense, Kessel is outstanding and I saw some glimmers that Campanale might be okay, but beyond that? I'd like to know if Kostolansky is better than Beck at this point. At least try and see what he can do. Up front, I'm still not sold that we are going to get much out of our senior forwards. Butler has a goal in every game so far, but can he quit with the fist pumps every time he scores, please? That's like some ball player standing at home plate watching his homer go over the fence when his team is down by five runs. LeBlanc (I think he just had huge cramp) was way too individual in his play, at least on Friday night. One of my great fears this year is that, when the team gets down, too many of the guys who have some skills (LeBlanc, Butler, Moses, Sislo), will try to do too much themselves rather than sticking with the team concept. I hope they realize that no one on the team is good enough to take the game over by themselves. In goal, Umile told me last week that Foster would have to play "above average" in the early part of the year to bail out some of the mistakes an inexperienced defense is going to make. Can't say Foster lived up to expectations this weekend (5.50 gaa). He is going to have to play better, no question.
There were some positives last night (none on Friday), that they can take away and build on this coming week. Neither NU or Maine is part of the iron in the league, they are playing both at home, so I'd like to think they can win both. The message should be - play smart, stick with the program, take advantage of your opportunities and don't give your opponent any. Two wins in league play should result, at least let's hope so.

 

[DaveDan]

Re: 10/15-10/16 UNH vs. Miami (OH-No!): Reborn from the ashes

Just got home from the game - the ride home doesn't get any shorter.

A couple of quick observations from my first look at the 09-10 Wildcats:

(1) Looks to be a breakout season for Steve Moses. He's getting a ton of icetime - much deserved and much as many of us had hoped.

(2) Mighty mite Borisenok was a blast to watch.

(3) Campanale looked good - he carried the puck out of the zone pretty effectively (I sure miss Kevin Kapstad).

(4) I think Connor Hardowa may be a pleasant surprise. He played his man effectively all night and was effective at taking the body and controlling the puck.

(5) Desimone is still an enigma. He's amazing at controlling the puck and keeping it away from the opposition - he just doesn't make many effective plays. His linemates seem to watch him and can't figure out what kind of play he is trying to make.

(6) Kessel is showing amazing poise for a young sophomore.

(7) Anyone know the story on Peter Leblanc's injury? When he was assisted/carried off the ice, his left leg was just dangling - didn't look good.

(8) As JB noted, the team seemed to loosen up in the second period and I say they played the #1 team in the nation pretty even.

(9) I never noticed it before tonight but when Coach Umile whistles for a line change, the Miami team occasionally tried to take advantage by skating behind the UNH players as they were leaving the ice. It's like Coach is telegraphing his next move.

Of course I can't speak for you, but since you listed 9 observations I will chime in and round it to 10.

(10) Austin Block exhibited a tireless motor. Seems to have coaches confidence noted by one PP Friday night where he manned the point in a 4F, 1D PP unit. Reminded me of BU's use of Chris Bourque on PP.

 

[C-H-C]

Re: 10/15-10/16 UNH vs. Miami (OH-No!): Reborn from the ashes

(10) Austin Block exhibited a tireless motor. Seems to have coaches confidence noted by one PP Friday night where he manned the point in a 4F, 1D PP unit. Reminded me of BU's use of Chris Bourque on PP.

Now that you mention it, I remember seeing a lot of the #3 jersey tenaciously forechecking and banging opposing defensemen into the endboards. Next weekend, I'll pay more attention to this Block youngster.