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UNH 2026-27 Season Let's Go 'Cats!
- Thread starter HockeyRef
- Start date
jeteye1717
Member
Good morning all,
So, eight years ago this month I spent a weekend in Hamilton, NY watching the first two games of Mike Souza's tenure as Head Coach of the Wildcats, an exercise in frustration that did not end well for UNH. That pair of 1-2 defeats to Colgate (ably summarized by Chuck earlier in this thread) was just the beginning of a miserable 2018-19 campaign for the 'Cats, an early harbinger of things to come that kicked off a 1-6-4 run to open the season that they never really recovered from. Flash forward now to this past weekend, when the 'Cats were back at it again at The Class of '65 Arena, hoping (as was I from my seat in Section 8) that things would turn out differently this time around. Boy, if only all my hopes and wishes turned out this well ... A few thoughts & commentary from 2 nights spent amongst the not late-arriving, but never-arriving "crowd" at Colgate:
* First up, a collective shout-out and big WooHoo! to all the 'Cat freshmen who played - and played WELL - over both games this weekend. Guite's 2-goal effort on Friday night has already been mentioned, but the newcomer whose unrelenting effort caught my eye was Mason Zebeski. He was seemingly all over the ice, never shied away from contact, and even scored 2 goals himself, the last an EN insurance goal from deep in his own end Saturday night, and he even logged some minutes on the PK. He dressed as the spare forward on Friday, but was bumped up to the 3rd line on Saturday (subbing out Jason Siedem) and seemingly never missed a beat. That a #17 could play this well in UNH's first games after the passing of Bobby Gould warmed my heart; from somewhere on high I hope Bobby was watching too, and now knows his sweater is in good hands. He's gonna be a fan favorite, and definitely a talent to watch ... The 4th line was shuffled a bit Saturday night too, frosh Nick Romeo subbing in for Sam Oliver (more on him in a bit) at LW beside MacDonald. The players that earn high marks from me are those who don't neglect their defensive responsibilities, and based off just this one game Romeo has that in spades. I counted at least 3 times when he immediately jumped out from the top of the circle to cover his deep-pinching defenseman, ably manning the point to disrupt Colgate break-out attempts. Some of that is coaching, sure, but a lot is hockey instinct too; good on him for A+ situational awareness ... Local kid Kole Hyles (Newfields, NH) played a steady game opposite Romeo on the 4th line, and even spare D-man Wyatt Kennedy, all 6'5" of him, looked/played the part of designated rub-out man in his limited playing time. So very impressed from this whole bunch - well done lads!
* The paniced icings went way down on Saturday night, and while it's true that the "chase" part of dump/chase was very much in evidence on Friday, on Saturday ... not so much. I attribute that more to a change in tactics on Colgate's part than a conscious effort by UNH to abandon what had worked so well for them en route to a 3-0 lead the night before. I think the 'Cats hyper-aggressive forecheck Friday night caught Colgate by surprise; all 5 Raiders packed in deep below the circles to engage UNH's onrushing fowards leaving both points wide open for passes from the corners. From there it was bombs away; the Colgate keeper was under siege for much of the 1st. But Colgate made the necessary adjustments at the break and took away UNH's forchecking advantage, so well in fact that they clawed back into the game at 3-2 and had me squirming in my seat. But UNH to their credit persevered and eventually widened their lead, winning confortably 5-2 ...
* Of all the UNH upperclassman, I agree with bakchk20 that Ryan Johnson was a beast this entire weekend. Relentless on the puck, not afraid to throw his weight around, and possessed of a wicked slapper; he, Ring and Guite have the makings of a lethal 1st line once they get to know each other's strengths a bit more. Marty played what for him was a quiet weekend, not really standing out in his usual way but for a tremendous late-game shot block on Saturday night (with the score still 1-0) that had the whole UNH bench up hootin' and hollerin' ... Dan mentioned his hope that Svartstrom eventually gets paired with better play-makers; I thought his line with Gagnon and Zebeski actually played quite well together, and unless Souza swaps centers on the 2nd/3rd lines (Lavins and Gagnon) I can't really see who you'd pair him with? Swap him with Newcombe? Time will tell what line combos we see vs. MSU coming up ...
* Still not sold on Simpson getting all of the keeper minutes thus far. Was hoping to see Kendrick on Saturday night, but Simpson pitched a shut-out to back up Souza's faith in him so what do I know ...
* And finally, the enigma that is Sam Oliver continutes unabated ... A 50+ goal scorer in his last season in the "Q," he scored but 2 goals in his frosh season in Durham (ironically, I saw them both in person at RPI) and over the course of the season saw his on-ice minutes decline. He suited up as 4th line LW Friday night, but looked at times overmatched; Colgate players time and again bodied him hard and skated away with the puck. Is it simply a lack of confidence? Does he need to get stronger, pack more muscle on that 5' 11" frame (the new Whitt weight room should have a spot reserved just for him
I'm rooting for him, as I do all my beloved 'Cats, but at this point I'm not sure how he gets out of this unrelenting funk he finds himself in ...
Lots of positive takeaways from a very successful weekend in upstate NY; now MSU awaits in Durham ... Go 'Cats!
So, eight years ago this month I spent a weekend in Hamilton, NY watching the first two games of Mike Souza's tenure as Head Coach of the Wildcats, an exercise in frustration that did not end well for UNH. That pair of 1-2 defeats to Colgate (ably summarized by Chuck earlier in this thread) was just the beginning of a miserable 2018-19 campaign for the 'Cats, an early harbinger of things to come that kicked off a 1-6-4 run to open the season that they never really recovered from. Flash forward now to this past weekend, when the 'Cats were back at it again at The Class of '65 Arena, hoping (as was I from my seat in Section 8) that things would turn out differently this time around. Boy, if only all my hopes and wishes turned out this well ... A few thoughts & commentary from 2 nights spent amongst the not late-arriving, but never-arriving "crowd" at Colgate:
* First up, a collective shout-out and big WooHoo! to all the 'Cat freshmen who played - and played WELL - over both games this weekend. Guite's 2-goal effort on Friday night has already been mentioned, but the newcomer whose unrelenting effort caught my eye was Mason Zebeski. He was seemingly all over the ice, never shied away from contact, and even scored 2 goals himself, the last an EN insurance goal from deep in his own end Saturday night, and he even logged some minutes on the PK. He dressed as the spare forward on Friday, but was bumped up to the 3rd line on Saturday (subbing out Jason Siedem) and seemingly never missed a beat. That a #17 could play this well in UNH's first games after the passing of Bobby Gould warmed my heart; from somewhere on high I hope Bobby was watching too, and now knows his sweater is in good hands. He's gonna be a fan favorite, and definitely a talent to watch ... The 4th line was shuffled a bit Saturday night too, frosh Nick Romeo subbing in for Sam Oliver (more on him in a bit) at LW beside MacDonald. The players that earn high marks from me are those who don't neglect their defensive responsibilities, and based off just this one game Romeo has that in spades. I counted at least 3 times when he immediately jumped out from the top of the circle to cover his deep-pinching defenseman, ably manning the point to disrupt Colgate break-out attempts. Some of that is coaching, sure, but a lot is hockey instinct too; good on him for A+ situational awareness ... Local kid Kole Hyles (Newfields, NH) played a steady game opposite Romeo on the 4th line, and even spare D-man Wyatt Kennedy, all 6'5" of him, looked/played the part of designated rub-out man in his limited playing time. So very impressed from this whole bunch - well done lads!
* The paniced icings went way down on Saturday night, and while it's true that the "chase" part of dump/chase was very much in evidence on Friday, on Saturday ... not so much. I attribute that more to a change in tactics on Colgate's part than a conscious effort by UNH to abandon what had worked so well for them en route to a 3-0 lead the night before. I think the 'Cats hyper-aggressive forecheck Friday night caught Colgate by surprise; all 5 Raiders packed in deep below the circles to engage UNH's onrushing fowards leaving both points wide open for passes from the corners. From there it was bombs away; the Colgate keeper was under siege for much of the 1st. But Colgate made the necessary adjustments at the break and took away UNH's forchecking advantage, so well in fact that they clawed back into the game at 3-2 and had me squirming in my seat. But UNH to their credit persevered and eventually widened their lead, winning confortably 5-2 ...
* Of all the UNH upperclassman, I agree with bakchk20 that Ryan Johnson was a beast this entire weekend. Relentless on the puck, not afraid to throw his weight around, and possessed of a wicked slapper; he, Ring and Guite have the makings of a lethal 1st line once they get to know each other's strengths a bit more. Marty played what for him was a quiet weekend, not really standing out in his usual way but for a tremendous late-game shot block on Saturday night (with the score still 1-0) that had the whole UNH bench up hootin' and hollerin' ... Dan mentioned his hope that Svartstrom eventually gets paired with better play-makers; I thought his line with Gagnon and Zebeski actually played quite well together, and unless Souza swaps centers on the 2nd/3rd lines (Lavins and Gagnon) I can't really see who you'd pair him with? Swap him with Newcombe? Time will tell what line combos we see vs. MSU coming up ...
* Still not sold on Simpson getting all of the keeper minutes thus far. Was hoping to see Kendrick on Saturday night, but Simpson pitched a shut-out to back up Souza's faith in him so what do I know ...
* And finally, the enigma that is Sam Oliver continutes unabated ... A 50+ goal scorer in his last season in the "Q," he scored but 2 goals in his frosh season in Durham (ironically, I saw them both in person at RPI) and over the course of the season saw his on-ice minutes decline. He suited up as 4th line LW Friday night, but looked at times overmatched; Colgate players time and again bodied him hard and skated away with the puck. Is it simply a lack of confidence? Does he need to get stronger, pack more muscle on that 5' 11" frame (the new Whitt weight room should have a spot reserved just for him
I'm rooting for him, as I do all my beloved 'Cats, but at this point I'm not sure how he gets out of this unrelenting funk he finds himself in ...Lots of positive takeaways from a very successful weekend in upstate NY; now MSU awaits in Durham ... Go 'Cats!
HockeyRef
Well-known member
Awesome post Sir! I guess I was being too critical? as new players you mentioned were in and doing a decent job. I enjoyed the Colgate announcers...they were very objective and had a few rhings to say about UNH's 4th line. Appreciate posts like yours that break down the game. I get too caught up in the emotion of it all hahaGood morning all,
So, eight years ago this month I spent a weekend in Hamilton, NY watching the first two games of Mike Souza's tenure as Head Coach of the Wildcats, an exercise in frustration that did not end well for UNH. That pair of 1-2 defeats to Colgate (ably summarized by Chuck earlier in this thread) was just the beginning of a miserable 2018-19 campaign for the 'Cats, an early harbinger of things to come that kicked off a 1-6-4 run to open the season that they never really recovered from. Flash forward now to this past weekend, when the 'Cats were back at it again at The Class of '65 Arena, hoping (as was I from my seat in Section 8) that things would turn out differently this time around. Boy, if only all my hopes and wishes turned out this well ... A few thoughts & commentary from 2 nights spent amongst the not late-arriving, but never-arriving "crowd" at Colgate:
* First up, a collective shout-out and big WooHoo! to all the 'Cat freshmen who played - and played WELL - over both games this weekend. Guite's 2-goal effort on Friday night has already been mentioned, but the newcomer whose unrelenting effort caught my eye was Mason Zebeski. He was seemingly all over the ice, never shied away from contact, and even scored 2 goals himself, the last an EN insurance goal from deep in his own end Saturday night, and he even logged some minutes on the PK. He dressed as the spare forward on Friday, but was bumped up to the 3rd line on Saturday (subbing out Jason Siedem) and seemingly never missed a beat. That a #17 could play this well in UNH's first games after the passing of Bobby Gould warmed my heart; from somewhere on high I hope Bobby was watching too, and now knows his sweater is in good hands. He's gonna be a fan favorite, and definitely a talent to watch ... The 4th line was shuffled a bit Saturday night too, frosh Nick Romeo subbing in for Sam Oliver (more on him in a bit) at LW beside MacDonald. The players that earn high marks from me are those who don't neglect their defensive responsibilities, and based off just this one game Romeo has that in spades. I counted at least 3 times when he immediately jumped out from the top of the circle to cover his deep-pinching defenseman, ably manning the point to disrupt Colgate break-out attempts. Some of that is coaching, sure, but a lot is hockey instinct too; good on him for A+ situational awareness ... Local kid Kole Hyles (Newfields, NH) played a steady game opposite Romeo on the 4th line, and even spare D-man Wyatt Kennedy, all 6'5" of him, looked/played the part of designated rub-out man in his limited playing time. So very impressed from this whole bunch - well done lads!
* The paniced icings went way down on Saturday night, and while it's true that the "chase" part of dump/chase was very much in evidence on Friday, on Saturday ... not so much. I attribute that more to a change in tactics on Colgate's part than a conscious effort by UNH to abandon what had worked so well for them en route to a 3-0 lead the night before. I think the 'Cats hyper-aggressive forecheck Friday night caught Colgate by surprise; all 5 Raiders packed in deep below the circles to engage UNH's onrushing fowards leaving both points wide open for passes from the corners. From there it was bombs away; the Colgate keeper was under siege for much of the 1st. But Colgate made the necessary adjustments at the break and took away UNH's forchecking advantage, so well in fact that they clawed back into the game at 3-2 and had me squirming in my seat. But UNH to their credit persevered and eventually widened their lead, winning confortably 5-2 ...
* Of all the UNH upperclassman, I agree with bakchk20 that Ryan Johnson was a beast this entire weekend. Relentless on the puck, not afraid to throw his weight around, and possessed of a wicked slapper; he, Ring and Guite have the makings of a lethal 1st line once they get to know each other's strengths a bit more. Marty played what for him was a quiet weekend, not really standing out in his usual way but for a tremendous late-game shot block on Saturday night (with the score still 1-0) that had the whole UNH bench up hootin' and hollerin' ... Dan mentioned his hope that Svartstrom eventually gets paired with better play-makers; I thought his line with Gagnon and Zebeski actually played quite well together, and unless Souza swaps centers on the 2nd/3rd lines (Lavins and Gagnon) I can't really see who you'd pair him with? Swap him with Newcombe? Time will tell what line combos we see vs. MSU coming up ...
* Still not sold on Simpson getting all of the keeper minutes thus far. Was hoping to see Kendrick on Saturday night, but Simpson pitched a shut-out to back up Souza's faith in him so what do I know ...
* And finally, the enigma that is Sam Oliver continutes unabated ... A 50+ goal scorer in his last season in the "Q," he scored but 2 goals in his frosh season in Durham (ironically, I saw them both in person at RPI) and over the course of the season saw his on-ice minutes decline. He suited up as 4th line LW Friday night, but looked at times overmatched; Colgate players time and again bodied him hard and skated away with the puck. Is it simply a lack of confidence? Does he need to get stronger, pack more muscle on that 5' 11" frame (the new Whitt weight room should have a spot reserved just for him
Lots of positive takeaways from a very successful weekend in upstate NY; now MSU awaits in Durham ... Go 'Cats!
Yeah Sam...came in with so much promise...here's hoping he can find his stride.
Agree
about Ryan Johnson. We need all of them to play their best next weekend. Really looking forward to seeing how we match up.We split with Colgate last season..and our efforts put us 20th in the NPI fwiw dept and at this time in the season doesnt account for much?
HockeyRef
Well-known member
See you up there! We got tix in section 16. I'm glad we are playing this game now as opposed to late winter. UVM up there is always a challenge for our 'Cats, at least,
since I've been following. I wonder what our won/loss with them in the past few years....guess I'll have to find out for myself as our resident statistician isn't posting these
days!
Last edited:
Chuck Murray
WIS & Effingwoods Hockey Almanac
Probably coming at this one too late, but it was 17:17 of the 3rd period in the 1979 ECAC Finals win over Dartmouth. My first UNH game in person, at the old Boston Garden, and UNH's first ever piece of notable championship hardware. Read about Gould's passing while away on business in Chicago last week. RIP
