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UNH 2026-27 Season Let's Go 'Cats!

Jellsville USA said:

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The game was sloppy early, which seemed to make the officiating inconsistent. What stood out most was UNH's size and strength. This team is clearly bigger and more physical than recent UNH squads and should wear teams down as the season progresses.

As Adam Nightingale said, both games were "rock fights." The difference was that UNH gave up a little too much space through the middle, whether by defensive lapses or because MSU forced it. While the lack of 5-on-5 scoring is worth monitoring, I'm encouraged by the quality chances UNH generated and the effectiveness of the power play, two areas that have been lacking in recent years. That goalie we faced is dam good.

It's still early, but this group has made a strong first impression. The biggest concern is Fitzy's injury, which appeared serious and would be a significant loss if he's out for any length of time.

As for the rankings, I still think cracking the Top 20 may be a stretch this week. BC and Northeastern could slide out, but Maine and Miami will likely move up after strong weekends. That said, I'd be surprised if UNH doesn't at least triple its vote total. (Cautiously Optimistic).
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This is a good analysis. Size certainly stood out as a net positive and a fundamental shift from UNH's adherence to waterbug hockey on an Olympic sheet. I was worried that with the size increase we'd see conditioning issues but I was pleasantly surprised the normal mid 2nd period fade with minimal at best.

Also, UNH started throwing more and more pucks towards the net rather than always looking for the "perfect" shot. Manufacturing opportunity.
 
Nice to see and most importantly hear the excitement from the student section this weekend. The goaltending from Simpson, scoring and skill level of Guite, and the performance of the student section is what me and my fellow section 119 fans talked about the most. There's been a more than a few nights in recent years where the student section was a library. We also noted that Michigan State is overrated.
 
Potluck said:
Nice to see and most importantly hear the excitement from the student section this weekend. The goaltending from Simpson, scoring and skill level of Guite, and the performance of the student section is what me and my fellow section 119 fans talked about the most. There's been a more than a few nights in recent years where the student section was a library. We also noted that Michigan State is overrated.
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100% on the student section for both games. Much livelier and louder than years past. I wonder if there is more intentional marketing to the kids under Colton. If so, that would be a very smart bang for your buck in stimulating the program. The kids can often provide enough of a boost. I can remember in the early years of the Whit when the kids occupied both ends of the arena. As far as MSU being overrated. it's hard to overrate a team that has 9 first round NHL draft picks on the roster. It's more likely UNH is better than we anticipated after that first game. I wish Souza had opted for a scrimmage early with so many new guys coming in.
 
Agree on Simpson. Since that Quinnipiac game he's stopped 67 of 71 over the last four. What jumped out to me was outshooting Michigan State 73-37 on the weekend. Split that series and they're right there for votes.
 
Another weekend of 2 games is almost upon us! Six early HockeyEast points up for grabs this weekend up in Burlington.

As much as I’d love to predict a sweep, as I think on paper we are the more talented team, I’m afraid of a letdown one night this weekend. On paper MSU clearly had more talent, but hey they didn’t sweep us last weekend! I need another weekend of solid play (especially against a HockeyEast school) before I can think of a 6 point weekend on the road. The Gutt has also been tough to us the last number of years, and the lack of offense outside of the 1st line has me a bit concerned (MSU’s incredible goalie notwithstanding).

We really need at least 4+ points this weekend if we want to make noise in HockeyEast later in the year. We can’t be squandering points against the supposed weak teams in HockeyEast. Wouldn’t that make us one of the weaker teams at the end of the day?

Fri: UNH 2 UVM 1
Sat: UNH 2 UVM 3 (OT)

I hope to be wrong and we end up with 5 or 6. I think if we get that, we may squeak into the top 20 come Monday afternoon.

Looking forward to tomorrow!
 
The split feels right to me. If Simpson stays anywhere close to how he's played lately, UNH will be in both games. The secondary scoring is the real question, though. The Gutt is never an easy place to get 6 points.
 
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