UNH Hockey 2023-2024 Season Thread - End Of The Cellar-Dweller Era??

[Felger]

Solid weekend. ’cats are pretty well positioned going into conference play after winning three straight by a combined 14-5. Pity there wasn’t one more win (RIT, UMO, Army) in there, but hard to complain given recent history.

The second half looks pretty challenging to me.

Seven of the final seventeen games are against teams currently in the top four of the PWR.

More than half of their games are on the road, including four of the next five.

If this predominantly young team can hold its own over the next couple of months it will be a good sign moving forward.

 

[Chuck Murray]

What's up with this?!? Princeton Hockey jerseys on display last night, setting back D-1 hockey unis by 100 years??

... so imagine my amusement when it finally dawned on me why the Princeton unis struck me so oddly upon viewing them earlier this weekend. "Setting uniforms back by 100 years" to the days of good ol' Hobey B himself ... or rather, a "back to the future" look as originally displayed by Houston Energy Corporation and its superstar Jonathan E. from the 1975 sci-fi sports classic, Rollerball? I'll let you folks come to your own conclusions ...

 

[Darius]

The second half looks pretty challenging to me.

Seven of the final seventeen games are against teams currently in the top four of the PWR.

More than half of their games are on the road, including four of the next five.

If this predominantly young team can hold its own over the next couple of months it will be a good sign moving forward.

Agreed. Three with BC, two each with BU, UMO. 'cats need to win some (at least two?) of these, even if winning all the other games which isn't happening, to NCAA at large bid qualify. This even being a topic at this point in the season is refreshing. Saturday at Agganis is big. Terriers have a Tuesday home tilt with NU first.

 

[Snively65]

Ah my inaugural season as a Wildcat fan (albeit, late in that season). I (cue the nostalgia music) think of that time quite a bit actually. Still wonder...could we have
defeated UML if Goumas and Downing were in the lineup? Or was Connor Hellebuyck just too hard to solve? Looking back UNH had their handsful with UML that
season.

As was pointed out to me today there are 51 HE points to be had..how many will we get and how far with they take us? Yeah...why not us?

Would have been a most interesting game in Manchvegas had Goumas and Downing played, for sure. CdS only gave up one goal before UML’s ENG. UNH blew a full two-minute 5 on 3 early in the third, before the days of MS7 stationing two forwards behind the opposing net. UML then lost in OT to eventual NC Yale 3-2 in FF semifinal game.

During the 2012-2013 regular season, UNH beat UML in all three meetings, with two at Tsongas. Goumas, Downing, and Block scored in the 3-0 win at Tsongas 16 November; Goumas, Henrion, Block, and Downing (2, incl ENG) scored in the 5-2 win at the Whitt on 30 November; Knodel, Agosta, Pesce, and Speelman (2, incl ENG) scored in the 5-2 win at Tsongas on 1 December. So, UNH was responsible for three of UML’s 11 losses that season. All three of those UNH wins were with Doug Carr (8-8-1) in net, except for one period of Connor Hellebuyck (20-3-0) in the Whitt game. What is the lesson here for MS7?

 

[HockeyRef]

Would have been a most interesting game in Manchvegas had Goumas and Downing played, for sure. CdS only gave up one goal before UML’s ENG. UNH blew a full two-minute 5 on 3 early in the third, before the days of MS7 stationing two forwards behind the opposing net. UML then lost in OT to eventual NC Yale 3-2 in FF semifinal game.

During the 2012-2013 regular season, UNH beat UML in all three meetings, with two at Tsongas. Goumas, Downing, and Block scored in the 3-0 win at Tsongas 16 November; Goumas, Henrion, Block, and Downing (2, incl ENG) scored in the 5-2 win at the Whitt on 30 November; Knodel, Agosta, Pesce, and Speelman (2, incl ENG) scored in the 5-2 win at Tsongas on 1 December. So, UNH was responsible for three of UML’s 11 losses that season. All three of those UNH wins were with Doug Carr (8-8-1) in net, except for one period of Connor Hellebuyck (20-3-0) in the Whitt game. What is the lesson here for MS7?

Oh thanks for this update of how things went that season...for some reason I thought UNH had not done well with them but maybe I was looking at another year. Did not
remember the outcome as far as the ENG went; too much of a newbie I guess! I do recall Kevin Goumas getting decked by DU's Nick Shore (if I have that right) and can still see him on the ice.

But I even know the lesson for MS7 and that is to start your best goal tender...which is Jakob Hellsten.

 

[d.gerry]

Agreed. Three with BC, two each with BU, UMO. 'cats need to win some (at least two?) of these, even if winning all the other games which isn't happening, to NCAA at large bid qualify. This even being a topic at this point in the season is refreshing. Saturday at Agganis is big. Terriers have a Tuesday home tilt with NU first.

Agree, totally unexpected. I should be optimistic given the results so far, unfortunately I still have this nagging feeling the wheels are going to fall off.

Edit: UNH ticks up to 16th in today's poll.

 

[Darius]

Agree, totally unexpected. I should be optimistic given the results so far, unfortunately I still have this nagging feeling the wheels are going to fall off.

Edit: UNH ticks up to 16th in today's poll.

I share your anxiety. The wheels may stay on, aligned and balanced, but that may not be enough against top tier competition. I'm okay with that as long as we compete (wheels stay on).

 

[Chuck Murray]

That nagging feeling some of us are experiencing is really just "muscle memory" from the Umile Era UNH teams. Turn the calendar, watch the promising "Champions of November" circling the drain in January/February. The West Point loss could have been a foreshadowing of that, but UNH has taken care of business in three straight since then, and arguably should have four in a row, had Mucinex not spit the bit versus Army.

Recall that we're now approaching that point of the season last year where UNH started to emerge as a decent team, after their early season dumpster fire. That's now a full calendar year (plus) of winning hockey, so the chances of this being "just another mirage" continue to fade with every result they post. But until he proves he can win really meaningful games over the next 60-90 days, the jury (and its foreperson, the AD) will likely withhold judgment. I'm thrilled MS7 is taking this as seriously as he needs to, and keeps playing Hellsten.

I'm still "all in" ... not without reservations, mind you, but not gonna jump off the bandwagon if next weekend fails ...

 

[HockeyRef]

That nagging feeling some of us are experiencing is really just "muscle memory" from the Umile Era UNH teams. Turn the calendar, watch the promising "Champions of November" circling the drain in January/February. The West Point loss could have been a foreshadowing of that, but UNH has taken care of business in three straight since then, and arguably should have four in a row, had Mucinex not spit the bit versus Army.

Recall that we're now approaching that point of the season last year where UNH started to emerge as a decent team, after their early season dumpster fire. That's now a full calendar year (plus) of winning hockey, so the chances of this being "just another mirage" continue to fade with every result they post. But until he proves he can win really meaningful games over the next 60-90 days, the jury (and its foreperson, the AD) will likely withhold judgment. I'm thrilled MS7 is taking this as seriously as he needs to, and keeps playing Hellsten.

I'm still "all in" ... not without reservations, mind you, but not gonna jump off the bandwagon if next weekend fails ...

I see it as a yearning to participate in something that has been missing for 10 seasons, and of course that is to play in the post season NCAA tournament.
UNH is sitting at 11th right now (pairwise), with their biggest push of the season starting Saturday v BU. Big game. Since it seems that UNH tends to play to the level of its
competition, this should be a strong indicator of just how this team is doing, IMHO.

Not a great track record at the Agganis (HR's fav 'away rink') and I do not think we've won a game there since the 2013-14 season. Think we've tied there once
since then (Snively you are the stats guy so correct if wrong). And from what I have heard we really don't have a great track record there period. Welp,
let's see what happens.

Anyone who thinks this is the BU team we faced in the opener I have a bridge in Brooklyn I'd like to sell ya! Go 'Cats!

 

[d.gerry]

Two good points. I agree Darius, "the wheels may stay on" but likely isn't enough to overcome the top talent in Hockey East right now. This is probably a more likely outcome (we can hope) than a complete meltdown. Hey, they've surprised us so far, let's hope they continue the trend.

As to Chuck's point, a full calendar year of winning hockey IS hard to ignore. Has MS7 finally turned the corner? Let's hope. So much of recruiting is "what have you done for me lately?"... if he can now point to a year of winning hockey, legit HE and/or NCAA tourney hopes, arena upgrades and so on, maybe he can convince talent to head to UNH and become "the next big thing". The past is the past, but if he can point to the UNH's former national prominence and show these kids that's the trajectory of the program, maybe he can get a few to buy in.

For me, I'm still am not decided on what should be considered a successful season for UNH. Somewhat of a catch-22, the more they win the more my expectations increase. If you had asked me back in October if a 16-17 win season would be considered successful I would have said "sure, moving in the right direction". Now, I'm leaning more towards 19 to 20 wins. IMO anything less would be a disappointment given where they are now.

 

[d.gerry]

Anyone who thinks this is the BU team we faced in the opener I have a bridge in Brooklyn I'd like to sell ya! Go 'Cats!

The other side is UNH isn't the same team either. Anything can happen in the first couple of games, for sure. The difference, I think this team has a bit of "believability" on their side now. BUT, they can't dig an early hole, chasing the scoreboard at Agganis is not part of the recipe for success. If they can get out of the first period tied, or at worst down a goal, they'll have a shot. Hopefully they learned something about that up at Alfond.

 

[Darius]

’cats will not be sneaking up on the Terriers that’s for sure. Big test.

 

[HockeyRef]

The other side is UNH isn't the same team either[/B]. Anything can happen in the first couple of games, for sure. The difference, I think this team has a bit of "believability" on their side now. BUT, they can't dig an early hole, chasing the scoreboard at Agganis is not part of the recipe for success. If they can get out of the first period tied, or at worst down a goal, they'll have a shot. Hopefully they learned something about that up at Alfond.

Yes agree...and yup you can't chase the game against a team like this..At the 'after the game event' Saturday the guys that attended are fired up about
their season and will have to bring that into this game.

Staying out of the box will be critical as BU has some major fire power in the Hutsons, Celibrini and
a few others. Their goal tender (Caron) and ours have just about the same stats save wise- he's played more games but our guy is #2 and could
be the difference maker?

That said, looking at some stats over at CHN (and of course not counting SOS) we aren't that far off from them in some areas tho they have more players
making big contributions points wise. Ryan Conmy is keeping pace and he will obviously be their biggest concern.

Maybe it's gonna be a goal tenders battle? Maybe BU looks past UNH (I highly doubt that) and wouldn't count on that as an in game strategy!

We'll find out! I just want them to compete well and make it a game...and see what happens. I plan on catching their game v NU tonight.

Ps I don't pretend to be a stats sorter so be kind

 

[HockeyRef]

’cats will not be sneaking up on the Terriers that’s for sure. Big test.

Wanna elaborate on that?

 

[Aerman]

Not a great track record at the Agganis (HR's fav 'away rink') and I do not think we've won a game there since the 2013-14 season. Think we've tied there once
since then (Snively you are the stats guy so correct if wrong). And from what I have heard we really don't have a great track record there period. Welp,
let's see what happens.

Oddly enough, when Agganis first opened we were their kryptonite at the place. Too bad that didn’t last more than a few seasons.

 

[Chuck Murray]

Wanna elaborate on that?

Assuming Darius is referring to the earlier UNH win over BU ... will be tougher for BU to overlook as a result.

I do see that UNH plays both BU and BC in the midst of their Beanpot endeavors. That's usually a good thing, where the focus of those teams is indeed on their BP games the following Monday night.

The bellweather results for me will be next weekend against Luce and UConn. Time to bring the hammer down ...

 

[e.cat]

Oddly enough, when Agganis first opened we were their kryptonite at the place. Too bad that didn’t last more than a few seasons.

Speaking of Agganis Aerman, I’ll never forget getting several mailings to purchase season tickets there prior to it opening. Don’t know where they got my name and address but their crack marketing team were barking up the wrong tree on that one.

 

[HockeyRef]

FWIW dept BU holds on to beat NU in OT. Great game to watch looking forward to Saturday. (I think)

 

[Snively65]

I see it as a yearning to participate in something that has been missing for 10 seasons, and of course that is to play in the post season NCAA tournament.
UNH is sitting at 11th right now (pairwise), with their biggest push of the season starting Saturday v BU. Big game. Since it seems that UNH tends to play to the level of its
competition, this should be a strong indicator of just how this team is doing, IMHO.

Not a great track record at the Agganis (HR's fav 'away rink') and I do not think we've won a game there since the 2013-14 season. Think we've tied there once
since then (Snively you are the stats guy so correct if wrong). And from what I have heard we really don't have a great track record there period. Welp,
let's see what happens.

Anyone who thinks this is the BU team we faced in the opener I have a bridge in Brooklyn I'd like to sell ya! Go 'Cats!

I think that you are correct about our last win at Agganis dating to the 2012/13 season, a 3-1 victory on November 12th. The previous season we were 1-4-0 at Agganis, with a 2OT win and a 2OT loss in the HEA playoffs. I did not attend any games at Agganis that season and have never seen the Cats win at Agganis, although saw us win a couple of times at Walter Brown. I attended many games at both venues over the years with Bentley colleague who was a BU alum and STH. Last game that I saw at Agganis was with you and your Hubby’s ticket, a 6-3 loss on 13:February 2015 in which we saw first-year players Warren Foegele and Jack Eichel each get a goal.

Here is an interesting statoid: UNH was 10-22-2 hosting BU at Snively Arena between 1965 and 1995. On the rare occasion when we beat BU at Snively in the early 1970’s, the Down Under Pub was rocking until closing time. Speaking of which, Jack and Brick made reference to the Down Under during the Bruins game at the Mullett tonight in which BU alum Clayton Keller got the first Coyote goal. The Mullett has a seating capacity of only 5000, but supposedly cost ASU $140 mil to build, which seems steep to me.

Good thing that we played NU three times earlier in the season when the Huskies stunk. I predict we lose 4-2 at Agganis this weekend (BU gets an ENG) but we get even when we beat them at the Whitt in early February.

 

[Chuck Murray]

Speaking of Agganis Aerman, I'll never forget getting several mailings to purchase season tickets there prior to it opening. Don't know where they got my name and address but their crack marketing team were barking up the wrong tree on that one.

Not an unusual phenomenon as far as Hockey East programs opening new enlarged facilities are concerned ... recall that when The Whitt was in its final stages of construction, the UNH ticket office - and remember, this was still mostly pre-Internet in '94/'95 - was running regular ads in the Boston newspapers' sports pages AND were reportedly sending mailers out to the season ticket holders of the Eastern MA schools trying to sell partial season ticket packages, presumably so they could ensure that if local demand was found out not to stretch too much beyond the 3,700-ish capacity of the old barn.

I suspect UMass Lowell probably did much the same, seeing that they opened their own new arena (Tsongas) a couple of years later, closing the much smaller Tully Forum in nearby Billerica.

This throwback article touches on the first-ever "White Out The Whitt" extravaganza back in March '99, and Jason Krog's role as captain in sticking around for his senior year. Krog's frosh year was the Whitt's inaugural season, which featured the start of a string of sellout crowds that far exceeded everyone's wildest dreams. It was a rare Umile losing season back then, but as the "new car smell" wore off the new arena, the 'Cats were more than compensating with their first run-up to a spot in the Frozen Four in almost 20 years, keeping all those "extra" seats filled.

http://unhmagazine.unh.edu/sp99/krogpond.html