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

[Snively65]

Yeah was quite a game! And glad we played them when we did. I still enjoyed that W at Matthews....regardless.

So now does that mean BU / BC won't win the NC for failing to win the Beanpot? Asking for a friend.

If either BC or BU wins the NC this year, it will be a first for either, as BC won the Bean Pot leading up to their NC’s in 2001, 2008, 2010, and 2012, and BU won the Bean Pot leading up to their NC’s in 1971, 1972, 1978, 1995, and 2009.

 

[chickod]

If either BC or BU wins the NC this year, it will be a first for either, as BC won the Bean Pot leading up to their NC’s in 2001, 2008, 2010, and 2012, and BU won the Bean Pot leading up to their NC’s in 1971, 1972, 1978, 1995, and 2009.

Now the headache I went to bed with last night is worse... (smiley emoji...I guess we can't display emotion anymore)

 

[HockeyRef]

Now the headache I went to bed with last night is worse... (smiley emoji...I guess we can't display emotion anymore)

Would love to have BU's "problems" for just ONE season! (Insert smiley face) BTW any idea where Sean (can't think of his last name but he was a wizard with stats) has been this season? He was a BU fan wasn't he?

 

[2013hockeyfan]

I do not think that a Maine sweep will put any nails in coffins, as the AD and her department must be simply delighted that fans are back in their seats paying the big bucks. I know many UNH fans who do not care whether we win or lose, rather they just enjoy watching live hockey. And, given the level of play at the top of HEA this season, along with great players who are on the fast track to the NHL, even UNH fans are getting to watch excellence on opposing teams.

I think this is true of some folks, but not enough, given the attendance levels the last few seasons when the team was very much not competitive.

The startling thing for me in watching this staff, and I don't think this is a particularly novel observation but worth mentioning, is the lack of development from obviously talented players. Cy and Huard in particular but even this season with Conmy and Hellsten. Each guy is playing worse than they started.

 

[Darius]

Well, BU won't but not for that reason. (smiley emoji that we can't do anymore) It's deflating when you completely dominate a game and let in two bad goals...

NU did score one for BU though.

 

[HockeyRef]

I think this is true of some folks, but not enough, given the attendance levels the last few seasons when the team was very much not competitive.

The startling thing for me in watching this staff, and I don't think this is a particularly novel observation but worth mentioning, is the lack of development from obviously talented players. Cy and Huard in particular but even this season with Conmy and Hellsten. Each guy is playing worse than they started.

Bravo! You've hit on my favortie topic..player development!

Lack of development has been to me at least the best way to evaluate the effectiveness of a coaching staff...or certainly right up there. The two players you mention in particular (Cy and Huard) are great examples of this.

I doubt / wonder how high on the docket player development is when deciding on future coaching contracts..but it should be.

In our case the history/ win loss/ tournament appearances beyond the first round should be enough to indicate a change should be made despite this important issue.

Sure we are filling the place for the most part when we had the early success and its a sellout this weekend for the fabled "border battle". We'll see how that pans out.

 

[deltabravo62]

I think this is true of some folks, but not enough, given the attendance levels the last few seasons when the team was very much not competitive.

The startling thing for me in watching this staff, and I don't think this is a particularly novel observation but worth mentioning, is the lack of development from obviously talented players. Cy and Huard in particular but even this season with Conmy and Hellsten. Each guy is playing worse than they started.

Bingo! Get that fan a cigar... other cliches... Look over his entire tenure at how many talented players have their best seasons as freshmen and never exceed those first year numbers. This is the drum that needs to be beating loudly in the AD's email inbox.

 

[NCAA watcher]

The team was picked for 10th in the preseason, based on its talent level as perceived by other coaches.
They overperformed the first half. There's still a month to go, so too early for the post-mortems.

 

[Snively65]

I think this is true of some folks, but not enough, given the attendance levels the last few seasons when the team was very much not competitive.

The startling thing for me in watching this staff, and I don't think this is a particularly novel observation but worth mentioning, is the lack of development from obviously talented players. Cy and Huard in particular but even this season with Conmy and Hellsten. Each guy is playing worse than they started.

Not true for either LeClerc or Huard, who are ahead of their numbers from last year in nearly all categories, especially +/- (obviously need to prorate to first 26 games last year). Devlin also would likely be ahead of his last year’s numbers had he not missed eight games to injury this season. If you mean within this season, that drop off is most likely because we are now playing the better HEA teams rather the OOC cup cakes.

 

[2013hockeyfan]

Not true for either LeClerc or Huard, who are ahead of their numbers from last year in nearly all categories, especially +/- (obviously need to prorate to first 26 games last year). Devlin also would likely be ahead of his last year’s numbers had he not missed eight games to injury this season. If you mean within this season, that drop off is most likely because we are now playing the better HEA teams rather the OOC cup cakes.

Fair point on their improvement in numbers y-o-y. But the first half of the season for this years squad included QU x2, Northeastern x3, Prov x2, BU, and a very game RIT squad x2. Wasn't exactly a cup cake (or mostly OOC) schedule. Unless you were being facetious.

 

[HockeyRef]

The team was picked for 10th in the preseason, based on its talent level as perceived by other coaches.
They overperformed the first half. There's still a month to go, so too early for the post-mortems.

I guess some of us (myself included) are suffering from 'shell shock' of past seasons. You are right, tho...that there is plenty of hockey left to play.
Just the recent slide is too reminiscent of a movie we've seen too many times. Although I've said it every weekend is a big weekend, this one
will surely tell us what they have left.

They certainly can't say they are 'playing their best hockey' when they go 3-6 in their last 9...

Who knows?

 

[StillKIA2]

Or just plain dipped ? I doubt all that . The Whitt will be whited, the players will be jacked and the records going in mean nothing. No sandbagger here, just years of wis-dumb.

Years of wisdom based mostly on unh playing on a giant sheet. Maine almost never won on the olympic sheet. (I still love the game winning bank shot off Lawson’s skate from a francis nault set up from the fish corner…ha ha ha Dave Hendrickson hated that play!). But the same years unh won in durham, maine would win in manchester, iirc.

and the unh fans all seem to forget that it was muselik who got the shutout and the shoot out win last season against maine.

that said, I am guessing a sweep is improbable, too.

 

[Chuck Murray]

The team was picked for 10th in the preseason, based on its talent level as perceived by other coaches.
They overperformed the first half. There's still a month to go, so too early for the post-mortems.

It's like one of the sports radio talk show hosts says regularly ... we have a daily show to do, and what do we do for 6 months from start to finish if we don't actively speculate on the "State of Hockey" in the 03824??

I've nailed my forecast to outcomes of 3 very winnable recent games, UConn-UVM-Merrimack, and if they were W's instead of L's then instead of being 14-11-1, they'd be 17-8-1. Even with two out of three, that's 16-9-1. With either of those two alternate records, you have a little bit of breathing room down the stretch when it will most likely be needed. Now they have no breathing room, no momentum, and really no chance.

That's just the small snapshot of where this season has been, and where it is headed. Looking at things big picture ... I just don't see anything different between this season's ultimate trajectory, and those of seasons past during the MS7 Era. I've run out of patience, and I've tired of the endless excuses. I have no time for rich alums like TDL hijacking the decision of who's gonna run the program in the future - IF any of that stuff actually holds water?? AD Rich should be emboldened by her decision with Men's Hoops last Spring - an unqualified success for sure - and take that confidence into the process of getting the next Men's Hockey coach started ASAP. I was leaning towards a short extension as long as this year's team maintained its strong start, and did something significantly better than it has in the last 5-8 seasons. I don't see that happening.

I was prepared to let this all play out - like you seem committed to doing - until the evidence became overwhelming.

Let me ask you this then, 'Watcher ... what is it you see that makes you think there can be a reversal here?

 

[HockeyRef]

Years of wisdom based mostly on unh playing on a giant sheet. Maine almost never won on the olympic sheet. (I still love the game winning bank shot off Lawson’s skate from a francis nault set up from the fish corner…ha ha ha Dave Hendrickson hated that play!). But the same years unh won in durham, maine would win in manchester, iirc.

and the unh fans all seem to forget that it was muselik who got the shutout and the shoot out win last season against maine.

that said, I am guessing a sweep is improbable, too.

Just so you know UNH fans support Tyler's efforts and he's had some decent games. Unfortunately that changed and Hellsten has been the better goaltender. Glad to hear Tyler might be returning from an injury this weekend.

I don't know why you come over here and continue bring him up? Who will Maine play this weekend? Ostman or the other guy who's name escapes me at the moment.

As for winning in Manchester as far as I can remember that wasn't always the case..To be fair I'd have to look but it was always a pleasure to watch Tyker Kelleher and Andrew Poturalski get the best of ya..

Of course...those games don't matter much where National Championships are concerned I guess...so you got me there!

 

[Snively65]

Fair point on their improvement in numbers y-o-y. But the first half of the season for this years squad included QU x2, Northeastern x3, Prov x2, BU, and a very game RIT squad x2. Wasn't exactly a cup cake (or mostly OOC) schedule. Unless you were being facetious.

Ten of the first 17 games, or first half of the season, were OC games. We scored 56 of our 77 goals during the first 17 games, 21 goals in the last 9 games against HEA teams, 3 of those games against ranked teams. Of the 10 OOC games, Quinnipiac was the only ranked team, although I agree that we outperformed ourselves to score 5 goals in the OT winner. NU was one the ten worst PWR teams in Div 1 when we beat them three games through mid-November in which we scored 12 goals. Other than the Q and RIT, the remaining six OOC games were against cupcakes. Six of our eight remaining games are against ranked HEA teams. Regardless which goalie plays in net for us, we will be lucky to win more than the two games against UML, as our skill levels at all positions are far below that of Maine, UMass, and BC. I would be delighted to be surprised the rest of way, especially should we finish with a winning record.

 

[Darius]

I've nailed my forecast to outcomes of 3 very winnable recent games, UConn-UVM-Merrimack, and if they were W's instead of L's then instead of being 14-11-1, they'd be 17-8-1. Even with two out of three, that's 16-9-1. With either of those two alternate records, you have a little bit of breathing room down the stretch when it will most likely be needed. Now they have no breathing room, no momentum, and really no chance.

That's just the small snapshot of where this season has been, and where it is headed. Looking at things big picture ... I just don't see anything different between this season's ultimate trajectory, and those of seasons past during the MS7 Era. I've run out of patience, and I've tired of the endless excuses. I have no time for rich alums like TDL hijacking the decision of who's gonna run the program in the future - IF any of that stuff actually holds water?? AD Rich should be emboldened by her decision with Men's Hoops last Spring - an unqualified success for sure - and take that confidence into the process of getting the next Men's Hockey coach started ASAP. I was leaning towards a short extension as long as this year's team maintained its strong start, and did something significantly better than it has in the last 5-8 seasons. I don't see that happening.[/B]

How ironic if he was threatening to make a REALLY huge donation to create a head hockey coach endowment that allowed UNH to offer a much larger salary and attract a whole other level of head coach candidates. Also maybe Coach Herrion should have been more concerned about filling Lundholm seats. I’m not being a smart ass here. Attracting money may be the new reality for coaches of certain a of level teams in the new DI reality. I’d add it to the list of reasons my interest in major college sports is diminishing.

 

[2013hockeyfan]

How ironic if he was threatening to make a REALLY huge donation to create a head hockey coach endowment that allowed UNH to offer a much larger salary and attract a whole other level of head coach candidates. Also maybe Coach Herrion should have been more concerned about filling Lundholm seats. I’m not being a smart *** here. Attracting money may be the new reality for coaches of certain a of level teams in the new DI reality. I’d add it to the list of reasons my interest in major college sports is diminishing.

Ability to fundraise has been one of the most important traits for college coaches at every level for several decades now. Putting butts in the seats has been important for revenue and revenue-adjacent sports for even longer.

 

[norbert]

I was able to get 2 tickets for Friday. Loge 108 Row I Seats 17/18. If anyone needs tickets let me know. I don't need them and got them for anyone who might not be a STH as they say it is sold out

 

[Darius]

Ability to fundraise has been one of the most important traits for college coaches at every level for several decades now. Putting butts in the seats has been important for revenue and revenue-adjacent sports for even longer.

Duh. Thanks. Apparently more-so than winning in some cases(?) Heading over to DraftKings to see if they have over under fund raising numbers for the power four.

 

[2013hockeyfan]

Duh. Thanks. Apparently more-so than winning in some cases(?) Heading over to DraftKings to see if they have over under fund raising numbers for the power four.

Did not mean to be condescending. Was just surprised to see you refer to it as a "new reality."