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UNH Hockey 2023 Off Season Thread Turn and Face the Strange

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Scott said:
I say we try to tap into the Mexican Ice Hockey Federation. Just imagine UNH hockey games on Mexican television!!! :-)

GOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAALLLLLL!!!!!!!
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Count me in!! Think of the positive impact on attendance for UNH road games at Lowell, NU and Merrimack alone ...
 
Well it is getting closer to the first puck drop and I am reminded of an interaction with my dad in my early sports rooting years. Like most NE kids we lived in a Red Sox family. At the beginning of what would be another tough year for our guys, my dad asked if I wanted to
listen to the early innings of a game with him on the porch. “They stink! “ was my reply. He smiled and asked what I thought we could do about that? “I don’t know”! Well can we call Pinky (Higgins) or Tom Yawkey? “No, they won’t talk to us.” Then what can we do he asked? Again,”I don’t know!”. We both thought for a short while and finally he said, “well, we could cheer for them, that always helps a team!”
And so I did and will.
 
I believe they played in an Ice Breaker one season at the Whitt? UNH smoked them if I remember correctly.

Of course, the all-time what could have been matchup was the 1998 Frozen Four, when UNH lost to Michigan and OSU lost to Boston College…
 
Snively65 said:
How many times has UNH faced Ohio State in men’s hockey, when and where, and who won by what scores?
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My memory could be wrong but wasn't Ohio State UNH's opponent back in the CHDA when the series was scrapped during the first game over the face mask issues?
 
Dan said:
I believe they played in an Ice Breaker one season at the Whitt? UNH smoked them if I remember correctly.

Of course, the all-time what could have been matchup was the 1998 Frozen Four, when UNH lost to Michigan and OSU lost to Boston College…
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I happened to be on their flight home out of MHT after the weekend. Nice guys, chatted quite a bit with the goalie. I resisted rubbing the weekend's results in his face.
 
AD Rich sent an email today:

Hello Wildcat Family and Friends,

While our student-athletes took a brief pause over the summer from the rigors of their academic year schedules, they and the UNH Athletics coaches and staff remained hard at work preparing for the new seasons. Our student-athletes started returning to campus at the beginning of August (those who weren’t already here working hard) raring to go. Now, in the blink of an eye, another fall has begun and our teams are off to a roaring start!

The America East Honor Roll accolades continued to pour in for our teams over the summer months proving that our student-athletes do not rest when they leave the hallowed halls of the UNH Athletics facilities. Women’s and Men’s Basketball, Women’s and Men’s Cross Country, Field Hockey, Lacrosse, Women’s and Men’s Soccer, Swimming and Diving, Women’s and Men’s Track and Field, and Volleyball combined for an astounding 238 student-athletes earning recognition for their academic achievements. Amazing!

We saw the preseason polls favoring several of our fall teams and individual athletes. Men’s Soccer was selected first in the 2023 America East Preseason Poll and #23 in the National Preseason Poll. Football also grabbed some attention in the FCS preseason rankings, being selected #11, and it was fun to see the team retain the Granite Bowl Trophy with a win over Dartmouth in the home opener! The rest of our fall teams are all seeing great success and big wins this season, and if you can believe it, our winter teams have already returned to action. The student-athletes all feed off the great energy from our fans, so if you haven’t been to a game yet, I encourage you to see for yourself what the excitement is all about.

When you visit, you’ll notice the newly-refurbished track that – with its fresh blue and grey lanes – brings even more pride to Wildcat Stadium. In other big project news, the women’s locker rooms in the Fieldhouse will soon receive a highly-anticipated overhaul, and of course, we are all extremely excited and grateful for the $4M gift from Anthony DiLorenzo '87 to transform the Whittemore Center at the Key Auto Group Complex. There is still work to be done to raise additional funds for this space, but the necessary upgrades are critical for attracting and retaining top talent at UNH and providing our student-athletes with the best possible experience during their time here.

The well-being of our student-athletes is at the forefront of everything we do. We are committed to providing the necessary support to offer an holistic approach to the student-athlete experience. On October 4, we will be launching a fall Athletics fundraising campaign that will benefit every student-athlete in their quest for health and well-being, academic and athletic performance, and personal development. Please watch your mailboxes, our website, and social media for more information on how you can join me in our mission to directly support all our student-athletes and foster a culture and experience that makes us all proud to be Wildcats for Life.

I cannot thank you enough for your ongoing support. It’s been such a pleasure to meet so many of you, and I look forward to seeing alumni, family and friends at one of our many events soon. If you see me on the sidelines, please be sure to say hello and help me cheer our teams to victory. It’s a great day to be a Wildcat!

Go ’Cats!

Sincerely,

Allison Rich, Esq., Ed.D.
Director of Athletics
University of New Hampshire
 
Felger said:
My memory could be wrong but wasn't Ohio State UNH's opponent back in the CHDA when the series was scrapped during the first game over the face mask issues?
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Not sure about the CHDA (?) or face mask issues, but Dan got one when “we smoked them” (his words) 5-1 at the Whitt on 9 October 2004 (Ice Breaker?). Brett Hemingway got two goals and Sean Collins, Justin Aiken, and Brian Yandle each got two assists in that game.

The only other matchup, according to CHN, was a UNH 3-1 win at the Whitt on 24 November 2001.

No BiG10 opponents on our men’s hockey schedule this season.
 
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Perhaps of interest to non-STH and road warrior fans, will HEA headquarters in Amesbury, Mass., announce the upcoming season’s HEA games on NESN this coming week? Announcement was made on October 4th before last season, in which UNH made it into seven NESN games. Wondering if the NESN TV truck will be parked outside the Whitt for one of the two nights that Rand Pecknold’s team visits? Or does NESN only televise HEA opponents?
 
Snively65 said:
Not sure about the CHDA (?) or face mask issues, but Dan got one when “we smoked them” (his words) 5-1 at the Whitt on 9 October 2004 (Ice Breaker?). Brett Hemingway got two goals and Sean Collins, Justin Aiken, and Brian Yandle each got two assists in that game.

The only other matchup, according to CHN, was a UNH 3-1 win at the Whitt on 24 November 2001.

No BiG10 opponents on our men’s hockey schedule AGAIN this season.
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Full discosure, I appropriated the term "College Hockey Dark Ages" (CHDA) from Chuck.

My memory was indeed correct, it was Ohio State: "November 9, 1979 - Facemasks come to college hockey, but the requirement is only for Eastern teams. UNH visits Ohio State, which is maskless, and fights break out. The Wildcats wind up forfeiting two games to the Buckeyes."

https://unhwildcats.com/sports/2015/...702152255.aspx

Since UNH is 3-2-1 against OSU all time it follows that the face mask games were the only times the Buckeyes have been credited with wins against the Wildcats.

P.S. I added to your original post, because it is a subject that really grates on me.
 
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Felger said:
Full discosure, I appropriated the term "College Hockey Dark Ages" (CHDA) from Chuck.

My memory was indeed correct, it was Ohio State: "November 9, 1979 - Facemasks come to college hockey, but the requirement is only for Eastern teams. UNH visits Ohio State, which is maskless, and fights break out. The Wildcats wind up forfeiting two games to the Buckeyes."

https://unhwildcats.com/sports/2015/...702152255.aspx

Since UNH is 3-2-1 against OSU all time it follows that the face mask games were the only times the Buckeyes have been credited with wins against the Wildcats.

P.S. I added to your original post, because it is a subject that really grates on me.
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I guess that CHN does not go back to the “CHDA,” which leads me to wonder when and where were the third win and only tie against the Buckeyes?

As far as the lack of OOC games against the BiG10, I wonder whose decision that is, as BiG10 teams do schedule OOC “cupcakes” on occasion, just not against UNH any longer.
 
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By Lee Hunsaker
Forfeiting two games at the beginning of the season has not dampened UNH's outlook on the upcoming season, but the Ohio State incident has left a sour taste for most of the Wildcats. ? What had begun as an innocent weekend interleague series ended as another chapter in the seemingly never ending novel on facemasks. The Friday game had evolved to a 4-1 score after two periods. . Ohio State started early, tallying three in the first period and one in the second. "They played hockey," said interim coach Bob Kullen of the Buckeyes who outshot the Wildcats 14-6 to build the 3-0 lead. "We had a minimal number of scoring opportunities. ''After they scored their fourth goal, however, we came alive," he continued. "Gradually play territorially became more balanced and we did get one goal out of it.,, At Springfield Shots became more even also as the Buckeyes were able to outshoot UNH by a mere 12-11 mark. "It had been a long day," explained UNH captain Bob Francis. "Our legs were dead tired and we were really flat until halfway through the second period. Then we began taking the play aw~y from them." According to Kullen play became increasingly more physical and during scuffles Buckeye players continually grabbed UNH face masks taking full control over their opponents. "You were helpless when they grabbed you," said junior forward Dana Barbin. "One guy started shaking .my head around and I was unable to do anything.'' Several incidents occurred which finally led to the game disqualification of four players, two from each team. Mike Waghorn and Craig Steensen were both thrown out for fighting. According to several eye witnesses, neither player threw a punch. Following the second period, after both teams had left the ice, Francis and Coady appealed to the referee to call the face mask grabbing. His reply was that there is no rule in the (NCAA) rule book concerning face mask grabbing.
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https://scholars.unh.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=3961&context=tnh_archive

Page 1 has UNH student charged with Murder, so eventful.
 
NCAA watcher said:
netencing.

https://scholars.unh.edu/cgi/viewcon...xt=tnh_archive

Page 1 has UNH student charged with Murder, so eventful.
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Many thanks for posting, watcher, as I was “out West” during the late 1970s and only vaguely remember hearing about the ECAC face mask /cage introduction from friends back here. Ditto for the murder trial, which led to a conviction with the defendant dying during SCUBA-diving on the NH coast while awaiting sentencing. Also in that edition of the paper there is a short article about the UNH jazz band led by Charlie Jennison, who was a local kid at Oyster River High with me. Caught up with Charlie during a jazz concert at the Capitol Center for the Arts in Concord about 5-6 years ago.

Now, here is my BiG10 2023-2024 OOC scheduling research for Felger.

Wolverines: hosting 2 each vs Lindenwood and Stonehill (two schools that apparently have more cash for travel than UNH)

Spartan: hosting 2 each vs Lake State and Canisius (shorter travel distance than UNH) and visiting Air Force for 2

Gophers: hosting 2 each vs Bemidji and St. Thomas (again cost containment for those two schools), and 1 each vs CC and Bobby Mo

Chrome Domes: hosting 2 each vs Mercyhurst, Augustan, and Clarkson, and visiting RIT for 1

Buckeyes: hosting 2 each vs Lindenwood and Princeton, home/home vs Mercyhurst and Bowling Green, and visiting Omaha for 2

Nittany Lions: hosting 2 each vs AIC, Anchorage, and Lindenwood, hosting Army for 1, visiting Long Island, Clarkson, and St Lawrence for 1 each

Badgers: hosting 2 each vs Augustana, Anchorage, and Lindenwold, and visiting Bemidji for 1

There are a few BiG10-HEA games that I did not mention, but very few.
 
Quick note to clarify: CHDA (College Hockey Dark Ages) is something that was coined by another USCHO poster whose name I cannot recall, but the term fit back then, and IMO it still fits now.

Exactly when the CHDA begins/ends is up for interpretation. Usually, the older the poster, the earlier the line of demarcation. For me, it's 1979 since that was my senior year of high school, and my first ever UNH in-person game ('79 ECAC Finals, win over Dartmouth), after which followed Herb Brooks' Miracle on Ice shortly thereafter, when I became a college hockey regular. For older UNH fans, I've seen the line set as far back as the roof and Snively Arena, and some of my contemporaries (maybe including 'Watcher?) have set it at the '84/'85 birth of Hockey East. There's a strong argument that CHDA ended the second USCHO and the Age of the Internet arrived in earnest, the latter of which occurred roughly when the 'Cats moved from Lively Snively to The Whitt. For 'Ref, it's probably set at around the time Kevin Goumas matriculated at UNH (j/k 'Ref). All depends on your POV, I'd say.

In all seriousness, though ... it's a shame college hockey in general (and UNH specifically) have done so little to preserve their histories and some of the biggest games of all time on audio and/or video. The fact that the legendary C-H-C 3-on-3 goal at Snively splurge is still available to us is a minor miracle, but having said that, there's hardly any access to full-length games. Try finding Bogie's GWG in the last-ever game at Snively, much less the full game tape (7-6 UNH in double OT), which is coming up on its 30th anniversary next March (boy does that make me feel old!). And the Bogie goal was a clip NESN played to death for a few years as part of regular game promos!

If Commish Nigel wanted to do something positive for the history of his league, he'd hire a couple of energetic old-timers (holding hand up) and a small crew of young tech geeks to plumb the depths of archival materials available to the various schools/programs, broadcast partners, and surviving coaches/their staffs to locate, clean up and preserve this stuff before it's all too late (which sadly may already be the case in many settings). To not try is to not care ...
 
The dark ages are always 10 years before you became aware of something.
I first started following UNH hockey when TV 11 broadcast 79 senior night. Was NHL fan but really started when I wrote for student paper 83-87 (you have four years on me Chuck). If anyone had told me about UNH or college hockey in 72 I would have thought it was the dark ages.
Now I lead in recalling events from 83 without thinking that was 40 years ago, or the equivalent of an old guy telling me about 1943 in 1983.

In the end, we're all myopic about what is relevant: do your best in the present and embrace the future rather than living in the past.

This is your moment, and every single minute you spend
Tryna hold on to it, 'cause you may never get it again
So while you're in it, try to get as much shit as you can
And when your run is over, just admit when it's at its end
'Cause I'm at the end of my wits with half the shit that gets in
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NCAA watcher said:
https://scholars.unh.edu/cgi/viewcon...xt=tnh_archive

Page 1 has UNH student charged with Murder, so eventful.
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Ahh.. Senior year. People threatening to jump from Stoke was kind of a thing. Rumor was someone did it in '75 - '76. Steve Martino (Siel article) was living on my floor in Stoke two years prior when our RA threatened to jump after his girlfriend broke up with him. We encouraged him through his locked door, but he didn't do it. Times were different and we were awful. In fairness, we were pretty sure he wasn't going to jump, but still... Bobby Francis was in my Finance class. Really nice guy, a gentleman. Sean Coady...

Years later I became entwined with the Siel family. Not entirely, but mostly a negative experience that reinforced my opinion that Barney was guilty.
 
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