UNH Hockey Off Season Thread 2026

[Potluck]

Assuming that the UNH PAB (Powers at Be) read this thread, I recommend that they hire Bentley’s Vaughan Williams as their next AD. Williams has been AD at Bentley since September 2020, oversees 24 team sports and 500+ student athletes, and won the NACDA Div II AD of the Year Award in 2024/25. Previously, Vaughan was Senior Associate AD at BC, and served in athletics at UConn and U Utah before that. He currently serves on the NCAA Div II Management Council and chairs the NE10 AD Council. Finally, and Chuck knows where I am going with this, Vaughan’s head men’s ice hockey coach Andy Jones took Bentley to its first-ever Atlantic Hockey championships the past two years, in which last year the Falcons gave the Chestnut Hillbillies a scare at the Manchvegas NCAA regionals. So, maybe Vaughan Williams could then bring in Andy Jones as our next men’s ice hockey head coach. Only caveat for me would be Bentley losing both of them.

He's certainly making more money at Bentley then he'll get at UNH. UNH AD is a lousy job. He'll stay away from UNH.

UNH needs to look for a young in the weeds assistant AD at another school that will view UNH as a stepping stone job (it's likely a career killer) or a much older retread that has had some success in a past AD job, been fired and would love any AD job in the years prior to retirement. Whoever takes the job is going to be dealing almost exclusively with budget problems. Not a whole lot of fun.

 

[Jellsville USA]

Assuming that the UNH PAB (Powers at Be) read this thread, I recommend that they hire Bentley’s Vaughan Williams as their next AD. Williams has been AD at Bentley since September 2020, oversees 24 team sports and 500+ student athletes, and won the NACDA Div II AD of the Year Award in 2024/25. Previously, Vaughan was Senior Associate AD at BC, and served in athletics at UConn and U Utah before that. He currently serves on the NCAA Div II Management Council and chairs the NE10 AD Council. Finally, and Chuck knows where I am going with this, Vaughan’s head men’s ice hockey coach Andy Jones took Bentley to its first-ever Atlantic Hockey championships the past two years, in which last year the Falcons gave the Chestnut Hillbillies a scare at the Manchvegas NCAA regionals. So, maybe Vaughan Williams could then bring in Andy Jones as our next men’s ice hockey head coach. Only caveat for me would be Bentley losing both of them.

I actually love this idea Snives! My guess is he is making less than Rich despite being at a private school. UNH could offer him incentives that counter the politics and budgetary constraints (i.e. longer term- 5 years, incentives for fund raising and hockey success). The pitch- lead UNH back to prominence in hockey first while transitioning all sports into the modern era. This is one of the few public D‑I jobs where hockey expertise is “first language,” not a footnote. Division one public university optics improves his profile.

 

[Chuck Murray]

Assuming that the UNH PAB (Powers at Be) read this thread, I recommend that they hire Bentley’s Vaughan Williams as their next AD. Williams has been AD at Bentley since September 2020, oversees 24 team sports and 500+ student athletes, and won the NACDA Div II AD of the Year Award in 2024/25. Previously, Vaughan was Senior Associate AD at BC, and served in athletics at UConn and U Utah before that. He currently serves on the NCAA Div II Management Council and chairs the NE10 AD Council. Finally, and Chuck knows where I am going with this, Vaughan’s head men’s ice hockey coach Andy Jones took Bentley to its first-ever Atlantic Hockey championships the past two years, in which last year the Falcons gave the Chestnut Hillbillies a scare at the Manchvegas NCAA regionals. So, maybe Vaughan Williams could then bring in Andy Jones as our next men’s ice hockey head coach. Only caveat for me would be Bentley losing both of them.

I'm all for the Vaughn Williams/Andy Jones duo making the trek to Titletown in the very near future.

I also must say, Williams' very distant second cousin (Vaughan Williams) was a terrific English composer earlier last century ...

 

[FlagUp17]

Any idea as to when UNH will release their schedule for next season? I’ve been seeing others schedules slowly percolating out over the past few weeks. I can’t remember the usual timing when UNH typically releases their schedule.

We know of MSU in late October, and Merrimack to likely open things up at the beginning of the month. I’m curious to see what the rest of the OOC schedule looks like.

From years past, I would imagine at least most of:

RPI (seems we play them most years)
Dartmouth (annual tradition)
Bentley
Clarkson/Union
Quinnipiac
At least one more AHA school

Perhaps next season the question will be: “how far south do they go?” (given FF is in DC in 2027)

Anyone else have other thoughts?

 

[Felger]

Any idea as to when UNH will release their schedule for next season? I’ve been seeing others schedules slowly percolating out over the past few weeks. I can’t remember the usual timing when UNH typically releases their schedule.

We know of MSU in late October, and Merrimack to likely open things up at the beginning of the month. I’m curious to see what the rest of the OOC schedule looks like.

From years past, I would imagine at least most of:

RPI (seems we play them most years)
Dartmouth (annual tradition)
Bentley
Clarkson/Union
Quinnipiac
At least one more AHA school

Perhaps next season the question will be: “how far south do they go?” (given FF is in DC in 2027)

Anyone else have other thoughts?

Pretty sure the opener is on the road at Quinnipiac either October 2 or 3.

 

[norbert]

Any idea as to when UNH will release their schedule for next season? I’ve been seeing others schedules slowly percolating out over the past few weeks. I can’t remember the usual timing when UNH typically releases their schedule.

We know of MSU in late October, and Merrimack to likely open things up at the beginning of the month. I’m curious to see what the rest of the OOC schedule looks like.

From years past, I would imagine at least most of:

RPI (seems we play them most years)
Dartmouth (annual tradition)
Bentley
Clarkson/Union
Quinnipiac
At least one more AHA school

Perhaps next season the question will be: “how far south do they go?” (given FF is in DC in 2027)

Anyone else have other thoughts?

Last year I don't believe the schedule came out until early September.

 

[Chuck Murray]

Nice piece on Dr. Thomas Fortney on Page B1 (Health) of today's Union Leader, with lots of wistful recollections of his four years in Durham. Prominent mention of Ty Conklin, who is a manufacturer's rep for the company that developed the robotic shoulder device that Dr. Fortney has put into his practice. Lots of other nice NH related tidbits, I won't ruin it all for you folks, but he definitely does point out that UNH won two HEA RS titles, and four trips to the NCAA's in his time ...

 

[Snively65]

Pretty sure the opener is on the road at Quinnipiac either October 2 or 3.

Yup, we visit the Q on Friday, October 2, according to the Bobcats’ partial schedule release.

Also, we know that Michigan State returns the favor by visiting the Whitt on 23-24 October, I think, according to the Spartans’ partial schedule release.

So, there are three games right there that should help our SOS, and potentially our NPI if we win those games.

 

[Snively65]

Nice piece on Dr. Thomas Fortney on Page B1 (Health) of today's Union Leader, with lots of wistful recollections of his four years in Durham. Prominent mention of Ty Conklin, who is a manufacturer's rep for the company that developed the robotic shoulder device that Dr. Fortney has put into his practice. Lots of other nice NH related tidbits, I won't ruin it all for you folks, but he definitely does point out that UNH won two HEA RS titles, and four trips to the NCAA's in his time ...

Sigh. We made the NCAAs three more times in 2010, 2011, and 2013, our last, after Fortney graduated in 2009. Those were the days, when Umile at UNH and Red Berenson at Michigan were competing for the most consecutive years of NCAA appearances.

 

[HockeyRef]

Last year I don't believe the schedule came out until early September.

Schedule was out last year by the season Tix Barbeque as I recall? But typically, UNH is one of the last to make the schedule public...harrumph!

 

[Chuck Murray]

Schedule was out last year by the season Tix Barbeque as I recall? But typically, UNH is one of the last to make the schedule public...harrumph!

Easy fix for the new AD, one would think. Not unlike the Ivy mentality (Rich) to make a schedule release a low priority item. Contemptuous of their own fans.