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UNH- How Far West Do We Go?
- Thread starter norbert
- Start date
Chuck Murray
WIS & Effingwoods Hockey Almanac
Whale Watch II?? We're doing some investigation now to determine if:
(1) Family situation or illness, just not available for one night?
(2) Attempt to revisit a potential injury redshirt, with concussion symptoms continuing and only one game played to date?
(3) Quit the team when MS7 decided he couldn't play the back end of a weekend series, as perhaps was promised?
It's been a very curious season to date for Whale, considering he played virtually every minute last season until his injury late in the season at BC ...
(1) Family situation or illness, just not available for one night?
(2) Attempt to revisit a potential injury redshirt, with concussion symptoms continuing and only one game played to date?
(3) Quit the team when MS7 decided he couldn't play the back end of a weekend series, as perhaps was promised?
It's been a very curious season to date for Whale, considering he played virtually every minute last season until his injury late in the season at BC ...
Well it wasn’t pretty, but a win is a win. Weekend splits seem to be the theme across most of hockey this year. Kudos to the top line for all 3 goals. Winters seems to be taking the mold of Cronin (2025) and Blaisdell (2024) - seniors who really up there game to hopefully land a deal after the season ends.
Similar to last night, they had spurts where they looked like a team that took down Maine, UConn, and Dartmouth, and then other moments with bad turnovers, slow puck movement, etc that make you wonder how they are over .500. They can’t just rely on 1 line for all the scoring though… they need more scoring from lines 2-3 especially.
Either way… a very necessary win to hopefully instill some confidence heading into the HE schedule. NU in 2 weekends isn’t gonna be easy, but I’m remaining optimistic they can hold their own.
Similar to last night, they had spurts where they looked like a team that took down Maine, UConn, and Dartmouth, and then other moments with bad turnovers, slow puck movement, etc that make you wonder how they are over .500. They can’t just rely on 1 line for all the scoring though… they need more scoring from lines 2-3 especially.
Either way… a very necessary win to hopefully instill some confidence heading into the HE schedule. NU in 2 weekends isn’t gonna be easy, but I’m remaining optimistic they can hold their own.
HockeyRef
Well-known member
Agree. A gritty 'must win' is an understatement. Good over view of the goals and over all play. Nice weekend for Captain Morgan Winters with 4 points.
Nice to see you Snively65 as always..
They will need the rest of the bye week...
Hello Hockey East!!!
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d.gerry
Five for Fighting
Do they really need more time off? They just had a 2+ week respite and should be more than ready to go. To me, another two weeks of rest is not a good thing. Possibly the Hockey East schedulers were trying to delay UNH's inevitable second-half swoon for MS7?
2013hockeyfan
Active member
I was shocked when I saw they had this weekend off. Horrific scheduling by the athletic department.
HockeyRef
Well-known member
Not like they chose it....
But seeing how 'great' they played they should use the time to practice and get healthy. Still wanna know where Jared Whale is and what the status of Sam Oliver.HE does the schedule? Not sure. See your point tho.
d.gerry
Five for Fighting
I didn't say they chose it; I was responding to your "need the rest of the bye week" comment, which I disagree with. And yes, Hockey East does the conference scheduling.Not like they chose it....
HE does the schedule? Not sure. See your point tho.
2013hockeyfan
Active member
Nothing preventing them from scheduling another out-of-conference weekend match-up though, right? Really hurts in a season where some OOC season wins could help the whole conference in NPI.
2013hockeyfan
Active member
Very curious about Whale, also. Still listed on the roster fwiw.
JB
Desk Chair Coach
Look at Colgate's schedule. It is the reverse of Dartmouth. Bad recorded hard schedule (most hard games on the road)
@ BU L & T (BU wins Shutout)
@ Maine W & L (Maine wins in OT - both games 3-2)
@ MSU L & L
@ Dartmouth L - when they were still going great guns
Union W & T - you know that Union team that smacked UNH around 6-0
Is Colgate a great team, no. What they are is well structured, puck possession, good on the walls, good hands and very disciplined. Half of UNH's problem all weekend was passing the puck to the well positioned Colgate player. Basically any fancy crap, drop passes, no look etc. went right to the waiting Colgate player. Colgate knew exactly how to break out against UNH's forecheck, win on the wall, 2 quick short passes, almost always in a triangle and they were moving up ice.
There were something things that worked. More than once a UNH D man going down the wall created space in Colgate's structure. The third goal Sunday was an excellent example of UNH winning on the wall and then finding Turner in a soft spot in the Colgate Defense. These 2 techniques probably needed to happen more with intention. A really solid faceoff play on Saturday night - nice to see. Otherwise when UNH played well it was using their speed advantage.
What I found most disappointing is UNH seemed unprepared for what Colgate was going to do. There didn't seem to be a plan for how to deal with that well structured defensive team which is why they tried a bunch of stuff that didn't work and made them look flat.
I don't think UNH was flat either night. I don't think they were prepared. I think they did a bunch of "running around" in their own end. Worried for how UNH will do against other well structured disciplined defensive teams going forward.
@ BU L & T (BU wins Shutout)
@ Maine W & L (Maine wins in OT - both games 3-2)
@ MSU L & L
@ Dartmouth L - when they were still going great guns
Union W & T - you know that Union team that smacked UNH around 6-0
Is Colgate a great team, no. What they are is well structured, puck possession, good on the walls, good hands and very disciplined. Half of UNH's problem all weekend was passing the puck to the well positioned Colgate player. Basically any fancy crap, drop passes, no look etc. went right to the waiting Colgate player. Colgate knew exactly how to break out against UNH's forecheck, win on the wall, 2 quick short passes, almost always in a triangle and they were moving up ice.
There were something things that worked. More than once a UNH D man going down the wall created space in Colgate's structure. The third goal Sunday was an excellent example of UNH winning on the wall and then finding Turner in a soft spot in the Colgate Defense. These 2 techniques probably needed to happen more with intention. A really solid faceoff play on Saturday night - nice to see. Otherwise when UNH played well it was using their speed advantage.
What I found most disappointing is UNH seemed unprepared for what Colgate was going to do. There didn't seem to be a plan for how to deal with that well structured defensive team which is why they tried a bunch of stuff that didn't work and made them look flat.
I don't think UNH was flat either night. I don't think they were prepared. I think they did a bunch of "running around" in their own end. Worried for how UNH will do against other well structured disciplined defensive teams going forward.
d.gerry
Five for Fighting
In theory, but most teams are into conference play at this point, so scheduling a meaningful OOC opponent becomes more difficult. Bottom line, all this time off is not ideal.
Remarked many times that Colgate seemed to have a decent PLAN and am curious about their attacking zone time compared to ours. Preparedness has never been UNH's strong suit..
HockeyRef
Well-known member
Maybe they can arrange a scrimmage with ORHS...
Excellent post, JB!
Before reading your post, I looked up Colgate’s schedule as I was surprised by how a good team they were in the game I watched at the Whitt on Sunday, and agreed probably a better team now than the overrated Dartmouth in the early season when Colgate lost 1-4 in Hanover. As, you noted, Colgate played Maine in Orono almost as well as we did, leaving with a 2-3 loss and a 3-2 win. Colgate got swept in East Lansing (fair enough), but they also got swept by RIT (not good).
As for scheduling (not directed at you, JB, but others here), most schools are not back in session until later in January so it would be stupid, financially and otherwise, to schedule many games over semester break other than the holiday tournaments. I think that most of the non-tournament games this past weekend involved teams that did not get an invite to a tournament. I think that the “rust argument” is “make believe phony baloney” (to borrow a well-worn phrase from Chuck), as all teams have roughly the same amount of time off between semesters, other than Dartmouth and a few others still on the quarters system. And, teams could use the time off for PRACTICE, NOT A GAME, BUT PRACTICE! (google Allen Iverson rant).
But, what I really wanna knooooooow is why the NCAA allows schools to post “make believe phony baloney” attendance numbers, as the real attendance data are readily available from the ticket readers at the turnstiles (I know, we have had this same discussion on past threads). STH attendance numbers are pure bs, as many of those STH folks rarely attend games but do not mind making a financial donation to UNH each season by purchasing those tickets. I have rarely had a problem sitting in the empty STH seats next to my STH cousins, although I still like to stand in the upper row band’s right through the first period. CHN box scores list attendance as 4739 on Saturday night (I was not there, but others tell me no way) and 2918 on Sunday night (I was there, and absolutely no way, no how). But even given the MBPB attendance figures, why were the games not scheduled for Friday and Saturday, like most other two-game series were? I seriously doubt that the HEA and ECAC masterminds were dictating that scheduling for the Whitt.
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Trivia quiz time for the elders here. Name at least two ORHS hockey alums who played hockey for UNH.
HockeyRef
Well-known member
Agree
I like your #2 option, which you posited here a couple months ago, as UNH will be in need of a first-string goalie again next season. Maybe UNH can poach Lukas Swedin (from Stockholm, you know) from Bentley in the off-season, as Arizona State did last off-season with Bentley’s NCAA playoffs goaltender Connor Hasley. Btw, Bentley swept their #1 rival Holy Cross this past weekend to take over first place all alone in Atlantic Hockey, which sets up the Falcons for another run at a NCAA playoffs auto-seed.
I entirely agree. Because the Cats were incapable of tying up the puck in the corner for the final 5-6 seconds, Colgate nearly sent the game into OT. Simply horrible fundamentals on the Cats’ part. And, ditto with the Cats three stupid attempts to score an ENG in the final minute leading to icing and losing all three face offs in front of Chauvette, whom was the only reason that UNH was in the game that I watched on Sunday night, IMHO.