UNH Men's Hockey 2022 Off Season Thread- Goodbye Lake Whitt!

[Chuck Murray]

Called it! Chase Stevenson gets the C...Blaisdell Gagne and Eriksson with the A's...wow 4 of them! Not sure I've seen that in my tenure as a fan...

I'd much rather have quality than quantity. Just sayin' ...

 

[Felger]

Called it! Chase Stevenson gets the C...Blaisdell Gagne and Eriksson with the A's...wow 4 of them! Not sure I've seen that in my tenure as a fan...

I really have little interest in who is the captain, and in this case the superfluous number of alternates.

But seeing a sophomore get an "A" did get my attention.

 

[ClOuD 9]

While kind of on the subject, let's open this up to everyone. Here's the simple question of the day:

* What does Mike "MS7" Souza need to accomplish this season to retain his job for '23/'24?

(1) Winning record and (at least contending for?) a slot in the 2023 NCAA Tourney;
(2) Winning record and winning first round of HEA playoffs (PBMBEGAM or otherwise);
(3) Winning record and respectable showing in the HEA "playoffs";
(4) Another losing record but surprising deep run in the HEA Tourney;
(5) Another losing record, short run in the HEA "playoffs", but all his kids graduate;
(6) Another losing record, but new UNH AD too cheap to buy out what's left of his contract;
(7) Should have been cut loose already, so no last-minute Ron Anderson-style heroics at all

Lots of other potential variations there, so feel free to pick more than one, or feel free go off the board with your own criteria. I think many of us are looking at this season as make-or-break for MS7 The Coach, so let's get the baseline set, and see how it plays out over the coming Winter.

It's time to produce results or go, imo.

I was there too, I must say that Coach Witt's team is looking much better than in recent seasons (fingers crossed). I'm in section 119, and I didn't see too much differerence in my sight lines. The rink reduction looked fairly well done, though I didn't do a thorough check of the sight lines in other sections. Hey....if an NHL surface helps them win games, than I am not going to complain.

Serious question - how do we go about proving causality here?

 

[Scott]

Serious question - how do we go about proving causality here?

And that's a good question. Maybe what I should have said was, "If an NHL surface helps them win games down the road, then I'm all for it." Which means, maybe they'll snag those key recruits who want an NHL surface (copyright MS7 and to some extent, Umile). Or maybe the current roster of players will adapt quickly to the new dimensions? It would definitely be an interesting study on how this quantifies improved winning margins.

 

[After the Whistle]

Yea Ref you did nail it. But I got my wish for an underclassmen.
Does anyone know if we can get into the exhibition game this weekend? I have neither heard or seen anything to support that we can. Just another communication issue and I can’t imagine why not.

 

[Nifty16]

Was wondering about the whole exhibition game thing to. It’s on the Hockey East schedule but not UNH also in the ESPN plus schedule hockey East has it at 2 while espn has it at 7

 

[Scott]

Yea Ref you did nail it. But I got my wish for an underclassmen.
Does anyone know if we can get into the exhibition game this weekend? I have neither heard or seen anything to support that we can. Just another communication issue and I can’t imagine why not.

Maybe it's a closed scrimmage, much like last year's scrimmage with Merrimack? HELLO, AD RICH....PAGING AD RICH.....WOULD YOU PLEASE LIGHT A FIRE UNDER SOMEONE'S BUTT? PLEASE AND THANK YOU!

 

[Darius]

Nice to see an exhibition game generating interest and enthusiasm. lol

Also, am I correct that television viewing of most games is now exclusive to ESPN+ which requires a subscription? Thanks.

 

[After the Whistle]

Ha ha Darius, yes I have always loved the exhibition games. Chance to see who is new, less pressure and 1 more game to view. And yes sometimes with considerable pain.
on note, my wife just noticed that our ESPN+ just went from 6.99 to 9.99. Must be because of the great cost increase to cover HE games. Gotta love it.
it is probably time to drop the new AD a note.

 

[HockeyRef]

I'd much rather have quality than quantity. Just sayin' ...

Hr is not in charge of the amount hahah

 

[Chuck Murray]

Maybe it's a closed scrimmage, much like last year's scrimmage with Merrimack? HELLO, AD RICH....PAGING AD RICH.....WOULD YOU PLEASE LIGHT A FIRE UNDER SOMEONE'S BUTT? PLEASE AND THANK YOU!

Why on God's green earth would it be a closed scrimmage this year?

Last year was already pushing things ... but still engaging in this crap now ... if so, wow, just wow.

This should have been low-hanging fruit for the newbie AD. Yet she's still managed to muff it.

And ClOuD 9 is spot on in questioning how to establish any causal connection on ice surface etc.

 

[ClOuD 9]

And that's a good question. Maybe what I should have said was, "If an NHL surface helps them win games down the road, then I'm all for it." Which means, maybe they'll snag those key recruits who want an NHL surface (copyright MS7 and to some extent, Umile). Or maybe the current roster of players will adapt quickly to the new dimensions? It would definitely be an interesting study on how this quantifies improved winning margins.

Glad you pointed out prior use here, my reply originally included a long winded explanation that I wasn't trying to call you out specifically but that it was a long standing narrative going back to the Umile era before I backspaced it out for fear of losing the larger point.
It's been repeated so often and for so long that it seems in some cases the premise is just accepted (again, not you).

 

[Scott]

Why on God's green earth would it be a closed scrimmage this year?

Last year was already pushing things ... but still engaging in this crap now ... if so, wow, just wow.

This should have been low-hanging fruit for the newbie AD. Yet she's still managed to muff it.

And ClOuD 9 is spot on in questioning how to establish any causal connection on ice surface etc.

Chuck, you already know the root cause/reasons for the ice surface reduction. Maybe it will pay off in the future, or maybe it's just another version of "lipstick on a pig".

As for the supposed "exhibition" game, I was only throwing out a possible reason why no one has heard about this....well, no one except of course our steadfast Nigel.

 

[Darius]

Why on God's green earth would it be a closed scrimmage this year?

Little/no revenue from walk up ticket sales, limited concession revenue from any that do show up so not worth spending the money to open the Whitt. Just a guess.

 

[d.gerry]

Five skaters hailing from NH on this year's roster. Seems like the most we've had in a long time. Anyone remember this many NH guys on the team in recent memory?

 

[NCAA watcher]

https://www.grandforksherald.com/sp...llege-hockey-conference-by-conference-preview

Hockey East

Herald predicted standings

1. Northeastern
2. Boston University
3. Providence
4. UMass Lowell
5. UMass
6. Boston College
7. UConn
8. Merrimack
9. Vermont
10. New Hampshire
11. Maine

THE BEST OF…

Best forward: Aidan McDonough, Northeastern
Best defenseman: Domenick Fensore, Boston University
Best goalie: Devon Levi, Northeastern
Best rookie: Jeremy Wilmer, Boston University
Best transfer: Gustavs Grigals, UMass Lowell

NORTH DAKOTA/MINN. SECTION 8

Maine: F Cole Hanson (GF), D Brandon Holt (GF)

Vermont: F Jens Richards (Detroit Lakes)

Five things to know

1. Two of Hockey East’s traditional powers will have new coaches at the helm. Greg Brown is the new coach at Boston College, replacing Jerry York, who was with the Eagles for 28 years. Jay Pandolfo, meanwhile, is the new coach at Boston University. He replaces Albie O’Connell, who was let go in the offseason.

2. UConn will have the youngest player in college hockey this season in 17-year-old forward Matthew Wood, who could be a first-round pick in the 2023 NHL Draft. Wood was a dominant player for Victoria in the BCHL last season.

3. Merrimack will be bringing in one of the best finds of this year’s rookie class in defenseman Zach Bookman. Last season, Bookman dominated the AJHL, racking up 21 goals and 102 points in 55 games for the Brooks Bandits. Other schools were interested in trying to flip his commitment, but Bookman remained loyal.

4. This could be the Year of the Goaltender in Hockey East, which is loaded with high-end puck stoppers. Devon Levi, who won the Mike Richter Award last season, leads the way, but Boston University’s Drew Commesso and UMass Lowell’s Gustavs Grigals enter the season with pretty good pedigree.

5. Three schools dug into the Division-III ranks to grab transfers this summer, including New Hampshire. The Wildcats nabbed Babson’s leading scorer, Ryan Black, who had 39 points last season, while notably not taking a single penalty. The other D-III transfers are Babson’s Mike Egan to Niagara, Wisconsin-Eau Claire’s Ryan Ouellette to Niagara and Skidmore’s Austin Rook to Long Island.

 

[Nifty16]

5. Three schools dug into the Division-III ranks to grab transfers this summer, including New Hampshire. The Wildcats nabbed Babson’s leading scorer, Ryan Black, who had 39 points last season, while notably not taking a single penalty. The other D-III transfers are Babson’s Mike Egan to Niagara, Wisconsin-Eau Claire’s Ryan Ouellette to Niagara and Skidmore’s Austin Rook to Long Island.

wooboo competing with Niagara and LIU for players

 

[Scott]

https://www.grandforksherald.com/spo...erence-preview


5. Three schools dug into the Division-III ranks to grab transfers this summer, including New Hampshire. The Wildcats nabbed Babson’s leading scorer, Ryan Black, who had 39 points last season, while notably not taking a single penalty. The other D-III transfers are Babson’s Mike Egan to Niagara, Wisconsin-Eau Claire’s Ryan Ouellette to Niagara and Skidmore’s Austin Rook to Long Island.

Glad to see that we share the limelight with Niagara and LIU.

Edit: Nifty16 beat me to it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RlBr...channel=Mothra

 

[e.cat]

Why on God's green earth would it be a closed scrimmage this year?

Last year was already pushing things ... but still engaging in this crap now ... if so, wow, just wow.

This should have been low-hanging fruit for the newbie AD. Yet she's still managed to muff it.

And ClOuD 9 is spot on in questioning how to establish any causal connection on ice surface etc.

Why on God’s green earth is UNH scrimmaging Merrimack to begin with? I’d rather watch a Don Lemon docuementary about reparations or climate change!

 

[Chuck Murray]

Why on God’s green earth is UNH scrimmaging Merrimack to begin with? I'd rather watch a Don Lemon docuementary about reparations or climate change!

LOL ... well, he does have some spare time on his hands, having lost his prime-time gig (shame) ...