What's new
USCHO Fan Forum

This is a sample guest message. Register a free account today to become a member! Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members through your own private inbox!

  • The USCHO Fan Forum has migrated to a new plaform, xenForo. Most of the function of the forum should work in familiar ways. Please note that you can switch between light and dark modes by clicking on the gear icon in the upper right of the main menu bar. We are hoping that this new platform will prove to be faster and more reliable. Please feel free to explore its features.

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

{{opens 23-year old wound}} Hitting that goal post was brutal....just another inch and Durham would have worn the Titletown crown.

Very doubtful that we will ever see another UNH team like that in our lifetime.

Of the four FF losses during the Umile Era, I always thought that one was the only one where they didn't yak it up in the end. Sure, Conklin's lack of rebound control was an issue, but momentary lapses like that cost all kinds of teams in high pressure situations like that. It's not even close to comparable to the BU goalie who virtually threw the puck into his own net vs. PC.

The '98 no-show to Michigan seems to have gone under the radar in recent years, but that was a hint of what was to follow in the '02 semis collapse to UMaine in St. Paul, and then of course the '03 Finals collapse in the 3rd period that's flashing several of us back after last night's Finals outcome. The '99 team ended up without major hardware (other than the RS title) because of slow starts in the HE Finals (1-4) and in the FF Finals (0-2, almost 0-3), but they deserve credit for not folding up, forcing both of those games to OT before fate got them. At least for me, the '99 thing hurts least. JMHO.
 
Hmmmm.. . Excellent point, it never occurred to me until reading this that the Mankato 3rd period was very Wildcat-like.

The ultimate indignity, what used to be top grade "stir-the-pot" stuff, forgotten due to irrelevance.

TBF it's been close to a decade since UNH played in anything remotely approaching an important game, and the guy with the tight collar has long since retired, so I guess we're all a little out of practice on the give-and-take of the old roles. Hard to call a MBPBEGAM "playoff" game a gak-worthy game when even winning it (as rare as that has been) means you've still gotta win three (3) more games against increasingly better opponents before you accomplish anything of note.

I can only hope that at some point, we can all look back at the MS7 Era and rework the old saying:

"It's better to have gakked and lost, than to never have gakked at all."
 
Version 7. Update for transfer forward from Babson
So.Will Margel (18-1-3-4)--------Pg.Ryan Black------------------------So.Robert Cronin (30-7-5-12)
So.Liam Devlin-(34-9-7-16)-----Sr.Harrison Blaisdell-(25-2-6-8)-----Fr.Stiven Sardarian-(NA)
Fr.Cy Leclerc-(NA)----------------Sr.Chase Stevenson-(33-4-1-5)-----Jr.Nick Cafarelli (15-3-4-7)
Fr.Jake Dunlap-(NA)--------------Fr.Morgan Winters-(NA)-------------Fr.Kristap Skrastins (NA)
Fr.[Turner??]]/transfer------------Jr.Cam Gendron-(19-1-1-2)--------So.Conor Lovett
So.Connor Sweeney-(22-0-0-0)--Sr.Joe Hankinson (1-0-0-0)-------Fr./Transfer


Sr.Kalle Eriksson-(32-0-12-12)----So.Colton Huard (28-6-10-16)
So.Alex Gagne-(33-1-7-8)---------Jr.Luke Reid (34-3-5-8)
Fr.Damien Carfagna (NA)----------Jr.Nikolai Jenson-(30-1-5-6)
Fr.Brendan Fitzgerald-(NA)--------So.Nico DeVita (29-1-2-3)
[Fr.Cade Penney (NA)]

Fr.Tyler Muszelik----------Sr.David Fessenden------------Jr.Jeremy Forman
 
Version 7. Update for transfer forward from Babson
So.Will Margel (18-1-3-4)--------Pg.Ryan Black------------------------So.Robert Cronin (30-7-5-12)
So.Liam Devlin-(34-9-7-16)-----Sr.Harrison Blaisdell-(25-2-6-8)-----Fr.Stiven Sardarian-(NA)
Fr.Cy Leclerc-(NA)----------------Sr.Chase Stevenson-(33-4-1-5)-----Jr.Nick Cafarelli (15-3-4-7)
Fr.Jake Dunlap-(NA)--------------Fr.Morgan Winters-(NA)-------------Fr.Kristap Skrastins (NA)
Fr.[Turner??]]/transfer------------Jr.Cam Gendron-(19-1-1-2)--------So.Conor Lovett
So.Connor Sweeney-(22-0-0-0)--Sr.Joe Hankinson (1-0-0-0)-------Fr./Transfer


Sr.Kalle Eriksson-(32-0-12-12)----So.Colton Huard (28-6-10-16)
So.Alex Gagne-(33-1-7-8)---------Jr.Luke Reid (34-3-5-8)
Fr.Damien Carfagna (NA)----------Jr.Nikolai Jenson-(30-1-5-6)
Fr.Brendan Fitzgerald-(NA)--------So.Nico DeVita (29-1-2-3)
[Fr.Cade Penney (NA)]

Fr.Tyler Muszelik----------Sr.David Fessenden------------Jr.Jeremy Forman

I'm liking this line up...sure, it's youthful and like you say, a Frosh goal tender is still a Frosh goal tender. Curious how Ryan Black's big point production can translate into D1 hockey looking forward to finding out! Calling it right now, Stevenson gets the C, with Blaisdell and Eriksson with the A's. Is it Oct yet?
 
Last edited:
Not so much sarcasm as unconventional. Look, Souza has a final year, and if he choses to go with older players who he trusts rather than freshmen who will need a year or two to develop, its not great, but let Souza finally own it. Come March 5, the new AD can decide.
 
Of the four FF losses during the Umile Era, I always thought that one was the only one where they didn't yak it up in the end. Sure, Conklin's lack of rebound control was an issue, but momentary lapses like that cost all kinds of teams in high pressure situations like that. It's not even close to comparable to the BU goalie who virtually threw the puck into his own net vs. PC.

The '98 no-show to Michigan seems to have gone under the radar in recent years, but that was a hint of what was to follow in the '02 semis collapse to UMaine in St. Paul, and then of course the '03 Finals collapse in the 3rd period that's flashing several of us back after last night's Finals outcome. The '99 team ended up without major hardware (other than the RS title) because of slow starts in the HE Finals (1-4) and in the FF Finals (0-2, almost 0-3), but they deserve credit for not folding up, forcing both of those games to OT before fate got them. At least for me, the '99 thing hurts least. JMHO.
Yup. '99 we were right there up until the split second when we were not. '03, you could feel it slipping away. The similarity to Saturday hit me when they started showing the Mavs fans expressions.
 
Version 7. Update for transfer forward from Babson
So.Will Margel (18-1-3-4)--------Pg.Ryan Black------------------------So.Robert Cronin (30-7-5-12)
So.Liam Devlin-(34-9-7-16)-----Sr.Harrison Blaisdell-(25-2-6-8)-----Fr.Stiven Sardarian-(NA)
Fr.Cy Leclerc-(NA)----------------Sr.Chase Stevenson-(33-4-1-5)-----Jr.Nick Cafarelli (15-3-4-7)
Fr.Jake Dunlap-(NA)--------------Fr.Morgan Winters-(NA)-------------Fr.Kristap Skrastins (NA)
Fr.[Turner??]]/transfer------------Jr.Cam Gendron-(19-1-1-2)--------So.Conor Lovett
So.Connor Sweeney-(22-0-0-0)--Sr.Joe Hankinson (1-0-0-0)-------Fr./Transfer


Sr.Kalle Eriksson-(32-0-12-12)----So.Colton Huard (28-6-10-16)
So.Alex Gagne-(33-1-7-8)---------Jr.Luke Reid (34-3-5-8)
Fr.Damien Carfagna (NA)----------Jr.Nikolai Jenson-(30-1-5-6)
Fr.Brendan Fitzgerald-(NA)--------So.Nico DeVita (29-1-2-3)
[Fr.Cade Penney (NA)]

Fr.Tyler Muszelik----------Sr.David Fessenden------------Jr.Jeremy Forman
Blaisdell and Stevenson are Seniors? Wait, what?

Serious lack of offensive production from next year's senior forwards.

Love Joe Hankinson, pick him for 1st goal of the game whenever he is in the lineup, but he is a prime example of roster depth where I would prefer having former NHIAA kids on the roster.
 
Love Joe Hankinson, pick him for 1st goal of the game whenever he is in the lineup, but he is a prime example of roster depth where I would prefer having former NHIAA kids on the roster.

Hankinson's dad is a Minnesota player agent, so was taken as a favor to open our pipeline to the Minnesota market (Richels, Maass) and Tim Stutzle

https://puckpedia.com/agent/ben-hankinson

Remember, in the Souza/Umile world, its not what you do, but who you know. (Connor Sweeney/Joe Sacco, thinking of you too.)
 
Last edited:
Not so much sarcasm as unconventional. Look, Souza has a final year, and if he choses to go with older players who he trusts rather than freshmen who will need a year or two to develop, its not great, but let Souza finally own it. Come March 5, the new AD can decide.

So just so I get it you are saying Souza's choice of these two players will circumvent the development of his incoming Freshmen? We are only talking about 2 players here..and I'm thinking the Sophs like Cronin and Devlin continue to get great play time ahead of these Seniors (like they did this season) (exception Stevenson).

Plus am thinking a couple of the incoming players are already going to be better than a few of them (upperclassman) with time...IF..they get ice time. How far off am I in this thinking and what am I missing...
 
Just reading the personnel moves, but I suspected that Souza was looking for experience more than long term upside when they brought a lower ceiling kid like Lovett. Once the Ardanaz/Evans moves played out, with transfers DeVita/Black taking their spots, it seems to confirm a conscious trade of experience against upside. My theory is that this is Souza's last chance, and he's not going to take it developing players. Not irrational when you think of it from his perspective, but also a short term solution at the expense of longer term upside. If you roll out Evans next year, you get maybe 7-10 points with weaker defense. But you may get a top line player by his junior/senior year. With Lovett you get more responsibility, but with 7-10 points but 10 points as a junior/senior on the third line. With Black, you may get 10-15 points next year as his last season. I had not seen Dan's statement that Sardarian may be deferred to 23, but with his modest USHL stats, or even Turner's modest USHL stats, they would be less ready than Black. Again, you risk the longer term upside of these kids, but Souza's thinking seems to solely next year, so he can claim some results with he meets with the new AD after next year.


TL, DR: The tradeoff is more against next year's freshmen not matriculating. Its not the sophomores like Cronin/Devlin. There's enough playing time for all of them.
 
Last edited:
Just reading the personnel moves, but I suspected that Souza was looking for experience more than long term upside when they brought a lower ceiling kid like Lovett. Once the Ardanaz/Evans moves played out, with transfers DeVita/Black taking their spots, it seems to confirm a conscious trade of experience against upside. My theory is that this is Souza's last chance, and he's not going to take it developing players. Not irrational when you think of it from his perspective, but also a short term solution at the expense of longer term upside. If you roll out Evans next year, you get maybe 7-10 points with weaker defense. But you may get a top line player by his junior/senior year. With Lovett you get more responsibility, but with 7-10 points but 10 points as a junior/senior on the third line. With Black, you may get 10-15 points next year as his last season. I had not seen Dan's statement that Sardarian may be deferred to 23, but with his modest USHL stats, or even Turner's modest USHL stats, they would be less ready than Black. Again, you risk the longer term upside of these kids, but Souza's thinking seems to solely next year, so he can claim some results with he meets with the new AD after next year.

TL, DR: The tradeoff is more against next year's freshmen not matriculating. Its not the sophomores like Cronin/Devlin. There's enough playing time for all of them.

Babson.

When MS7 sees his career circling the drain, players running for the lifeboats, and he's in serious need of pulling an ace out from under his sleeve ... we get a fifth year senior from Babson.

Souza has officially "jumped the shark". Can we get Metcalf in ASAP and just fire him now?
 
Back
Top