UNH Wildcats 2012-2013 Season Thread

[NCAA watcher]

Re: UNH Wildcats 2012-2013 Season Thread

Maine won this last weekend because they were patient, smart, and when opportunity presented itself they hit the back of the net. UNH lost because they were impatient, dumb and did a good job of hitting the goalie in the chest.

The ice is routinely crap in Durham these days unless it is below 20 outside but that isn't the issue either.

Actually, the games I've watched the bouncing puck has mostly been due to slow unskilled players who have trouble handling the puck at top speed. I am a big proponent of using skills to score goals and hate the crash the net mentality. But with this talent level, I thought UNH was a bunch of kids who think they can move the puck quickly and score pretty goals, when they can't. Particularly on the powerplay, get the puck back to the point and bang it into the crowd up front, stop trying to do a pretty back door play.

 

[unh1982]

Re: UNH Wildcats 2012-2013 Season Thread

Actually, the games I've watched the bouncing puck has mostly been due to slow unskilled players who have trouble handling the puck at top speed. I am a big proponent of using skills to score goals and hate the crash the net mentality. But with this talent level, I thought UNH was a bunch of kids who think they can move the puck quickly and score pretty goals, when they can't. Particularly on the powerplay, get the puck back to the point and bang it into the crowd up front, stop trying to do a pretty back door play.

Watcher , after watching there demise , I see it a little different . On a larger sheet of ice I think some of your failures can be covered up . What I mean , time and space . Said this before here is a typical play that developes at the whitt. Opponent skates in over red line , (defense gives away blue line too ) player A dumps puck into the UNH zone . Player A usualy beats UNH defender to the puck along the boards. If puck stays in UNH zone for a duration , UNH has to go 120 feet to score and burn up energy already consumed . When Unh does gain control of the puck they play around with it to much looking for that perfect breakout ( large sheet allows this by having both time and space) this allows the opponent to not only back check but to set up a neutral trap . How often do you see UNH with odd man rushes , its a thing of the past . When they play in smaller venues I do see them play a different style but guess what there forced into it because conditions dictate (ie smaller ice service) they do push the puck up quicker , they do beat there man to the puck in there end . So playing on a larger sheet can and does create bad habits and can be very suttle and mistakes easily hidden . If you practice daily on a large sheet guess what can happen bad habits .... Im convinced this is a reason why UNH sometimes ( well seems like always ) fails or sputters near the end of the season . I think there guilty of not relying on speed and skating instead passing the puck ( yes puck moves faster than skates ), It is a double edge sword . You want to both move your feet and pass as opposed to being stationary and passing ( these are slight pit falls you can fall victim to when playing daily on a large sheet) .
I could be competely wrong and just whistling dixie but this is my observation.

 

[Snively65]

Actually, the games I've watched the bouncing puck has mostly been due to slow unskilled players who have trouble handling the puck at top speed. I am a big proponent of using skills to score goals and hate the crash the net mentality. But with this talent level, I thought UNH was a bunch of kids who think they can move the puck quickly and score pretty goals, when they can't. Particularly on the powerplay, get the puck back to the point and bang it into the crowd up front, stop trying to do a pretty back door play.

Yes, I agree 100%. I usually stand the entire game top row band's left and argue incessantly with my friend who wants the Cats "to cycle the puck" on the PP, which usually only gets them low angle shots that goalies easily deflect to the opposite corner, if we do not get picked off for odd-man rushes and SHG attempts. I agree that the Whitt has terrible ice, but more important, college players are not skilled enough to make the cutesy passes to create offense; those behind-the-back passes drive me nuts.

Same cutesy stuff was happening on every PP this past Saturday night, until I screamed "shoot it" with Knodel at the point, and he responded (I want an assist on that one, ). At least there is some chance of the puck getting through a screen, or the goalie leaving a rebound out front, with shots from the point.

If we had more big players who could post up in front of the net and pick up garbage goals, I might feel differently. But, we have not had such players in a long time, although Paul Thompson was pretty good at picking up some goals by hanging out around the net.

 

[sonar]

Re: UNH Wildcats 2012-2013 Season Thread

Obviously the worst thing for the program is the Olympic sized rink (except for when we were a post away from a national championship and played in 3 out of 6 Final Fours). And stop the recruits from playing on Olympic sized rinks in the USHL where they are unable to score.

pardon the snark, but if there was a systemic problem since 1995, wouldn't it manifest itself at all times, rather than just when the talent level goes down?

Ok .... Ok ....it is only the 2nd or 3rd "singular" reason for UNH difficulties during late and post season play

 

[unh1982]

Re: UNH Wildcats 2012-2013 Season Thread

Ok .... Ok ....it is only the 2nd or 3rd "singular" reason for UNH difficulties during late and post season play

Not all UNH teams develope bad habits but I think its one that can manifest itself if your not intuned . You would think the coaches would have there hand on the radar but it might not be evident . Im just implying that it can be an issue that can creep up . If i had all the answers I certainly wouldnt be typing . there are only a few issues that can crop up when playing on a large sheet , I hope its evident to them .

 

[sonar]

Re: UNH Wildcats 2012-2013 Season Thread

If we had more big players who could post up in front of the net and pick up garbage goals, I might feel differently. But, we have not had such players in a long time, although Paul Thompson was pretty good at picking up some goals by hanging out around the net.

May not be related in any way .... but didn't the UNH swoon this season begin with Burke leaving the line up .... he did post up in front of the net.

 

[Aerman]

Re: UNH Wildcats 2012-2013 Season Thread

.... but didn't the UNH swoon this season begin with Burke leaving the line up .... he did post up in front of the net.

My observation was that the swoon started when they reached #1 in the polls. Perhaps they need to be removed from access to media...

 

[catsfan]

Re: UNH Wildcats 2012-2013 Season Thread

The ice is routinely crap in Durham these days unless it is below 20 outside but that isn't the issue either.

JB and Snively65 have both commented on the ice. The past couple of years we have noticed how bad it is; the puck seems to be jumping and the ice looks like crud by the end of the period. I don't remember it ever being this bad; is there something wrong with the equipment? Global warming?

It has been embarrassing at some of the womens' games; several times they had to stop play and the players had to skate around to disperse the fog.

 

[freak]

Re: UNH Wildcats 2012-2013 Season Thread

Wasn't there talk like 8-10 years ago of UNH downsizing the rink to 200x85?

Yes. Bringing in the corners was later. As I recall, there was talk of bringing in one side of the rink to 90x200 or 95x200, as sort of a compromise between NHL/Olympic, and adding 1-2 rows of floor seats. The reason for only pulling in one side instead of doing it symmetrically, iirc, had something to do with the cooling pipes in the current slab.

 

[walrus]

Re: UNH Wildcats 2012-2013 Season Thread

It has been embarrassing at some of the womens' games; several times they had to stop play and the players had to skate around to disperse the fog.

I thought HE made all members but in dehumidification equipment to stop the fog?

 

[JB]

Re: UNH Wildcats 2012-2013 Season Thread

Actually, the games I've watched the bouncing puck has mostly been due to slow unskilled players who have trouble handling the puck at top speed.

My comment wasn't about the bouncing puck... just that the ice is crap.

However I agree that the bouncing puck is likely a skill problem in conjunction with the ice.

 

[freak]

Re: UNH Wildcats 2012-2013 Season Thread

I thought HE made all members but in dehumidification equipment to stop the fog?

It's been even more of a problem at Conte.

 

[Felger]

Re: UNH Wildcats 2012-2013 Season Thread

I'm with Watcher and JB on this one...the ice size is a red herring, from fans looking for a simplistic explanation to UNH's traditional problems...if I'm not mistaken one of the biggest NCAA failures - the beatdown by Denver - came in the pre-Whitt days (after UNH dropped a quarterfinal to PC as a higher seeded team.)

Also , considering that UNH only won a single game at the Whitt since mid January I have a hard time believing that the ice size masked any difficulties that otherwise appeared away from home.

 

[sonar]

Re: UNH Wildcats 2012-2013 Season Thread

Honest question: What is the record of the team in the HE semis/finals + NCAA games (assuming UNH has only played in a regulation size rink in the NCAAs) since moving to the Whitt from Snively?

Sure there are a few FFs and a few HE titles in there but they were bound to win a few games here and there as a result, right?

It's an interesting discussion.

I agree that it is an interesting question deserving of some form of statistical analysis. Perhaps someone majoring in "sports psychology" is looking for a thesis topic. Utilizing Nick's question and expanding the sample to include St. Cloud and Colorado College, and others(?) would make it even more interesting, I do not think Minnesota can be included in the sample (or the population) because they are in a world of their own with recruitment availability. By that I mean that even with a large ice surface they get the cream of the crop yearly from Minnesota .... but hey include them if you wish.

I still maintain that the large ice surface (when most do not use it) is a liability. By the way there has recently been a thread on here entitled something like "When will SCSU fold this year?"

 

[Snively65]

Re: UNH Wildcats 2012-2013 Season Thread

Obviously the worst thing for the program is the Olympic sized rink (except for when we were a post away from a national championship and played in 3 out of 6 Final Fours).

I thought that it was 4 out of 6 Final Fours? Seems so long ago. Sighhhhh....

 

[Goldie]

Re: UNH Wildcats 2012-2013 Season Thread

with all of this in depth analysis- any of you guys thinking about applying for Jackie Pahka's job?

 

[Rover]

Re: UNH Wildcats 2012-2013 Season Thread

Now that our pain is over here at BU, I can say it. Dick Umile should be fired immediately after the end of the season. He's had long enough. If Maine can win championships, so should UNH once in awhile. I'm sure he's a nice guy, great family man, cares about the players and all that, but that's not the point. I hate going up against a Jerry York or in past years a Sean Walsh coached team. A Umile team? He's about the only guy Parker could regularly outcoach. Get rid of him already, not because he's a bad guy, but because he's not getting the job done. Your fans have suffered enough.

 

[Nick Papagiorgio]

Re: UNH Wildcats 2012-2013 Season Thread

If Maine can win championships*

Asterisk added.

 

[Rover]

Re: UNH Wildcats 2012-2013 Season Thread

Asterisk added.

Not one to defend Walshy, but have you been to Orono? If I were a player forget about cash I'd be asking for gold bullion to play in that place.

 

[ClOuD 9]

Re: UNH Wildcats 2012-2013 Season Thread

Honest question: What is the record of the team in the HE semis/finals + NCAA games (assuming UNH has only played in a regulation size rink in the NCAAs) since moving to the Whitt from Snively?

Sure there are a few FFs and a few HE titles in there but they were bound to win a few games here and there as a result, right?

I can probably find that if I have some time, but more generally:

They won two regular season titles ('74 ECAC, '92 Hockey East) & one tournament title ('79 ECAC) in Snively. They made six NCAA appearances in the Snively era ('77, '79, '82, '83, '92, '94) including three semi-finals ('77, '79, '82).

They made an additional NCAA appearance in '94-'95 when most of their home games were played at JFK Arena in Manchester while the Whittemore Center was being built.

In the Whittemore Center era ('95-'96 season - present ) they've won seven regular season titles ('97, '99, '02, '03, '07, '08, '10) & two Hockey East tournaments ('02, '03). They've made fourteen NCAA appearances ('97, '98, '99, '00, '02, '03, '04, '05, '06, '07, '08, '09, '10, '11), four Frozen Fours ('98, '99, '02, '03), and two National Championship games ('99, '03).

Undoubtedly much of the success in the late 90's was directly tied to having a brand new building with which to recruit.

Can someone confirm their first year in Division I? I know they joined the ECAC for the 1967-1968 season, did they play any years as an independent prior to that or did they just make the jump from DII to ECAC?