UNH Wildcats 2013-14 Season Thread (Part 2)

[Snively65]

Oh that's right; forgot about that break! Well that's a good thing since I just bought tix to the Fri nite Mack game! UNH...at FULL STRENGTH!

Still might be early for TVR's return, as his ankle was a break, right? But, would be great to be full strength if there is a post-season. Lanny Gare's separated shoulder for our post-season run in 2003 still haunts me.

 

[unh1982]

Still might be early for TVR's return, as his ankle was a break, right? But, would be great to be full strength if there is a post-season. Lanny Gare's separated shoulder for our post-season run in 2003 still haunts me.

when did he brake his ankle, was it union series..

 

[C-H-C]

Re: UNH Wildcats 2013-14 Season Thread (Part 2)

when did he brake his ankle, was it union series..

"UNH All-American Trevor van Riemsdyk Injures Left Ankle"

 

[Goldie]

Re: UNH Wildcats 2013-14 Season Thread (Part 2)

If you are injured you are out of the loop. Sorry to say that but it is the reality. Those who played their hearts out this weekend should be focused on for futur games. Pesce and Agosta picked up the extra ice time and paid off in spades. Gaudreault got his opportunity and showed his colors. These might have been the best collective team efforts all season. That is the most encouraging aspect this weekend. This grouping of players carried an incredible pace. Hope they can maintain thatfor the next. 6.

 

[New Hampshire 'Cats Fan]

Re: UNH Wildcats 2013-14 Season Thread (Part 2)

UNH hockey completes weekend sweep of Notre Dame

 

[wildcatdc]

they really need two wins against Vermont, currently unh is 14 in power, that would give them a cushion . As poor as Bu has been playing unh will probably lose one of the two...not getting ahead of myself but a big if, if they win 5 out the next six that ought to give them their NCAA birth ...of course if they fall flat in the first round of playoff's, doom.

I think to be safe, it has to be 5 out of 6 PLUS a trip to the Garden in the HE playoffs. An early exit in the HE playoffs could put us in a problem situation. Sweeping Vermont would be nice. Beating up on the Mack and BU (and there is no easy game in HEA) won't be the same as if we'd had a few quality wins earlier this year, that were in our grasp (Minn, UML, MIchigan come to mind).

 

[Snively65]

they really need two wins against Vermont, currently unh is 14 in power, that would give them a cushion . As poor as Bu has been playing unh will probably lose one of the two...not getting ahead of myself but a big if, if they win 5 out the next six that ought to give them their NCAA birth ...of course if they fall flat in the first round of playoff's, doom.

I agree with WildcatDC that the Cats need to get to the Gahden for the HE tourney this year, given their mediocre OOC record. I suppose that it might be possible that five HE teams could make the NCAAs, if one of the better teams gets upset and does not get to the Gahden, say BC, PC, or UML.

 

[Chuck Murray]

Re: UNH Wildcats 2013-14 Season Thread (Part 2)

If you are injured you are out of the loop. Sorry to say that but it is the reality. Those who played their hearts out this weekend should be focused on for futur games. Pesce and Agosta picked up the extra ice time and paid off in spades. Gaudreault got his opportunity and showed his colors. These might have been the best collective team efforts all season. That is the most encouraging aspect this weekend. This grouping of players carried an incredible pace. Hope they can maintain thatfor the next. 6.

Overall, I agree with this sentiment. But realistically, you know that Downing and TvR will be back in the line-up as soon as they can play. Smith ... maybe not so automatic. The good thing though is the depth players on the team have gained some confidence and shown what they are capable of when called upon, and that's a VERY good thing for ANY team. Nothing builds team spirit better than success when faced with some adversity. And losing arguably your best defenseman AND your best forward at the same time is pretty much textbook "adversity". Losing them in the midst of a key run of a half-dozen games against teams around them and battling for playoffs home ice really sharpened the focus ... and three wins out of four so far is the right kind of answer you hope they'd produce.

I thought ND was a little overrated going in, and while I stand by that assessment, it takes nothing away from what the 'Cats were able to pull off this weekend. A little more of the same with the Catamounts next weekend, and maybe we can all start getting a little more positive and excited about the postseason outlook. But there's still plenty of work left to be done in these last 6 games, and no opponent can be overlooked. A good thing though is that by the time the BU and Merrimack games are being played, there's a good chance both of those teams could be locked into road dates for the play-in round, and have little/nothing to play for? We'll see ...

 

[Snively65]

Re: UNH Wildcats 2013-14 Season Thread (Part 2)

I think that teams always have their pride rather than "little or nothing to play for" (example, the Celtics this year). So, will take a focused effort from the entire team the rest of the way. Good to see the fourth line make the most of its limited shifts also. But, most of all, Umile should be pleased with getting the best of his more successful coaching adversary, Jeff Jackson, who has NCs with two different teams.

 

[Ryan422]

Re: UNH Wildcats 2013-14 Season Thread (Part 2)

I think that teams always have their pride rather "little or nothing to play for" (example, the Celtics this year). So, will take a focused effort from the entire team the rest of the way. Good to see the fourth line make the most of its limited shifts also. But, most of all, Umile should be pleased with getting the best of his more successful coaching adversary, Jeff Jackson, who has NCs with two different teams.

Correct me if I'm wrong but I thought Jackson won both of his NC's with LSSU. '92 & '94.

 

[Snively65]

Re: UNH Wildcats 2013-14 Season Thread (Part 2)

Correct me if I'm wrong but I thought Jackson won both of his NC's with LSSU. '92 & '94.

Oops, you are right, Ryan, and I am wrong. I was thinking of Jerwy York with his Bowling green NC in 1984 and several BC NCs in 2001, 08, 10, and 12. Also, Ned Harkness won at two different schools, at RPI in 1954 and Cornell in 1967. I was probably (mis)remembering the "what if" in the 2008 NC game at the Pepsi Center in Denver between BG and BC.

 

[Chuck Murray]

Re: UNH Wildcats 2013-14 Season Thread (Part 2)

Oops, you are right, Ryan, and I am wrong. I was thinking of Jerwy York with his Bowling green NC in 1984 and several BC NCs in 2001, 08, 10, and 12. Also, Ned Harkness won at two different schools, at RPI in 1954 and Cornell in 1967. I was probably (mis)remembering the "what if" in the 2008 NC game at the Pepsi Center in Denver between BG and BC.

Harkness also won a 3rd D-1 title with Cornell in 1970 (undefeated with Ken Dryden in goal, I believe?), and then went on to the NHL as coach and eventual GM of the Detroit Red Wings in the early/mid '70's. Let's just say that Ned probably should have stayed at the college level. Long time Red Wings fans (like yours truly) remember this sad era as the "Darkness with Harkness" years.

 

[Carmine Scarpaglia]

Re: UNH Wildcats 2013-14 Season Thread (Part 2)

Oops, you are right, Ryan, and I am wrong. I was thinking of Jerwy York with his Bowling green NC in 1984 and several BC NCs in 2001, 08, 10, and 12. Also, Ned Harkness won at two different schools, at RPI in 1954 and Cornell in 1967. I was probably (mis)remembering the "what if" in the 2008 NC game at the Pepsi Center in Denver between BG and BC.

Maybe you were thinking of Comley. He is the other coach aside from Harkness and York to win a title with two different programs...

 

[Felger]

Re: UNH Wildcats 2013-14 Season Thread (Part 2)

Harkness also won a 3rd D-1 title with Cornell in 1970 (undefeated with Ken Dryden in goal, I believe?), and then went on to the NHL as coach and eventual GM of the Detroit Red Wings in the early/mid '70's. Let's just say that Ned probably should have stayed at the college level. Long time Red Wings fans (like yours truly) remember this sad era as the "Darkness with Harkness" years.

Pretty sure Dryden was not on the undefeated team.

But if you are looking for a UNH angle to the Ned Harkness story I will offer one. When Harkness quit on Union College mid-season, the school President was Tom Bonner, who had gone to Union from UNH.

 

[Snively65]

Re: UNH Wildcats 2013-14 Season Thread (Part 2)

Maybe you were thinking of Comley. He is the other coach aside from Harkness and York to win a title with two different programs...

Spot on, Carmine. And, I now remember the topic coming up when Comley won with Michigan State in 2007, after winning at Northern Michigan over BU 16 years earlier, in 1991.

And, Felger, it was 1966-67 when Dryden was undefeated at Cornell (26-0-1, 1.46 GAA), followed with 25-2-0 records each of the next two years (1.52 and 1.79), for a not too shoddy collegiate career, not to mention his NHL career that followed. And, good recall on Tom Bonner; bet that he was glad to leave UNH after dealing with issues between the university and the MUL in the early 1970s.

 

[ExHockeyguy]

Re: UNH Wildcats 2013-14 Season Thread (Part 2)

Harkness also won a 3rd D-1 title with Cornell in 1970 (undefeated with Ken Dryden in goal, I believe?), and then went on to the NHL as coach and eventual GM of the Detroit Red Wings in the early/mid '70's. Let's just say that Ned probably should have stayed at the college level. Long time Red Wings fans (like yours truly) remember this sad era as the "Darkness with Harkness" years.

Actually, Cornell went undefeated the year AFTER Dryden left. I think they were 29-1 with Dryden, then the next year they rode a tiny goalie, under 5'10", (name escapes me) to 30-0 season and the title.

 

[Chuck Murray]

Re: UNH Wildcats 2013-14 Season Thread (Part 2)

Actually, Cornell went undefeated the year AFTER Dryden left. I think they were 29-1 with Dryden, then the next year they rode a tiny goalie, under 5'10", (name escapes me) to 30-0 season and the title.

Good catch, folks. The goalie's name was Brian Cropper ... all of 5' 7" - small even in an era when Dryden was considered huge.

 

[Snively65]

Re: UNH Wildcats 2013-14 Season Thread (Part 2)

A bit of thread drift here, but I stand corrected, as Cornell did lose a game in their 1966-1967 season, but must have been a goalie other than Dryden, as his stat sheets only show the 3-3 2OT tie to BU at the Boston Arena tournament over the December holidays. That game was followed by their only loss of the season to Yale. A friend attended one of the Boston Arena games with Cornell and Dryden playing in net when he was in grade school, as he mentioned it the other night as what he thought was a Bean Pot game, but I knew that could not have been the case.

http://www.collegehockeyweekly.com/1966-1967-Cornell-Big-Red.html

 

[Greg Ambrose]

Re: UNH Wildcats 2013-14 Season Thread (Part 2)

Pretty sure Dryden was not on the undefeated team.

But if you are looking for a UNH angle to the Ned Harkness story I will offer one. When Harkness quit on Union College mid-season, the school President was Tom Bonner, who had gone to Union from UNH.

In 1976 UNH played at Union when Harkness was the coach and Bonner was the president. UNH wasn't too shabby back them - Ralph Cox, Cliff Cox, Hislop, Tim Burke, etc. but Union beat them up pretty good that night. What I remember most about that night was, after the game, Bonner hosted a reception for the UNH team and fans in the curling facility at the lower level of the arena. Why a curling facility? Because the donor who shelled out the money, Mr. Achilles, was a curling nut and would only commit to the donation if curling lanes (is that what they call them) were part of the construction.

I believe that same year Union, which was a committed D3 Amherst/Williams/Bowdoin type school, got tired of Harkness bending the rules and canned him. And I believe Bonner was out as president a year or two later. Not sure of the dates but I know he left under cloudy circumstances.

 

[Greg Ambrose]

Re: UNH Wildcats 2013-14 Season Thread (Part 2)

A bit of thread drift here, but I stand corrected, as Cornell did lose a game in their 1966-1967 season, but must have been a goalie other than Dryden, as his stat sheets only show the 3-3 2OT tie to BU at the Boston Arena tournament over the December holidays. That game was followed by their only loss of the season to Yale. A friend attended one of the Boston Arena games with Cornell and Dryden playing in net when he was in grade school, as he mentioned it the other night as what he thought was a Bean Pot game, but I knew that could not have been the case.

http://www.collegehockeyweekly.com/1966-1967-Cornell-Big-Red.html

Remember the 3-3 tie with BU at the Arena. Scary that I remember that a guy named Darrell Abbott scored the tying goal. I watched that game on TV, channel 2. I think it was the first televised college hockey game I ever watched. Both teams were loaded.