UNH Wildcats 2014 Post-Season Thread: "Maybe Dick" Hunts the Great White Whale

[e.cat]

Why do you say that? Why wish to deny other teams the chance to get their first title? Clearly, I'd prefer UNH wins the next national title, but until that happens, somebody has to win, and I'd rather it be a team that has never won it, rather than a team (such as UND, Minny, BC, Wisco, etc.) who have done it many times. And as far as I'm concerned, Maine could never win another title, and it would still be too soon, even though they have two*.

You're right. It was great to see a Union team with no drafted players beat a Minny with 14 drafted players. The excitment for those players after the game was fun to watch. Congrats to them

 

[NCAA watcher]

Not so rhetorical....first off you get rid of an Admissions Director who doesn't allow quality players in to the program...then you get rid of an AD who during his reign has seen the hockey program falter to the point where an always sold out Whitt cannot fill the house for Michigan or Notre Dame!! Maybe then you can get some puck luck....I know your enjoy a Umile fan 1982, but he still does well with the players he's given....IMHO

Valid points for earlier 07-11 period but loses some of its impact when dealing with the Union player UNH lost because they broke their commitment to him, or the 3 time Denver all-American and college rookie of the year who UNH lost because they didn't communicate with him. Those are all on the coaching staff.

Congrats Mike V and am always happy to see someone stick it to people who don't hold up their end of the trust exercise (even when the stickee is my favorite team and even if it means hockey dad becomes more unbearable).

But remember that it is the old facilities and the admissions department that have caused the drip in talent level.

 

[HockeyRef]

Re: UNH Wildcats 2014 Post-Season Thread: "Maybe Dick" Hunts the Great White Whale

Re: UNH Wildcats 2014 Post-Season Thread: "Maybe Dick" Hunts the Great White Whale

Valid points for earlier 07-11 period but loses some of its impact when dealing with the Union player UNH lost because they broke their commitment to him, or the 3 time Denver all-American and college rookie of the year who UNH lost because they didn't communicate with him. Those are all on the coaching staff.

Congrats Mike V and am always happy to see someone stick it to people who don't hold up their end of the trust exercise (even when the stickee is my favorite team and even if it means hockey dad becomes more unbearable).

But remember that it is the old facilities and the admissions department that have caused the drip in talent level.

Watcher the old facilities comment...sure the 'Whitt isn't the Agganis or the Conte Forum but I have my doubts that it causes kids NOT to come to UNH...and yeah it needs a 'tron or video board...I enjoy going to games there and it is prob. time to renovate it. Also, Mike V had respectful comments regarding the UNH situation in an article I just read. There's no use in crying over him anymore and I am glad he has found success at Union. Sometimes things don't work out and it's water "over the ice" to coin a phrase I doubt he had any thoughts regarding UNH when the final buzzer went off... Congrats to him on a fantastic season. He's where he belongs!

 

[HockeyRef]

Re: UNH Wildcats 2014 Post-Season Thread: "Maybe Dick" Hunts the Great White Whale

Re: UNH Wildcats 2014 Post-Season Thread: "Maybe Dick" Hunts the Great White Whale

You're right. It was great to see a Union team with no drafted players beat a Minny with 14 drafted players. The excitment for those players after the game was fun to watch. Congrats to them

I too tip my Operation Hat trick hat to Union; they put together a fantastic season...a school with 2200 kids and NO drafted players! They really took it to Minny and deserved that win. Congrats to their fans too...

 

[Hokydad]

Re: UNH Wildcats 2014 Post-Season Thread: "Maybe Dick" Hunts the Great White Whale

Re: UNH Wildcats 2014 Post-Season Thread: "Maybe Dick" Hunts the Great White Whale

Vechionne!!!!!!!!

 

[johnk]

Re: UNH Wildcats 2014 Post-Season Thread: "Maybe Dick" Hunts the Great White Whale

Re: UNH Wildcats 2014 Post-Season Thread: "Maybe Dick" Hunts the Great White Whale

I too tip my Operation Hat trick hat to Union; they put together a fantastic season...a school with 2200 kids and NO drafted players! They really took it to Minny and deserved that win. Congrats to their fans too...

One drafted player who was by far the best player on he ice but still amazing.

 

[HockeyRef]

Re: UNH Wildcats 2014 Post-Season Thread: "Maybe Dick" Hunts the Great White Whale

Re: UNH Wildcats 2014 Post-Season Thread: "Maybe Dick" Hunts the Great White Whale

One drafted player who was by far the best player on he ice but still amazing.

thanks John that has to be Shayne G...? Oops! What a competitor he is...unbelievable! He will have an amazing future wherever he goes!

 

[Snively65]

thanks John that has to be Shayne G...? Oops! What a competitor he is...unbelievable! He will have an amazing future wherever he goes!

May not play in Flyers last game of regular season against 'Canes in Philly today (although he is right there, so why not?), but my guess is that he will see ice time in the Flyers first round against the Rangers.

 

[HockeyRef]

Re: UNH Wildcats 2014 Post-Season Thread: "Maybe Dick" Hunts the Great White Whale

Re: UNH Wildcats 2014 Post-Season Thread: "Maybe Dick" Hunts the Great White Whale

So Yale and now Union have captured their first NCAA championship. . . why the F can't UNH ever go on a run like that? Frustrating.

Welp...here's something from the Seacoastonline guys regarding UNH's inabilities to win the NCAA's... FWIW department...this appeared prior to this year's season..some valid points here that have been hashed over by many on this board. I'm still of the opinion that "in any given year" with the right mix...anything can happen! Still love the 'Cats and, 'hope springs eternal' beginning next season!! Discuss amongst yourselves!

Frank Coppola
Sports editor
Twitter: @FCoppolaSMG
Recruiting. It's been a while since the Wildcats had a legitimate Hobey Baker candidate, something that was quite common 10 to 15 years ago. There are many reasons for that, of course, including the growth of college hockey and the increased parity that comes with it. But UNH has also been handicapped by its home rink over the years. The Whittemore Center and its Olympic-sized ice sheet is terrific for attracting speedy forwards and athletic defensemen who can race up and down the ice. What the Wildcats have been missing for the past decade-plus are big, strong players who can mix it up in the corners when the playoffs start and the ice gets smaller. The UNH program always reminds me of a high-scoring NFL team that puts up points in the regular season but wilts against defensive-minded foes in the playoffs. Too often UNH players have gotten pushed around by tougher opponents in the Hockey East and NCAA tournaments. It's great to have talent — Boston College has had plenty in recent years — but the Eagles boast toughness too. To win a national championship, you need to have both.

Jay Pinsonnault
Assistant sports editor
Twitter: @jaypince
Dick Umile. The longtime coach began his 24th season behind the UNH bench on Friday at the Ice Breaker tournament in Minneapolis. He is a six-time Hockey East Coach of the Year and is the winningest coach in program history, passing Charlie Holt in 2005. His 520 career wins rank him fourth among active coaches, trailing Jerry York (Boston College), Red Berenson (Michigan) and Don Lucia (Minnesota). No one has doubted Umile's record in the regular season, as the Wildcats have missed the NCAA tournament just three times (1996, 2001 and 2012) in the past 20 years. However, it is the NCAA tournament where the Wildcats have had their problems. UNH has not been able to win a national title under Umile, losing in the semifinals in 1998 (Michigan) and 2002 (Maine) and the championship in 1999 (Maine) and 2003 (Minnesota). It has been 10 years since the Wildcats advanced past the quarterfinal round in the NCAAs, and although Umile has won more than 500 games in his career, he has come up short when it mattered most and UNH is still seeking its first national championship.

Mike Zhe
Staff writer
Twitter: @MikeZhe603
Goaltending. This isn't a knock on current No. 1 netminder Casey DeSmith, who's regarded as one of the better guys at his position in Hockey East, nor his immediate predecessors like Matt DiGirolamo and Brian Foster. But the Wildcats haven't had that kind of lights-out, ride-my-shoulders to a Frozen Four type of backstop since the days of Ty Conklin or Mike Ayers, or even Kevin Regan, who never quite got the 'Cats to a Frozen Four. There will always be grumbles that the Olympic-size sheet of home ice at the Whittemore Center puts the team at a disadvantage when it reaches Hockey East and NCAA tournament play, but how many standout players — forwards, particularly — has it helped recruit through the years since it opened in 1995? The way the program's been built, the Wildcats are annually one of a dozen or so teams good enough to reach the Frozen Four, a solid foundation to any season. A spate of great March goaltending puts them over the top.

Ryan O'Leary
Staff writer
Twitter: @RyanOLearySMG
Toughness. Pick your poison on the culprit — leadership, coaching, schedule — but the Wildcats never seem to be that team that gets hot at the right time. Take last year for example. They came out on fire, then won back-to-back games only twice in the second half of the season. They won only four of their last 15 games. In other words, they sputtered during the season's most important stretch. Now, part of it stems from playing in the country's toughest conference. No easy wins in Hockey East. But the Wildcats haven't won their conference tournament since 2003, and that just so happens to be the last time they made an appearance in the Frozen Four. That's not a coincidence. It's time for UNH to figure out how to win the big ones, win Hockey East and enter the NCAAs with some positive momentum. The Wildcats have reached, and lost, in the regional final in the last four years they've qualified for the tournament. Confidence is everything in sports. Coach Dick Umile and Co. have to find it.

Terrill Covey
Correspondent
Twitter: @tcovey11
Hockey East. While it is true that playing the best allows you to become the best, sometimes playing the best just helps you accumulate losses. The depth in Hockey East is so strong that the grind of the play could wear down the Wildcats and make it difficult for them to maintain success for the long haul. UNH seems to be solid across the board with a strong defense, led by goalie Casey DeSmith, and a balanced offense, but there is nothing that blows you away about this team. They should be in the middle of the pack in Hockey East again this season, and once they make the NCAA tournament (which they should) they are bound to run into one of those top teams in the league, as they did last year. The 2013-2014 incarnation of the Wildcats will, once again, be one of the best teams in the country, playing in one of (if not THE) best leagues in the country, but they don't have that one or two superstars who can put them over the top and carry the team through the playoff run to a championship.

 

[Chuck Murray]

Re: UNH Wildcats 2014 Post-Season Thread: "Maybe Dick" Hunts the Great White Whale

Re: UNH Wildcats 2014 Post-Season Thread: "Maybe Dick" Hunts the Great White Whale

Rating the quality of the responses provided by the folks at Seacoastonline (because I know they want to hear from me ):

Frank Coppola
Sports editor
Twitter: @FCoppolaSMG
Recruiting. It's been a while since the Wildcats had a legitimate Hobey Baker candidate, something that was quite common 10 to 15 years ago. There are many reasons for that, of course, including the growth of college hockey and the increased parity that comes with it. But UNH has also been handicapped by its home rink over the years. The Whittemore Center and its Olympic-sized ice sheet is terrific for attracting speedy forwards and athletic defensemen who can race up and down the ice. What the Wildcats have been missing for the past decade-plus are big, strong players who can mix it up in the corners when the playoffs start and the ice gets smaller. The UNH program always reminds me of a high-scoring NFL team that puts up points in the regular season but wilts against defensive-minded foes in the playoffs. Too often UNH players have gotten pushed around by tougher opponents in the Hockey East and NCAA tournaments. It's great to have talent — Boston College has had plenty in recent years — but the Eagles boast toughness too. To win a national championship, you need to have both.

8. Gets off to a weak start with excuses about parity and the size of the arena (pretty sure playing on an Olympic-sized sheet hasn't caused too much damage to Minnesota), but finishes strong with the program's long-standing history of being averse to physical play. There was a good reason Pat Foley had a letter on his jersey for three seasons during the program's apex seasons, and it wasn't for his slick playmaking skills. Considering the size of the backline over the last two seasons, that was a HUGE lost opportunity.

Jay Pinsonnault
Assistant sports editor
Twitter: @jaypince
Dick Umile. The longtime coach began his 24th season behind the UNH bench on Friday at the Ice Breaker tournament in Minneapolis. He is a six-time Hockey East Coach of the Year and is the winningest coach in program history, passing Charlie Holt in 2005. His 520 career wins rank him fourth among active coaches, trailing Jerry York (Boston College), Red Berenson (Michigan) and Don Lucia (Minnesota). No one has doubted Umile's record in the regular season, as the Wildcats have missed the NCAA tournament just three times (1996, 2001 and 2012) in the past 20 years. However, it is the NCAA tournament where the Wildcats have had their problems. UNH has not been able to win a national title under Umile, losing in the semifinals in 1998 (Michigan) and 2002 (Maine) and the championship in 1999 (Maine) and 2003 (Minnesota). It has been 10 years since the Wildcats advanced past the quarterfinal round in the NCAAs, and although Umile has won more than 500 games in his career, he has come up short when it mattered most and UNH is still seeking its first national championship.

6. Easiest shot in the house. Let's see ... wins lots of games, gets teams to the Frozen Four, and comes up short. Check, check and check. The question this then begs is ... why? I don't see any mistakes, but I also don't see any answers offered here.

Mike Zhe
Staff writer
Twitter: @MikeZhe603
Goaltending. This isn't a knock on current No. 1 netminder Casey DeSmith, who's regarded as one of the better guys at his position in Hockey East, nor his immediate predecessors like Matt DiGirolamo and Brian Foster. But the Wildcats haven't had that kind of lights-out, ride-my-shoulders to a Frozen Four type of backstop since the days of Ty Conklin or Mike Ayers, or even Kevin Regan, who never quite got the 'Cats to a Frozen Four. There will always be grumbles that the Olympic-size sheet of home ice at the Whittemore Center puts the team at a disadvantage when it reaches Hockey East and NCAA tournament play, but how many standout players — forwards, particularly — has it helped recruit through the years since it opened in 1995? The way the program's been built, the Wildcats are annually one of a dozen or so teams good enough to reach the Frozen Four, a solid foundation to any season. A spate of great March goaltending puts them over the top.

5. Probably a good point, although the credibility of the point is cast into immediate doubt when you are left to assume the last three goalies have been among "the better guys at his position in Hockey East". Uh, no - not really. Basically, average HE goalies. But with two of those kids NH natives, I understand you gotta be careful about ripping into the locals. I'm also not sure I'm buying into the "hot goalie" theory at the end either. It's not worked yet for Lowell or Providence, and it didn't work for UMass Amherst when they had Quick either. BU and BC seemed to do pretty good with goalies who will not be NHL stars anytime soon. I do agree it's been awhile since UNH had the quality of Conklin or Ayers between the pipes, and Regan was the closest since Ayers moved on.

Ryan O'Leary
Staff writer
Twitter: @RyanOLearySMG
Toughness. Pick your poison on the culprit — leadership, coaching, schedule — but the Wildcats never seem to be that team that gets hot at the right time. Take last year for example. They came out on fire, then won back-to-back games only twice in the second half of the season. They won only four of their last 15 games. In other words, they sputtered during the season's most important stretch. Now, part of it stems from playing in the country's toughest conference. No easy wins in Hockey East. But the Wildcats haven't won their conference tournament since 2003, and that just so happens to be the last time they made an appearance in the Frozen Four. That's not a coincidence. It's time for UNH to figure out how to win the big ones, win Hockey East and enter the NCAAs with some positive momentum. The Wildcats have reached, and lost, in the regional final in the last four years they've qualified for the tournament. Confidence is everything in sports. Coach Dick Umile and Co. have to find it.

7. Toughness, as noted by Coppola, is a huge element that's been missing for FAR too long. A little too heavy into the "Hockey East is the greatest" propaganda for my liking, as that's looking increasingly provincial and foolish, given the rise of the ECAC. But Ryan is on the right track with issues such as leadership and confidence (or lack thereof). Maybe a little more talent would breed more confidence, but those kids from that little he11hole in Schenectady just won the D-1 title with zero (0) drafted players. See toughness above.

Terrill Covey
Correspondent
Twitter: @tcovey11
Hockey East. While it is true that playing the best allows you to become the best, sometimes playing the best just helps you accumulate losses. The depth in Hockey East is so strong that the grind of the play could wear down the Wildcats and make it difficult for them to maintain success for the long haul. UNH seems to be solid across the board with a strong defense, led by goalie Casey DeSmith, and a balanced offense, but there is nothing that blows you away about this team. They should be in the middle of the pack in Hockey East again this season, and once they make the NCAA tournament (which they should) they are bound to run into one of those top teams in the league, as they did last year. The 2013-2014 incarnation of the Wildcats will, once again, be one of the best teams in the country, playing in one of (if not THE) best leagues in the country, but they don't have that one or two superstars who can put them over the top and carry the team through the playoff run to a championship.

3. Wow, this one misses by a mile. UNH seemed to do OK against the force of nature that Hockey East supposedly is, but tripped up on out of conference opponents from apparently inferior leagues. Ha ha. I'll grant him "solid defense and DeSmith" being generous, but a balanced offense? Uh, not quite. Obviously "one of the best teams in the country" that should make the NCAA's didn't quite pan out. Knodel and Goumas arguably WERE the 1-2 superstars to carry the team in the playoffs ... but you need more than that.

 

[Snively65]

Re: UNH Wildcats 2014 Post-Season Thread: "Maybe Dick" Hunts the Great White Whale

Re: UNH Wildcats 2014 Post-Season Thread: "Maybe Dick" Hunts the Great White Whale

Good analysis of the talking heads, Chuck.

But, Gostisbehere was drafted pre-season, I think. Looking at his regular season numbers, TvR was right with him before breaking his leg in January. It will be interesting to see how these two do in the pro leagues.

And, how many speedy small forwards have we had since Steve Saviano and Sean Collins who could put the puck in the net? Goumas, and now maybe Willows?

I would be all in favor of Mahty raising some dough to dig up Lake Whitt, drop and narrow the ice surface to standard NHL dimensions, and add a Jumbotron, of course. I mean, how hard can this be for a fundraiser the calibre BS35?

 

[Chuck Murray]

Re: UNH Wildcats 2014 Post-Season Thread: "Maybe Dick" Hunts the Great White Whale

Re: UNH Wildcats 2014 Post-Season Thread: "Maybe Dick" Hunts the Great White Whale

I would be all in favor of Mahty raising some dough to dig up Lake Whitt, drop and narrow the ice surface to standard NHL dimensions, and add a Jumbotron, of course. I mean, how hard can this be for a fundraiser the calibre BS35?

If that's the case, all you need to do is look at the wonderful D-1 level football stadium across the street. NHIAA D-1, that is. And that's a slight to some of those NHIAA schools with better facilities.

For what it's worth, I think it would be a massive mistake to reduce the dimensions of the ice surface. You bring in tougher players, or you coach your talented players to become tougher players, and all this "too big" malarkey will disappear. Fix the behavior; don't try to finesse it by tricking/outsmarting your players into changing their behavior by changing the conditions surrounding them. Won't work.

Realistically, we're going to be playing with the Olympic-sized sheet until there is a new building sometime a century or two from now, so we can discuss this 'til the cows come home, but it's never gonna happen in the current footprint.

 

[HockeyRef]

Re: UNH Wildcats 2014 Post-Season Thread: "Maybe Dick" Hunts the Great White Whale

Re: UNH Wildcats 2014 Post-Season Thread: "Maybe Dick" Hunts the Great White Whale

Johnny Hockey gets his first one in the 2nd...losing at the moment. That didn't take long!

 

[Felger]

Re: UNH Wildcats 2014 Post-Season Thread: "Maybe Dick" Hunts the Great White Whale

Re: UNH Wildcats 2014 Post-Season Thread: "Maybe Dick" Hunts the Great White Whale

Saw in the Union Leader that Jock Mackenzie passed away.

I'm sure there are a lot of you on this forum that remember UNH's version of Johnny Most. (Of course, there are probably a number of you that don't know who Johnny Most was.)

But in any event Jock Mackenzie was a huge supporter of UNH athletics.

 

[WIrinkrat]

Re: UNH Wildcats 2014 Post-Season Thread: "Maybe Dick" Hunts the Great White Whale

Re: UNH Wildcats 2014 Post-Season Thread: "Maybe Dick" Hunts the Great White Whale

Peter Leblanc played his first career NHL game last night

 

[WildShawn]

Re: UNH Wildcats 2014 Post-Season Thread: "Maybe Dick" Hunts the Great White Whale

Re: UNH Wildcats 2014 Post-Season Thread: "Maybe Dick" Hunts the Great White Whale

I noticed that virtually all the UNH coaching staff is the same when I went there in 1999.

Except that the only constant is the head coach.. and maybe the trainer?

 

[Greg Ambrose]

Re: UNH Wildcats 2014 Post-Season Thread: "Maybe Dick" Hunts the Great White Whale

Re: UNH Wildcats 2014 Post-Season Thread: "Maybe Dick" Hunts the Great White Whale

Saw in the Union Leader that Jock Mackenzie passed away.

I'm sure there are a lot of you on this forum that remember UNH's version of Johnny Most. (Of course, there are probably a number of you that don't know who Johnny Most was.)

But in any event Jock Mackenzie was a huge supporter of UNH athletics.

Jock was the ultimate homer. Nothing wrong with that back in the day. Only time I ever met him was in the 1978 after UNH had won the Yale Bulldog Classic (?) in New Haven. Back to the hotel we went to celebrate, watching Jock down the better part of a fifth of bourbon during the process. Those were the days.

 

[JB]

Re: UNH Wildcats 2014 Post-Season Thread: "Maybe Dick" Hunts the Great White Whale

Re: UNH Wildcats 2014 Post-Season Thread: "Maybe Dick" Hunts the Great White Whale

If that's the case, all you need to do is look at the wonderful D-1 level football stadium across the street. NHIAA D-1, that is. And that's a slight to some of those NHIAA schools with better facilities.

For what it's worth, I think it would be a massive mistake to reduce the dimensions of the ice surface. You bring in tougher players, or you coach your talented players to become tougher players, and all this "too big" malarkey will disappear. Fix the behavior; don't try to finesse it by tricking/outsmarting your players into changing their behavior by changing the conditions surrounding them. Won't work.

Realistically, we're going to be playing with the Olympic-sized sheet until there is a new building sometime a century or two from now, so we can discuss this 'til the cows come home, but it's never gonna happen in the current footprint.

It is not the rink. It is the style. How many goals were scored over the weekend either through a screen, at the top the the crease, or off a tip?

I ask because it seems UNH tries to score no goals in these 3 ways. If they do try to score from the point through a screen it is seemingly never a quick wrist short that is hard to block.

Union scored that beautiful tip goal on a set 3 on 2 play. Fantastic! UNH never seems to have a guy drive the net stick on the ice in a 3-2.

It is a style problem, lack of physical play is a style problem, can't win face-offs is a style problem, game has changed and the coaching hasn't. I am resigned that the coaching must change for the team to move forward, but Umile will leave when he wants... so we will wait...

 

[unh_hockey]

Re: UNH Wildcats 2014 Post-Season Thread: "Maybe Dick" Hunts the Great White Whale

Re: UNH Wildcats 2014 Post-Season Thread: "Maybe Dick" Hunts the Great White Whale

Except that the only constant is the head coach.. and maybe the trainer?

I am not sure who does strength and conditioning, and I recall the former head of the womens team was coaching mens when I was in undergrad.

 

[The Zlax45]

I am not sure who does strength and conditioning, and I recall the former head of the womens team was coaching mens when I was in undergrad.

The whole coaching staff has changed at unh hockey since 1999 including Borek who was a head coach at Lake State in at least 2002 area and Tortella wasn't there when I graduated in 04