UNH Wildcats 2016 Offseason Thread - Searching for Direction

[Snively65]

That's very exciting news!! I've been following her story; what an athlete! We will check in on this tonight thanks for posting the info! Go Elinor!!!

And, the Aussie, Laura Rose Donegan!

Let's get some Finns for our men's hockey team!

 

[Snively65]

Wow..didn't know it was that bad (all those ties...had forgotten) ...you are right tho..I think we would've ended up on the other side of things with this rule. Not that we were that speedy mind you, but had the talent (Pots, TyK) to put it in the net. Speculation, who would be our top 4 we'd put out there this year? My amateur guess: TyK, Vela, Eiserman, Cleland.

Oops, I screwed up and just fixed my post. Cats were 0-4-6 in OTs, with 0-2-3 at home and 0-2-3 away.
St L, L3-2, Cats were down 2-0
@UMass, T6-6, up 6-1 (ouch!)
@Mac, T3-3, up 2-1, down 3-2, EAG!
UMass, T2-2, up 1-0, up 2-1
@Maine, T3-3, up 2-0, down 3-2, tie goal at 18:20 3rd
@UVM, L3-2, down 2-0, tie goal at 16:48 3rd
UVM, T2-2, down 2-0, tie goal at 5:18 3rd
BU, T3-3, down 2-0, down 3-2, tie goal at 18:03 3rd
UConn, L5-4, up 3-0, up 4-1 (ouch!)
@Mac, L3-2, down 1-0, up 2-1

 

[Chuck Murray]

Re: UNH Wildcats 2016 Offseason Thread - Searching for Direction

Oops, I screwed up and just fixed my post. Cats were 0-4-6 in OTs, with 0-2-3 at home and 0-2-3 away.

Absolutely pitiful.

 

[Snively65]

Absolutely pitiful.

Pitiful, yes. But, IF we had:
1) won the UMass (led 6-1) and UConn (led 3-0) ties in regulation, and 2) won the Mac regular season tie in OT, our regular season OT record against HEA teams would have been 1-1-4, instead of 0-2-6.
And, we would have finished in 7th with 17 points, and UConn would have finished 10th with 14 points, so we would have hosted them at Lake Whitt, instead of visiting Mac in the first round. Then, who knows, we might have then taken 2 of 3 against UConn, and then taken 2 of 3 at PC for a return to the Garden.

 

[sonar]

Re: UNH Wildcats 2016 Offseason Thread - Searching for Direction

Absolutely pitiful.

Replicates record associated with "tightening up phenomena" in playoff history. I can find only one constant in this unsuccessful formula.

 

[Chuck Murray]

Re: UNH Wildcats 2016 Offseason Thread - Searching for Direction

Pitiful, yes. But, IF we had:
1) won the UMass (led 6-1) and UConn (led 3-0) ties in regulation, and 2) won the Mac regular season tie in OT, our regular season OT record against HEA teams would have been 1-1-4, instead of 0-2-6.
And, we would have finished in 7th with 17 points, and UConn would have finished 10th with 14 points, so we would have hosted them at Lake Whitt, instead of visiting Mac in the first round. Then, who knows, we might have then taken 2 of 3 against UConn, and then taken 2 of 3 at PC for a return to the Garden.

I'll have some of what you're drinking.

Hey - why stop at the Garden? A couple of breaks, and the 'Cats top NoDak for the biggie, no?

It's funny what we can talk ourselves into sometimes when we really really want to believe ...

 

[Snively65]

I'll have some of what you're drinking.

Hey - why stop at the Garden? A couple of breaks, and the 'Cats top NoDak for the biggie, no?

It's funny what we can talk ourselves into sometimes when we really really want to believe ...

I think that it was a bomber of Trillium Congress Street IPA.

But, I do not think that believing our team should have won those three games is so crazy; we still would have had a losing record of 13-17-4, which certainly would not have been worthy of winning at the Garden, breaks or not. But, getting to the Garden? Why not? We had two of the top five scorers in the country.

 

[Chuck Murray]

Re: UNH Wildcats 2016 Offseason Thread - Searching for Direction

I think that it was a bomber of Trillium Congress Street IPA.

But, I do not think that believing our team should have won those three games is so crazy; we still would have had a losing record of 13-17-4, which certainly would not have been worthy of winning at the Garden, breaks or not. But, getting to the Garden? Why not? We had two of the top five scorers in the country.

You are what your record says you are. If you were a better team, you'd win those games. But you didn't, and there were reasons, and it wasn't puck luck. Massaging your record is never the sign of a healthy program.

At least if the team was improving steadily over the course of the season - like the previous season - you'd have some reason to carry that hope forwards, "pick up where we left off", etc. But this past season, it was the exact opposite. In retrospect, it was a team that played over its ability for the first half of the season, and was exposed as such over the second half of the season. Hardly an unfamiliar pattern in these here parts, unfortunately. It was probably why some of us (myself included) over-reacted in retrospect to the strong finish of the previous season ... because it WAS an aberration from the usual pattern.

No, I'm afraid no amount of massaging the record changes the reality of the situation, snively65. Also, in your scenario, you had UNH taking two out of three against UConn, right? The same UConn that swept UNH a couple of weekends before the supposed rematch in which UNH was going to turn the tables, right?

Don't make me recite the "if's and but's" thing about my auntie and uncle, please ...

 

[HockeyRef]

Re: UNH Wildcats 2016 Offseason Thread - Searching for Direction

You are what your record says you are. If you were a better team, you'd win those games. But you didn't, and there were reasons, and it wasn't puck luck. Massaging your record is never the sign of a healthy program.

At least if the team was improving steadily over the course of the season - like the previous season - you'd have some reason to carry that hope forwards, "pick up where we left off", etc. But this past season, it was the exact opposite. In retrospect, it was a team that played over its ability for the first half of the season, and was exposed as such over the second half of the season. Hardly an unfamiliar pattern in these here parts, unfortunately. It was probably why some of us (myself included) over-reacted in retrospect to the strong finish of the previous season ... because it WAS an aberration from the usual pattern.

No, I'm afraid no amount of massaging the record changes the reality of the situation, snively65. Also, in your scenario, you had UNH taking two out of three against UConn, right? The same UConn that swept UNH a couple of weekends before the supposed rematch in which UNH was going to turn the tables, right?

Don't make me recite the "if's and but's" thing about my auntie and uncle, please ...

Chuck I agree with most of what you say here but I still think it's not necessarily a bad thing to be happy about how they finished up the year before. Sure, we know the strength of the teams that they played but that team made it to the Garden and that's an accomplishment, fwiw dept...UNH fans don't always have a ton to be thrilled about (other than personal achievements which are always nice) so we'll take it where we can get it I guess!! A return to the NCAA's would be a huge goal for this coming season seeing how they are in ManchVegas...

Anyway, it's all water over the ****ski and it won't be long til you (or someone) will be writing the prelude to the coming season! There were so many of those games that Snively65 talks about that could've gone either way but at the end...we were, what our record said we were and never really got it going. But the silver lining (I hope) is that more experience was gained by the underclassman, we have 2 healthy gk's for next season, new blood coming in the way of the Frosh class and the addition of the new Dman (who's name totally escapes me at the moment) so we'll see...Hope springs eternal!!

 

[Snively65]

Chuck I agree with most of what you say here but I still think it's not necessarily a bad thing to be happy about how they finished up the year before. Sure, we know the strength of the teams that they played but that team made it to the Garden and that's an accomplishment, fwiw dept...UNH fans don't always have a ton to be thrilled about (other than personal achievements which are always nice) so we'll take it where we can get it I guess!! A return to the NCAA's would be a huge goal for this coming season seeing how they are in ManchVegas...

Anyway, it's all water over the ****ski and it won't be long til you (or someone) will be writing the prelude to the coming season! There were so many of those games that Snively65 talks about that could've gone either way but at the end...we were, what our record said we were and never really got it going. But the silver lining (I hope) is that more experience was gained by the underclassman, we have 2 healthy gk's for next season, new blood coming in the way of the Frosh class and the addition of the new Dman (who's name totally escapes me at the moment) so we'll see...Hope springs eternal!!

You and Chuck are right, of course; "the Wildcats are who we thought they were." I really do not see this team getting back to the NCAAs any year soon, but there is always a chance for the Garden, given the flukiness of HEA.

 

[HockeyRef]

Re: UNH Wildcats 2016 Offseason Thread - Searching for Direction

You and Chuck are right, of course; "the Wildcats are who we thought they were." I really do not see this team getting back to the NCAAs any year soon, but there is always a chance for the Garden, given the flukiness of HEA.

Hey it's all good and not really a big deal in the big picture. And you are prob right on the NCAA thing. One can hope. I hear ya about the Garden; who knew we'd be there in '15. Lucky, I guess but you never know. When I think of what Northeastern did with their season it's just amazing. Just booked our trip to NYC this November...which seems like a long way off but will be here before we know it! Still steadfast on NOT going to "Frozen Fenway" but my season tix friends say otherwise...

 

[Snively65]

Re: UNH Wildcats 2016 Offseason Thread - Searching for Direction

Hey it's all good and not really a big deal in the big picture. And you are prob right on the NCAA thing. One can hope. I hear ya about the Garden; who knew we'd be there in '15. Lucky, I guess but you never know. When I think of what Northeastern did with their season it's just amazing. Just booked our trip to NYC this November...which seems like a long way off but will be here before we know it! Still steadfast on NOT going to "Frozen Fenway" but my season tix friends say otherwise...

Hey, HR, don't let us talk you out of Frozen Fenway. After all, I did not lose any digits to frostbite or suffer severe hypothermia.

 

[boblav1]

Re: UNH Wildcats 2016 Offseason Thread - Searching for Direction

MassLive article on Tyler Kelleher.
http://www.masslive.com/sports/2016...b08fdd10edf4be80638e29e144#incart_river_index

 

[Chuck Murray]

Re: UNH Wildcats 2016 Offseason Thread - Searching for Direction

Wayne Grtezky on Gordie Howe ...

http://www.freep.com/story/sports/nhl/red-wings/2016/06/14/wayne-gretzky-gordie-howe/85862142/

 

[Snively65]

Re: UNH Wildcats 2016 Offseason Thread - Searching for Direction

Thanks for posting the above two links, boblav and Chuck.

I had forgotten that Frank Vatrano was TyK's teammate in high school. Best wishes to TyK at the Pens' camp.

Really cool that Gretsky was invited to be a pallbearer for Gordie Howe.

 

[Felger]

Re: UNH Wildcats 2016 Offseason Thread - Searching for Direction

Four times on this page of this thread alone I've seen references to "getting to the Garden," "a chance at the Garden," etc. as if a trip to Causeway Street was some kind of Holy friggin Grail. It might have been in 1976, when an emerging team was struggling to get over that first round hump, and you actually had to work to get there. But its 2016 folks, and the obsession with "a trip to the Garden" says a lot about how low the bar is and how far the program has fallen. It used be if UNH got there and lost it was crushing - now its a feather in the cap. Am still amazed at the reverence for the fluky appearance there in 2015.

 

[Chuck Murray]

Re: UNH Wildcats 2016 Offseason Thread - Searching for Direction

OK to pass the time and use up thread space as we wait for the interminable offseason to turn into preseason ... using a very tenuous link to "Searching for Direction" ... today's subject is "Nomadic Championship Sports Franchises". Pick one or pick all, just something that crossed my mind while reviewing the NHL to Vegas/UNLV thread in this forum ... anyway, first up, baseball (due to longevity):

* Name the only franchise to win baseball's World Series in three (3) different cities?
* Name the other four (4) franchises to win the World Series in two (2) different cities?
* Name the only two (2) franchises to win multiple World Series titles in more than one city?
* Name the only (1) franchise to win the Series in different cities under different team nicknames?

(disclaimer/clue - despite my rooting interest, none of the answers above include "Montreal" or "Expos" )

Now we'll turn to pro football, and for purposes of these questions, "NFL Championships" will be constituted of Super Bowl (1966-present) and NFL Championship Game (1933-1965) winners. AFL Championship (1960-1965) and AAFC Championship (1946-1949) winners will be considered only for the questions that are specifically geared to multi-league winners. None of the WFL, USFL or XFL are considered here, as none of their teams were eventually merged into the NFL:

* Name the only franchise to have won the NFL Championship in three (3) different cities?
* Name the only three (3) franchises to win the NFL Championship in two (2) different cities?
* Name the five (5) cities to win NFL championships with two (2) different franchises?
* Name the only two (2) franchises to have won championships in two (2) different leagues?
* Name the only (1) franchise to have won championships in different leagues, in two different cities?

BONUS POINTS (True or False):

The NFL began competition in 1920. The 2001 Super Bowl Champion New England Patriots marked the first time a New England based team were recognized as NFL champions?

When the San Diego Chargers waxed the Boston Patriots 51-10 in the 1963 AFL Championship game, it marked the first time ever that a Boston based team had played in a professional football (NFL/AFL/AAFC) championship game?

A New England city has never hosted a professional football (NFL/AFL/AAFC) championship game?

Now onto bouncy-ball, because I have to save the best (hockey) for last ... this section includes only NBA Championships, with any ABA (1967-1976) exceptions specifically outlined:

* Name the only three (3) franchises to have won NBA Championships in two (2) different cities?
* From the last question ... what is the only (1) franchise to have won in different cities, with different nicknames?
* What are the only two (2) cities to have had two different franchises win a professional (NBA/ABA) championship?
* Name the only one of the four ABA franchises to merge with the NBA to never win a championship in either league?

Now, finally on to the NHL, which for our purposes will extend back to 1927 when the Stanley Cup was competed for solely by the NHL's teams, and awarded to the winner of the NHL playoffs. Questions will include the WHA and its Avco Cup (1973-1979) where appropriate:

* True/False - no NHL franchise has ever won the Stanley Cup in two or more different cities?
* True/False - excluding the Rangers/Islanders, no city has ever won the Stanley Cup with two different franchises?
* True/False - the Ottawa Senators have never won the Stanley Cup while they were part of the NHL?
* Name the two (2) franchises who have won both the Stanley Cup and the Avco Cup?
* 4 WHA franchises merged into the NHL in 1979. Which is the only one not to have since won the Stanley Cup?

BONUS POINTS: In 1967 the NHL expanded by six teams, doubling in size for the '67/'68 season. Of those initial expansion franchises, which is the only one (1) whose lineage (including franchise mergers and/or moves to different cities) cannot be traced to winning the Stanley Cup since?

This is the best I can do - not enough time or patience to do College Hockey Jeopardy these days - enjoy!

 

[HockeyRef]

Re: UNH Wildcats 2016 Offseason Thread - Searching for Direction

NBA trivia q: I know one of the teams that won 2 NBA titles in two diff cities because I followed them extensively as a kid:

The Lakers, when they were in Minneapolis and Los Angeles....and that's all I got.

 

[RENCEB]

Re: UNH Wildcats 2016 Offseason Thread - Searching for Direction

Pitiful, yes. But, IF we had:
1) won the UMass (led 6-1) and UConn (led 3-0) ties in regulation, and 2) won the Mac regular season tie in OT, our regular season OT record against HEA teams would have been 1-1-4, instead of 0-2-6.
And, we would have finished in 7th with 17 points, and UConn would have finished 10th with 14 points, so we would have hosted them at Lake Whitt, instead of visiting Mac in the first round. Then, who knows, we might have then taken 2 of 3 against UConn, and then taken 2 of 3 at PC for a return to the Garden.

...and if my Aunt had nuts she'd be my Uncle

 

[Snively65]

Re: UNH Wildcats 2016 Offseason Thread - Searching for Direction

Wow, it is going to be a long summer, and with Chuck's trivia quiz, the summer just got a lot longer, and it is not even summer quite yet.