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UNH Wildcats 2018-2019: Souza the Opportunity or Louza the Opportunity

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Re: UNH Wildcats 2018-2019: Souza the Opportunity or Louza the Opportunity

Greg Ambrose said:
I watched portions of the BU-PC game last night (Bruins-Lightning were way more important) and, at home, playoff seeding on the line, against a meh team, they couldn't score until midway through the third period. I know they own the tie breakers with Lowell and Northeastern, and I have a lot of respect for Leaman as a coach, but I just don't see them going far once we get to the NCAAs. Appears that Hawkey is a major, major factor in their success, yes?
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Oettinger stood on his head. You weren't watching closely enough. Final SOG :D were 45-20. The entire third period was played in the BU end. It could have easily been 5-1. I wouldn't get too comfortable with thinking PC is a good matchup for anyone...
 
Re: UNH Wildcats 2018-2019: Souza the Opportunity or Louza the Opportunity

For those on this thread who enjoy calling out NHL first-round draft picks for underachievement, Charlie Coyle (who has managed more than 12 goals just TWICE in his seven-year career) should be a field day...
 
e.cat said:
Well, good pitching beats good hitting 70% of the time!
CC also had a sweet shootout goal! I personally like the trade. I'm not that enamored with Donato anyway!
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And, he has shored up the third line. It is not all about scoring and SOG?
 
Re: UNH Wildcats 2018-2019: Souza the Opportunity or Louza the Opportunity

Providence has a real tendency to make life hard on themselves and see a lot of goaltenders stand on their heads (especially against UNH). The Friars scored 15-goals in their recent 4-0-0 stretch against UML, UML, UM and UConn. Directly before that, they scored four goals (on 142 shots) in a 1-2-1 stretch against UVM, UVM, ME and ME. They have plenty of offensive skill, but they are often their own worst enemy when it comes to scoring (as they were last night, scoring once on 46 shots)...

Providence has scored more than 3 goals against UNH just ONCE* in the last four-years. Its a much better match-up for UNH than the more dynamic/consistent offenses of NU or UM, because its a slower, more hard-working game when the two face-off (its a half-court game, to use a BBall analogy). This limits the damage PC's (still massive) advantage in skill and talent can deliver. Up-tempo offenses like UM/NU feast on UNH because they goad the Wildcats into their preferred style of transition hockey and then take advantage...

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* For the record, UML has only scored more than 3 goals against UNH twice in the last four years - both eight-spots, two seasons ago. Northeastern has scored more than three against UNH six times in for years. UMass scored four and five in two games this season...
 
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Re: UNH Wildcats 2018-2019: Souza the Opportunity or Louza the Opportunity

Snively65 said:
And, he has shored up the third line. It is not all about scoring and SOG?
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It should be about scoring when you're biggest pre-deadline need is scoring depth. The Bruins have loads of bottom-six types. If they have success this post-season it will be largely due to the players that were already here prior to the trade deadline continuing to play as they are now (mainly Debrusk). Even if you don't like Donato, he has value and they could have used him to get a far more impactful player than Coyle (or simply gotten Coyle for proper value and kept Donato in Providence). They got a better player for much less the next day...
 
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Re: UNH Wildcats 2018-2019: Souza the Opportunity or Louza the Opportunity

Dan said:
Even if you don't like Donato, he has value and they could have used him to get a far more impactful player than Coyle (or simply gotten Coyle for proper value and kept Donato in Providence). They got a better player for much less the next day...
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Yes. That is true. And when he left BU, many of us were surprised in the sense that he never really realized his "potential" there. This seems to be (for better or worse) what the "book" is on him. On the other hand, "potential" is very subjective...
 
Dan said:
It should be about scoring when you're biggest pre-deadline need is scoring depth. The Bruins have loads of bottom-six types. If they have success this post-season it will be largely due to the players that were already here prior to the trade deadline continuing to play as they are now (mainly Debrusk). Even if you don't like Donato, he has value and they could have used him to get a far more impactful player than Coyle (or simply gotten Coyle for proper value and kept Donato in Providence). They got a better player for much less the next day...
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I do not think that the Bruins were going to get much value for Donato with him languishing in Providence, where he was not producing much there either.

Need some scoring or least some toughness on the bottom two lines when Pasternak returns to claim his spot in the top six.
 
Re: UNH Wildcats 2018-2019: Souza the Opportunity or Louza the Opportunity

My original post was not to compare Donato to Coyle or to evaluate the trade. By the way, Donato has six points and a +3 in his four games with Minnesota Wild winning all of them. Coyle has no points and a -1 in his three games with Boston winning two out of the three.

My main point of the post is to discuss how different organizations may value players and how there is a lot of luck in landing with an organization that values your skill set. Donato could have been a player that was half time NHLer and half time AHLer if he had not gotten traded away. Now he could be one of the top three or four scorers on an average NHL team.

I hope every player on the UNH hockey team gets the opportunity to play at the highest level possible and they become a part of an organization that values their respective skill sets!

Tonight is the first opportunity for our team to turn things around from last weekend and build positive energy going into the playoffs. The special teams will need to be a lot better and goaltending will need to match or exceed the goaltending of UM-L.
 
Re: UNH Wildcats 2018-2019: Souza the Opportunity or Louza the Opportunity

HockeyRef said:
Yes Grasso did get a medical red shirt (as far as I know) As far as Dawson goes, I didn't think it was feasible just something a few of the fans were throwing around...you (Chuck) make a good point about where he would fit in with what we have, and what we have coming in...
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UNH honoring the five seniors playing their last home games tonight.

Vela
Nazarian
Boyd
Miller
Cefalu
 
Re: UNH Wildcats 2018-2019: Souza the Opportunity or Louza the Opportunity

NCAA watcher said:
UNH honoring the five seniors playing their last home games tonight.

Vela
Nazarian
Boyd
Miller
Cefalu
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Hoping we will one day look back on them as the senior class that began our resurgence.
 
Re: UNH Wildcats 2018-2019: Souza the Opportunity or Louza the Opportunity

NCAA watcher said:
UNH honoring the five seniors playing their last home games tonight.

Vela
Nazarian
Boyd
Miller
Cefalu
Click to expand...

Meaning Dawson is back next year? If so, is retaining Dawson the direct catalyst for losing Bahn...?
 
Re: UNH Wildcats 2018-2019: Souza the Opportunity or Louza the Opportunity

Snively65 said:
I do not think that the Bruins were going to get much value for Donato with him languishing in Providence, where he was not producing much there either.

Need some scoring or least some toughness on the bottom two lines when Pasternak returns to claim his spot in the top six.
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I would disagree whole-heartedly. First of all, I do not think languishing applies to a 22 year-old top prospect averaging 2/3 a PPG in the AHL, during his first full-season as a pro. He may have some developing to do, but he's hardly struggling.

Just one year ago, Donato was a darling (and top goal-scoring) prospect. All he's done since then (again at 22) is score 12 goals in 50 NHL games (a 20 G/Season Pace) - I doubt the bloom has come off the rose for anyone but the Bruins (apparently). They could have gotten more impact for him - which is completely separate from the fact that they didn't have to give him up to acquire a guy like Coyle. Coyle's best scoring season in the NHL was 21 goals - Donato will do that on the regular and in his sleep, at a minimum. I'd expect he'll have a number of 25-30 goal seasons before his career is over and possibly as early as next year. You don't trade that for a hard-working, third-liner - that type of player is so much easier to find...

It does not surprises me at all, that Karson Kuhlman is the kind of prospect that recently has them excited, while Donato is the kind they're giving up on - but that is more of a concern for people who closely follow and support the Bruins. And I am not one of those people (though being the NHL rep. from Boston, I prefer they do well). So agree to disagree...
 
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Re: UNH Wildcats 2018-2019: Souza the Opportunity or Louza the Opportunity

NCAA watcher said:
Not sure I'd draw that conclusion.
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Its not a conclusion, as much as a general rumination. If Dawson does come back and Bahn had also matriculated, UNH would be looking at (assuming Gildon leaves) nine defenseman and eight-scholarship blue liners (including a so-so group of seven tied up for the next 3 years)...

Wyse - Maass
McKinnon - Verrier
Erickson - Dawson
Bahn - McElhaney
Hickey

It doesn't seem outside the realm of possibility that one of the three incoming D would have been asked to defer (and stuck up their nose)? It seems as likely as Bahn being dropped outright or changing his mind in a vacuum. Either way, if it allows UNH to add a true impact D for the future than that is for the best. Just a curiosity...
 
Re: UNH Wildcats 2018-2019: Souza the Opportunity or Louza the Opportunity

Dan said:
It does not surprises me at all, that Karson Kuhlman is the kind of prospect that recently has them excited, while Donato is the kind they're giving up on - but that is more of a concern for people who closely follow and support the Bruins. And I am not one of those people (though being the NHL rep. from Boston, I prefer they do well). So agree to disagree...
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Agreed. And sort of sad...I have mentioned this previously. The Bruins organization is stuck in a time warp and they worship the days of the rockem sockem 'Big Bad Bruins' of O'Reilly, Wensink, etc. They still don't seem to have figured out that the name of the game today is speed and skill. I can only speculate that they are a blueprint of Cam Neely (I think Sweeney basically does what Neely tells him), although I have no proof of this. How much of this is the Jacobs identifying potentially "expensive" players and jettisoning them is also open to debate. But with this kind of template, I wouldn't be surprised if it's another 39 years before they win a cup (and they wouldn't have won that one without Thomas standing on his head and a guy called Seguin -who apparently they didn't feel they needed either - having a giant game).
 
Re: UNH Wildcats 2018-2019: Souza the Opportunity or Louza the Opportunity

Beauty of a goal by Pierson!! Going to be a hummer of a third Go ‘Cats!!
 
Re: UNH Wildcats 2018-2019: Souza the Opportunity or Louza the Opportunity

Huge win. Played better as night when on, a nice reversal of trend. Had a hard time early of dispossessing them of the puck in our own end, that changed over the course of the 2nd and 3rd. Better on the breakout later in the game, and generally played much more aggressively in the latter two periods. Stayed out of the box after taking three earlier on. Robinson rock solid.

A case where SOG would tell you the exact opposite!

Great game to watch, period. Wish we had more than a “Friday night crowd”. Especially on senior night.
 
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