HockeyRef
Well-known member
What the H is happening...it's a madhouse a madhouse! (said in Charlton Heston 'Planet of the Apes' voice)
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UNH Wildcats 2021/2022 - Return of the Champions of October?
- Thread starter Chuck Murray
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What the H is happening...it's a madhouse a madhouse! (said in Charlton Heston 'Planet of the Apes' voice)
Chuck Murray
WIS & Effingwoods Hockey Almanac
Meet the newly-crowned "Champions of October", your Merrimack College Warriors. Hang a banner.
We'll know UNH is on the right track when its teams improve over the course of a full season ...
Warriors going for weekend sweep at Agannis this evening, but NESN and NESN+ showing HEA OOC games instead. Scotty Borek and his Warriors getting no respect.
In Orono, Sacred Wallet going for weekend sweep.
Chuck Murray
WIS & Effingwoods Hockey Almanac
Getting what he (and they) deserve tonight, which is not much ...
Jon
Say, this is nice.
Ladies and gentlemen. It’s been a while.
the good news for the SMT’s is that it’s PC tradition to follow up a big win against a top team with a baffling loss - the 2001 Maine/Brown weekend comes to mind.
It would be easy to lose focus after playing the #1, #5, and #8 teams three games in a row.
the good news for the SMT’s is that it’s PC tradition to follow up a big win against a top team with a baffling loss - the 2001 Maine/Brown weekend comes to mind.
It would be easy to lose focus after playing the #1, #5, and #8 teams three games in a row.
Chuck Murray
WIS & Effingwoods Hockey Almanac
Jon, it's great to hear from you, it's been too long. You still out in the Midwest these days?
WIS predictions for today (after sitting out the ASU weekend, like the 'Cats apparently did):
Providence 5 UNH 2
Attendance 3,100
Over/Under: 5.5 goals (taking the over)
'Cats will try to claw back some respectability after a brutal no-show weekend in the desert, which went downhill fast after the cement-head 5th year senior goalie took a stupid penalty to turn the tide last Friday night. Looking for this to be a close one, but the Friars will hold on, and add some "padding" with an ENG or two in the late going to skate to a "comfortable" 5-2 win.
ClOuD 9
New member
Might get reported at 3,100 but historically Sundays are a TERRIBLE draw for UNH, even when we were still respectable in the late 2000's/early 2010's. Some of those Hockey East game 3 playoffs were sad sights.
I'd guess 1,000 real attendance at the absolute max, 2,500 reported.
Chuck Murray
WIS & Effingwoods Hockey Almanac
Boy, you nailed it. Watching it on the live streaming, looks like a "friends and family" affair.
Friars ahead 1-0 past the midway mark of the second period.
Chuck Murray
WIS & Effingwoods Hockey Almanac
End of two periods
Providence 2
UNH 0
More excitement watching the Zambonis drive in ovals between periods.
Both beaten out by the bonfire going at the WIES Estate right now. Bye ...
Providence 2
UNH 0
More excitement watching the Zambonis drive in ovals between periods.
Both beaten out by the bonfire going at the WIES Estate right now. Bye ...
Chuck Murray
WIS & Effingwoods Hockey Almanac
Suspect your Friars will grab at least 3 out of the 4 points on the table next weekend, Jon.
Didn't look like PC had to break a sweat tonight, very methodical performance all they needed.
Spent some fun work travel trips to Wausau WI in the early days of USCHO ...
Didn't look like PC had to break a sweat tonight, very methodical performance all they needed.
Spent some fun work travel trips to Wausau WI in the early days of USCHO ...
HockeyRef
Well-known member
According to box score on CHN, UNH took FOW 36-20; awesome!
What is FOW? We really need to generate offense....sigh.
Happens in da circles painted on da ice. FOW is da “new” SOG in importance, next to goals scored, of course. Some say dat FOW are irrelevant, like SOG, and SA.
HockeyRef
Well-known member
Happens in da circles painted on da ice. FOW is da “new” SOG in importance, next to goals scored, of course. Some say dat FOW are irrelevant, like SOG, and SA.
Lol gotcha!!!!!! Thats right my fave stat!!!
Chuck Murray
WIS & Effingwoods Hockey Almanac
From this morning's Union Leader is a quote with an unguarded, frank assessment of UNH's coaching capacity and abilities, coming straight from none other than the team's senior captain ...
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“I think we saw (Sunday) ... they’re incredibly detailed, they don’t give you anything,” UNH senior captain and defenseman Will MacKinnon said. “I think we’re right there with them in terms of talent level and skill level. ... We made a couple mistakes and that was the difference in the game.”
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So, according to the team's leader, UNH can match Providence's talent and skill, but the difference boils down to PC being better coached, thus avoiding the mistakes than cost UNH the game.
Then he continues with another frank assessment of the team's shortcomings on special teams ...
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“If we win the special-teams battle there in the second, it’s a completely different game.”
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Again, if we accept that UNH is "right there" with PC on talent and skill, it points to coaching, no?
Now, don't get me wrong, I don't think the skill level of the two programs is equal, PC looks far more talented, and they won this game without really getting too far out of neutral. Last night is what usually happens when a talented and well-coached team is up against a less talented and less well-coached team. The weaker team usually needs to catch the stronger team on an off-night, get some breaks, and be well-coached enough to hold off the stronger team when they push back later in the game. Providence probably wasn't at their best last night, but they did get the first goal, UNH didn't take advantage of the small number of opportunities the well-coached Friars gave them, and PC was disciplined enough to hold on for the win.
MacKinnon's comments don't make him a bad guy, and they don't disqualify him from a future in scouting or recruiting for a living, but they are instructive for his insight into what he and the other players think. It's not a flattering portrait of MS7 and his staff, when his own captain is admitting the detail and discipline of the opposing team is superior to yours.
With all that said ... what did Coach Souza have to say about last night's game?
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“Disappointing because I thought our team worked hard but you can’t win hockey games if you don’t score,” Souza said.
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That strikes me as either just another hockey platitude that our head hockey coach is known for churning out on a regular basis ... and/or an indictment on the skill level of his own players. There are a lot of different versions of the saying "work beats talent, unless talent works" and MS7 is allowing for the fact that his guys did work hard, so he's basically admitting that PC won the game on skill and talent, which in this sport is putting the puck in the net.
This is not a marriage made in hockey heaven, to say the least. The players think they're better than they are, and think the difference is other teams are better-coached, whilst the coaches think they're saddled with inferior talent (which is on their collective plates as the program's recruiters). And while I tend to agree with MS7's analysis of overall talent/skills on the two rosters last night, the mirror offers him the best explanation why that might be the case.
I know we're only one (1) game into the league schedule, but unless the players and coaches get on the same page, it's gonna be a looooong season in Durham, and a 10th or 11th place finish.
JMHO.
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“I think we saw (Sunday) ... they’re incredibly detailed, they don’t give you anything,” UNH senior captain and defenseman Will MacKinnon said. “I think we’re right there with them in terms of talent level and skill level. ... We made a couple mistakes and that was the difference in the game.”
---------------
So, according to the team's leader, UNH can match Providence's talent and skill, but the difference boils down to PC being better coached, thus avoiding the mistakes than cost UNH the game.
Then he continues with another frank assessment of the team's shortcomings on special teams ...
---------------
“If we win the special-teams battle there in the second, it’s a completely different game.”
---------------
Again, if we accept that UNH is "right there" with PC on talent and skill, it points to coaching, no?
Now, don't get me wrong, I don't think the skill level of the two programs is equal, PC looks far more talented, and they won this game without really getting too far out of neutral. Last night is what usually happens when a talented and well-coached team is up against a less talented and less well-coached team. The weaker team usually needs to catch the stronger team on an off-night, get some breaks, and be well-coached enough to hold off the stronger team when they push back later in the game. Providence probably wasn't at their best last night, but they did get the first goal, UNH didn't take advantage of the small number of opportunities the well-coached Friars gave them, and PC was disciplined enough to hold on for the win.
MacKinnon's comments don't make him a bad guy, and they don't disqualify him from a future in scouting or recruiting for a living, but they are instructive for his insight into what he and the other players think. It's not a flattering portrait of MS7 and his staff, when his own captain is admitting the detail and discipline of the opposing team is superior to yours.
With all that said ... what did Coach Souza have to say about last night's game?
---------------
“Disappointing because I thought our team worked hard but you can’t win hockey games if you don’t score,” Souza said.
---------------
That strikes me as either just another hockey platitude that our head hockey coach is known for churning out on a regular basis ... and/or an indictment on the skill level of his own players. There are a lot of different versions of the saying "work beats talent, unless talent works" and MS7 is allowing for the fact that his guys did work hard, so he's basically admitting that PC won the game on skill and talent, which in this sport is putting the puck in the net.
This is not a marriage made in hockey heaven, to say the least. The players think they're better than they are, and think the difference is other teams are better-coached, whilst the coaches think they're saddled with inferior talent (which is on their collective plates as the program's recruiters). And while I tend to agree with MS7's analysis of overall talent/skills on the two rosters last night, the mirror offers him the best explanation why that might be the case.
I know we're only one (1) game into the league schedule, but unless the players and coaches get on the same page, it's gonna be a looooong season in Durham, and a 10th or 11th place finish.
JMHO.
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