UNH Wildcats Official Wait til Next Year...14/15 thread

[Darius]

Re: UNH Wildcats Official Wait til Next Year...14/15 thread

To your point and Watcher's, the big gets that they got in Boguniecki, Nolan, Murray, etc. were IMO precipitated by the improvement that UNH enjoyed over the previous four seasons. These signings were announced in the fall of 1992 which, ironically, turned out to be a down year for UNH. However they were preceded by the success the Class of 1992, which made the Hockey East final for the first time in league history and made the NCAA tournament for the first time in 9 years. I wonder how much of a look these guys would have given UNH if McCloskey had been unable to point to this new era of UNH Hockey.

Savo Mitrovic!

 

[HockeyRef]

"Slow start, strong finish: New Hampshire carries hot streak into playoffs" by Jim Connelly

Loved this tells the tale of our season!

 

[Darius]

Re: UNH Wildcats Official Wait til Next Year...14/15 thread

College Hockey: Move to top line for UNH's Thrush has helped lift 'Cats:
http://www.unionleader.com/article/20150305/SPORTS22/150309362#sthash.49BBCl1z.dpuf

Greg Collins, a defensive-minded forward who was a captain on UNH’s 2008-09 team, used to pester Umile about being moved from the third line to the first line, but Umile didn’t make the move until late in Collins’ senior season. Umile said he should have elevated Collins sooner, and that mistake is one of the reasons he didn’t hesitate in making a similar move with Thrush.“I pegged him (Collins) as nothing but a backchecker, and he was a lot better player than that,” Umile said.

 

[C-H-C]

Re: UNH Wildcats Official Wait til Next Year...14/15 thread

College Hockey: Move to top line for UNH's Thrush has helped lift 'Cats:
http://www.unionleader.com/article/20150305/SPORTS22/150309362#sthash.49BBCl1z.dpuf

Greg Collins, a defensive-minded forward who was a captain on UNH’s 2008-09 team, used to pester Umile about being moved from the third line to the first line, but Umile didn’t make the move until late in Collins’ senior season. Umile said he should have elevated Collins sooner, and that mistake is one of the reasons he didn’t hesitate in making a similar move with Thrush.“I pegged him (Collins) as nothing but a backchecker, and he was a lot better player than that,” Umile said.

And this is the main reason Dan Correale plays left wing on the Andrew Poturalski-Tyler Kelleher line:

"We always used Casey as a third-line player to be a defensive forward for us,” Umile said. “When we needed to, we put him on the line with Downing and Willows, and that line has become one of the top lines. Casey made that line go. He brought a physicality to it, and yet he’s got decent numbers (Thrush has a career-high 23 points this season). We just needed someone there who brought some kind of physical presence to help Grayson and Willows get the puck. Thrush brought that. Casey’s our best defensive forward, but he can also bring offense to the line.”

 

[Snively65]

If anyone benefited by being on a line with Krog it was Souza. Talented enough, but not in Haydar's class by any stretch.

Well, their nearly identical numbers for the two years that they played together would argue otherwise. They both thrived with Krog centering them in 98-99, and both tailed off a bit with Matt Swain centering them in 99-00. Haydar had another similar season in 00-01 with Swain centering and freshman Lanny Gare at left wing on the first line most of the year. But, then Haydar had his Krog-like Hobey 98-99 year on the first line centered by freshman Sean Collins with Steve Saviano on left wing in 01-02. And, for comparison with the recent posts above about Greg Collins and Casey Thrush getting bumped up to the first line, consider the forward line depth on the 01-02 team: Gare-Prudden-Hemingway for a second line, Abbott-Busch-Callander for a third line, and Martz-Foley-Caron for a fourth line, with Aikens getting some time also. Ditto on forward line depth the next season, which is what it takes for making the FF, I guess.

So, we will see where we are in 17-18 after the next three recruiting seasons.

So, going back in time, was the 98-99 Souza-Krog-Haydar line the most productive line since Clark-Hislop-Cox?

 

[Chuck Murray]

Re: UNH Wildcats Official Wait til Next Year...14/15 thread

Well, their nearly identical numbers for the two years that they played together would argue otherwise. They both thrived with Krog centering them in 98-99, and both tailed off a bit with Matt Swain centering them in 99-00. Haydar had another similar season in 00-01 with Swain centering and freshman Lanny Gare at left wing on the first line most of the year. But, then Haydar had his Krog-like Hobey 98-99 year on the first line centered by freshman Sean Collins with Steve Saviano on left wing in 01-02. And, for comparison with the recent posts above about Greg Collins and Casey Thrush getting bumped up to the first line, consider the forward line depth on the 01-02 team: Gare-Prudden-Hemingway for a second line, Abbott-Busch-Callander for a third line, and Martz-Foley-Caron for a fourth line, with Aikens getting some time also. Ditto on forward line depth the next season, which is what it takes for making the FF, I guess.

So, we will see where we are in 17-18 after the next three recruiting seasons.

So, going back in time, was the 98-99 Souza-Krog-Haydar line the most productive line since Clark-Hislop-Cox?

Not to nitpick, but Gare and Saviano were primarily (if not entirely) centers during their time at UNH (as was Aikens), while guys like Busch, Callander and Abbott were used almost exclusively wingers, and I'm not sure they played together too much. Swain was mostly a winger but did play some at center as his career played out.

Some of the most productive lines would have to include some of the lines in the late '70's including Ralph Cox/Bobby Francis/Bob Gould and Ralph Cox/Jon Fontas/Bobby Miller a couple of years earlier (Greg, are those accurate groupings?) and more recently you would even have to put Derek Bekar/Krog/Eric Nickulas (sp?) circa '97 - I can't remember who skated right wing for Bekar/Krog in '98, as I think Nolan and Mowers were the core of the other top line that season? I'm not even going to try to remember who skated with whom in the early '90's when guys like Flanagan, Mitrovic, Amodeo, Lazaro, etc. Productive, but not quite prolific, like some of the other lines.

Some of us torture ourselves with the "what if?" scenario of Derek Bekar sticking around for '99 (or even Nickulas for '98 to a lesser degree) ... but a line with Krog centering Bekar on the left, and Haydar on the right would have been pure magic. With all due respect to Mike Souza, who still probably doesn't get the credit his career deserves ... Bekar arguably could have pushed Krog further closer to the magical 100 point level in '99. And more importantly, the D-1 trophy might have actually made it to Durham.

Anyway ... hoping to get to the arena tonight for the first time in awhile. If you see someone prowling the concourse between periods with navy sweats, a navy/red striped sweatshirt and a black/purple Northwestern cap, it's probably me, so don't be shy. Just no guns and no spitting, OK?

 

[Darius]

Re: UNH Wildcats Official Wait til Next Year...14/15 thread

Not posting this week's prediction. Definitely next week though.

Go 'cats!

 

[Felger]

Re: UNH Wildcats Official Wait til Next Year...14/15 thread

With all due respect to Mike Souza, who still probably doesn't get the credit his career deserves

Trivia, I know, but Souza never missed a game in his four years at UNH and in the final play of his career at home he scored the OT winner to send UNH to the Garden (probably the Fleet back then)

 

[HockeyRef]

Not to nitpick, but Gare and Saviano were primarily (if not entirely) centers during their time at UNH (as was Aikens), while guys like Busch, Callander and Abbott were used almost exclusively wingers, and I'm not sure they played together too much. Swain was mostly a winger but did play some at center as his career played out.

Some of the most productive lines would have to include some of the lines in the late '70's including Ralph Cox/Bobby Francis/Bob Gould and Ralph Cox/Jon Fontas/Bobby Miller a couple of years earlier (Greg, are those accurate groupings?) and more recently you would even have to put Derek Bekar/Krog/Eric Nickulas (sp?) circa '97 - I can't remember who skated right wing for Bekar/Krog in '98, as I think Nolan and Mowers were the core of the other top line that season? I'm not even going to try to remember who skated with whom in the early '90's when guys like Flanagan, Mitrovic, Amodeo, Lazaro, etc. Productive, but not quite prolific, like some of the other lines.

Some of us torture ourselves with the "what if?" scenario of Derek Bekar sticking around for '99 (or even Nickulas for '98 to a lesser degree) ... but a line with Krog centering Bekar on the left, and Haydar on the right would have been pure magic. With all due respect to Mike Souza, who still probably doesn't get the credit his career deserves ... Bekar arguably could have pushed Krog further closer to the magical 100 point level in '99. And more importantly, the D-1 trophy might have actually made it to Durham.

Anyway ... hoping to get to the arena tonight for the first time in awhile. If you see someone prowling the concourse between periods with navy sweats, a navy/red striped sweatshirt and a black/purple Northwestern cap, it's probably me, so don't be shy. Just no guns and no spitting, OK?

Definitely no guns or spitting but I might hiss at cha !! Just kidding. It would be great to meet cha!! Go 'Cats!!!! (And get it done in two ok!!')

 

[Nick Papagiorgio]

Re: UNH Wildcats Official Wait til Next Year...14/15 thread

and a black/purple Northwestern cap,

No Expos hat?

 

[Greg A]

Re: UNH Wildcats Official Wait til Next Year...14/15 thread

The 1992 class, or as it is known, Bob Kullen's second recruiting class. Then there was a big gap between 1988 and 1991, during which the team focused on "hard working northeast suburb" kids -- Thomson, Chebator, Malone, Cooper, Sean Perry, Rob Donovan, Jim McGrath, etc. Fortunately Umile took a chance on an unproven youngster, McCloskey, who actually can recruit and sell Umile to kids.

So, you have great recruting in Kullen's two years 1987 and 1988, then Umile demonstrated weak recruiting his first three years, then a good period under McCloskey 1992-2002, then a fall-off of recruiting when McCloskey left. Bottom line, his predecessor recruited well in his short period, but Umile's ability to recruit without McCloskey is pretty well established.

What you say is beside the point. The fact remains that Boguniecki, Nolan et al committed on the heels of UNH's March, 1992 appearance in the NCAA, after their first Hockey East final. McCloskey was able to get these guys to buy in because of the progress the program had made in a 3-4 year span. If UNH was in the toilet ala 1986, do you think he would have had the same success with these guys?

 

[Darius]

Re: UNH Wildcats Official Wait til Next Year...14/15 thread

Looking at the Ticketbastard pick your own seats page for tonight: Whittemorgue Center.

 

[Chuck Murray]

Re: UNH Wildcats Official Wait til Next Year...14/15 thread

No Expos hat?

'Fraid not, Nick. Saving that *historical* relic for the day the 'Spos return to MLB. Not holding my breath, of course.

But until then it's in storage, and I'm continuing to boycott the dying sport that is baseball.

 

[Snively65]

'Fraid not, Nick. Saving that *historical* relic for the day the 'Spos return to MLB. Not holding my breath, of course.

But until then it's in storage, and I'm continuing to boycott the dying sport that is baseball.

Ain't that the truth. And, I got frustrated with Nomar's antics in and out of the batter's box back in the day. But, that was nothing compared to now. :-(

 

[HockeyRef]

Re: UNH Wildcats Official Wait til Next Year...14/15 thread

Here we go 'Cats!!! Nice 5-2 win opening round! Fun with the b2b PP goals (and a third PP goal)! Finish it tomorrow night!

 

[Snively65]

Here we go 'Cats!!! Nice 5-2 win opening round! Fun with the b2b PP goals (and a third PP goal)! Finish it tomorrow night!

And, we dominated in SOG, right, e.cat?

 

[HockeyRef]

And, we dominated in SOG, right, e.cat?

Yup 33-21! Six straight and one win from .500! Clawin' our way up!

 

[Chuck Murray]

Re: UNH Wildcats Official Wait til Next Year...14/15 thread

OK well then, where do we start ... first things first, UNH extends its late season winning streak to six (6) straight against overmatched UConn, in a game where UNH jumped on top early and was never seriously threatened. At 4-0 midway through the second period, after two quick PPG's, a blowout seemed to be in the cards. UNH really didn't do a whole lot wrong for the first 30 minutes, and UConn didn't do a whole lot right. So it seemed like UNH dialed things down at that point, and played more cautiously, knowing that there is at least one more meeting with this opponent over the weekend. Even when UConn had cut the lead in half 4-2 with plenty of time left in the 3rd period, it never really felt like they were capable of making it all the way back. Interestingly, Coach Umile called an uncharacteristic time out about a minute before the 2nd UConn goal, as UNH seemed to be a little TOO cautious in their play. Oops.

UConn's only chance to make this a series is to try to grind UNH out of its game tomorrow, but even if they do that, I'm not sure they have the firepower to pull it off? And if UNH plays the way they did in the first 30 minutes of tonight's game, they can outgrind UConn. UNH played a very honest, hard-working game, and did not shy away from the physical stuff either. That's historically been a point of weakness in the past at this time of the season, so it's encouraging to see the 'Cats more than willing to bang a little bit. Downing even put one of the UConn players head over heels into the UNH bench midway into the first period.

Best player on the ice by a wide margin was Pesce, and after that I was thoroughly impressed with Poturalski, who reminds me a little bit of Krog as a frosh (we can only hope that pattern continues the next few seasons!). Not so impressed with Foegele, who seemed to make a million mistakes in his own end, and never really flashed anything at the other end. Eiserman is Eiserman, and not Yzerman, so we'll see how he develops next season and beyond. Boyd surprised me in a good way, Furgele in a not-so-good way, and any team that relies on Harry Quast to play 15-20 minutes is going to have a ceiling on what they can accomplish. I like that Cleland's first instinct at the opposing blue line is to step up instead of step back (the latter being another historical UNH d-man characteristic), and he made the right decision pretty much every time. It's clear his presence on the first pairing with Pesce is not an accident.

Tonight was my first extended chance to observe Salvaggio and McNicholas, who played on the 4th line with Jamie Hill, and I thought they did a really tidy job as the 4th line. Keep it basic, with good effort and good discipline, got some quality minutes and kept things fresh for the top two lines. I like the edge the munchkins (Willows and Kelleher) bring with their games, and while a guy like Willows would probably only been a 3rd liner in the good old days, it was exactly that kind of player UNH could have used back then to get some positive energy out of the lower lines. And Kelleher is already better than Willows, so that's another bright spot for the future.

Reality check ... this was only UConn, and based on their second half form, they are not the 9th best team in HE - they are the worst, and UNH is fortunate to have avoided UMaine (regardless of how UMaine fares against UVM this weekend). UNH should be able to take care of this tomorrow night. Hopefully it's only me (and NOT them) who is thinking that when UNH takes the ice tomorrow, or this is the kind of series UNH has always managed to make tougher than it really should be. A win tomorrow night gets UNH to the .500 mark, and who would have ever seen that happening back in December? Major kudos to Coach Umile for not giving up on the season and just going with the kids (although that IS still happening anyway). The move to 100% Tirone really cannot be questioned any more by folks like me. Technique-wise, the kid is a mess (and a lefty!) but he gets the job done, and the team plays better and wins. And that's the bottom line, isn't it? If Pesce sticks around for his senior season, it's hard not to be excited about UNH's prospects for next season.

Serious question: does anyone know if the playoff brackets "re-seed" after the first round? Ultimately, with Merrimack up a game on NU and UMass into double OT (at least) with the idiots from South Bend CC, it's *possible* UNH could get out of this round as the 7th or maybe even 6th best team in the HE quarters. So ... is a date with BU written in stone if UNH advances, or might they slide up and get a BC, Lowell or PC instead IF things fall their way? This brave new world of "everyone qualifies" tournaments confuses me.

I'll probably babble later this weekend about how things look off the ice at UNH, which at least for me was far less optimistic than what I saw ON the ice tonight. I mean, it's hardly the first time a half-full house was present for the first round home HE playoff games, so that's less of the issue. It's what's happening (or to be precise, what's NOT happening) in the seats with the chairbacks that screams out the gradual decay and erosion of the UNH fanbase. Which is truly too bad, because this year's team is an enjoyable team to watch, yet no one out there seems to have gotten the message. Again ... I'm going to leave it until the offseason, but it's hard not to be very impressed with what Coach Umile has done with this team this season ... and likewise, it only amplifies (at least to me) that other folks around this program simply aren't pulling their weight. Hint: XXXV+I(I).

FWIW - when leaving the arena for the walk back over the tracks to the lot, the tone among the fans was really upbeat, and talk was about how much fun they had at the game. That's a message that needs to permeate beyond a 10-15 mile radius around Durham (a/k/a "Boomtown on the Oyster River" with all of the downtown construction ). And that's NOT Coach Umile's job. JMHO.

 

[Darius]

Re: UNH Wildcats Official Wait til Next Year...14/15 thread

2015 Hockey East Men's Tournament

Friday - Sunday, March 6-8: Best-of-Three Opening Round Play on Campus
(#5 hosts #12, #6 hosts #11, #7 hosts #10, #8 hosts #9)

Friday - Sunday, March 13-15: Best-of-Three Quarterfinal Round Play on Campus
(Schools #1 - #4 host four opening round winners,
highest vs. lowest, etc.)

Friday, March 20 at TD Garden: Semifinal Games

Saturday, March 21 at TD Garden: Championship Final

http://www.hockeyeastonline.com/men/tourney/index.php

 

[chickod]

Re: UNH Wildcats Official Wait til Next Year...14/15 thread

Serious question: does anyone know if the playoff brackets "re-seed" after the first round?

Yes.