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

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

Greg A said:
I'm with you on that. However back then I heard a lot of drums beating for Josh Ciocco (not sure if you were included). Based on his pronouncements that CHC resurrected the other day, not sure if he would have been the ideal candidate.
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Let's not take one post, which is generally true, and cast aspersions on him because of it. As for Alaska-Anchorage, he gets an incomplete. The team jumped from 9 and 4 win season to a plus .500 16 win season last year, and a 7-11 mark this year. Undoubtedly that is mostly due to players already in the program. For his recruits, they have a different profile (20 year old canadians) than what he would do here recruiting 16 and 17 year old Americans, so gauging how his first recruiting class of freshmen are doing this year is not that indicative. As for Canada, it looks like he is establishing connections in BC and Alberta, which would be key.
As for the players, Kelleher and Eiserman are certainly A recruits. Marks and Chanter not. His comments on Hill and Smith express some issues, and when you read between the lines (and he knows them well due to their NJ hometowns) he is politely saying they will only be OK.
 
Re: UNH Wildcats Official Wait til Next Year...14/15 thread

C-H-C said:
Coach Jim Tortorella joined UNH in the late summer of 2011. He was instrumental in recruiting a number of players who will be very good players for UNH (e.g., Marks, Chanter, Joseph Masonius, Brendan van Riemsdyk, Ara Nazarian, Marcus Vela). He almost single-handedly discovered Warren Foegele in a somewhat obscure Ontario prep school league. UNH defensemen who have turned pro in recent years continue to keep in touch with him.

Tortorella didn't "have to go" anywhere. He chose to pursue a new career in Maine, where he's lived much of his life, with a private, substance abuse agency. He had an offer in that field the year before he left UNH but he chose to stay another year. One of the winningest coaches in Division III hockey at Colby College (230-138-33) would be coaching somewhere in college hockey if that's what he chose to do.
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Totally agree ... the idea Tortorella "had to go" (or whatever) is off the mark, he did well in his short time in Durham, and all you need to look at is UNH's desperate lack of an effective transition game this season to see what's missing from the last couple of seasons. The guy could coach, and as displayed above by C-H-C, there's a good argument he was a pretty decent recruiter too.

I do understand (and agree with) the criticism that Coach Umile's decision not to inject some energy into the program with a younger assistant when Lassonde left was probably a missed opportunity. But the guy he did hire was a really good hire, and personally I'd prefer him to still be here instead of Borek, who has been around the program now for a decade throughout this slow decline period.

Beyond that, I'm not going to take any "shots" at Borek, but the simple fact is that as of right now, his replacement is the last "card" Coach Umile can play before he has to answer for the program's downturn. It's not at all unlike football (to continue the analogies), where a HC with some positive past history with the organization can often jettison (or "sacrifice", if you prefer) an offensive and/or defensive coordinator to buy time and try to get things turned around with new blood and new ideas on his staff.

I really do think that's where UNH Hockey stands right now. Barring an amazing late season run by UNH (talk about an oxymoron), this season will be the worst in Coach Umile's reign, and the long term trend is not a good one either. It's fair to ask questions, and while I still believe Coach Umile will have the final say on "when" and "how" ... those discussions with BS35+1 are at least forced to happen at this point, instead of happily swept under the rug to be revisited sometime in the future, as I'm sure it is with Coach York down at BC (and rightfully so BTW). JMHO.
 
Re: UNH Wildcats Official Wait til Next Year...14/15 thread

Some comments: to e.cat, these are desperate times which, as they say, call for desperate measures. To CHC, we'll see. To Watcher, Ciocco's opinion on some of these kids was overblown. They were made two years ago and maybe after traipsing around North America looking for players his judgments are much more grounded. I'll just say that, except for Pesce, the jury is still out some others and he clearly whiffed on the rest.
 
Re: UNH Wildcats Official Wait til Next Year...14/15 thread

Agree that you shouldnt be underestimating the contribution that Tortorella made. You all were harping on how your defense sharpened up after his work with them. Wasnt he behind the bench when y'all ended up in the HE finals last year, or did he leave the year before ?
 
all bear said:
Agree that you shouldnt be underestimating the contribution that Tortorella made. You all were harping on how your defense sharpened up after his work with them. Wasnt he behind the bench when y'all ended up in the HE finals last year, or did he leave the year before ?
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I agree that Tortorella was a good addition, and, yes, he left so suddenly before this season began that there was some question about the poaching done for his replacement.
 
all bear said:
Agree that you shouldnt be underestimating the contribution that Tortorella made. You all were harping on how your defense sharpened up after his work with them. Wasnt he behind the bench when y'all ended up in the HE finals last year, or did he leave the year before ?
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Yes he was this is the first season without him and I so agree his contributions were many. I mean it's obvious even beyond the rookie factor of our defense. The man knows hockey period. As for replacing Borek after this season I would be more than surprised doesn't seem to be something Coach U would do (if it were left to him ). And not that it matters a whole lot to the big pic I don't think it should happen. Seriously...I think pigs will fly first.
 
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Re: UNH Wildcats Official Wait til Next Year...14/15 thread

Greg A said:
So how would you compare Umile to Parker?
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Parker said on may occasions he owed his success to BU as a school and program. It would be interesting to have a time machine do over where the coaches swap schools.

Greg A said:
You ask any UNH fan today what they would want out of UNH Hockey and I would say that the vast majority of them would take a team that finishes in the top four in Hockey East, wins its quarterfinal round at home, makes it to the Garden and the NCAA tournament.
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I'm in which I have posted several times in past seasons, typically on a "Fire..." thread. Winning the HEA semi final game and the NCAA 1st round game half the time places us as a top tier HEA and top 10 NCAA team. Not liking that is like Patriots fans moaning about the team's performance since the last super bowl win. Playing on the last or 2nd to last weekend of competition is almost all you can ask for. Fans should be thankful if their team does it consistently. Would you rather be the Buffalo Bills?
 
Re: UNH Wildcats Official Wait til Next Year...14/15 thread

Snively65 said:
Al Pike's "tied for 11th" sounds better than tied for last.
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Gulp. Who knew we'd be looking for this kind of positive. Thanks for sharing that perspective...it's the little things I guess...Man I hope something breaks for them this weekend..(in a good way, mind you!). Go 'Cats!
 
Re: UNH Wildcats Official Wait til Next Year...14/15 thread

Darius said:
Parker said on may occasions he owed his success to BU as a school and program. It would be interesting to have a time machine do over where the coaches swap schools.

I'm in which I have posted several times in past seasons, typically on a "Fire..." thread. Winning the HEA semi final game and the NCAA 1st round game half the time places us as a top tier HEA and top 10 NCAA team. Not liking that is like Patriots fans moaning about the team's performance since the last super bowl win. Playing on the last or 2nd to last weekend of competition is almost all you can ask for. Fans should be thankful if their team does it consistently. Would you rather be the Buffalo Bills?
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This.
 
Re: UNH Wildcats Official Wait til Next Year...14/15 thread

DT gets the start tonight top line Thrush Downing Willows. Pesce/Cleland top line D. Go 'Cats!

Eiserman 1-0 'Cats!! Or Foegele they keep changing it 😜
 
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Re: UNH Wildcats Official Wait til Next Year...14/15 thread

HockeyRef said:
DT gets the start tonight top line Thrush Downing Willows. Pesce/Cleland top line D. Go 'Cats!
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Kelleher, Eiserman, and Poturalski the second line? These would be the two lines that I thought made more sense from the get go.
 
Re: UNH Wildcats Official Wait til Next Year...14/15 thread

Portularalski 2-0. Make that 3-0 Willows and Downing one away from Century Club!! Make that 4-0! Another for Portularalski!😄

Penalties hurt as ND gets 2 one with 1.8 seconds 😝

4-2 end of 2

Congrats Grayson D with 100th points!!!!! 😀
 
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HockeyRef said:
Congrats Coach Umile win 550 5-2 'Cats!
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And, now we are all alone in 11th; woo hoo! But, seriously, four or five more wins the rest of the way and we just might grab 8th place for home ice and a chance to knock off the 9th place finisher, and then BU for a return trip to the Garden. Anything is possible once we get to the Garden.
 
Re: UNH Wildcats Official Wait til Next Year...14/15 thread

Snively65 said:
And, now we are all alone in 11th; woo hoo! But, seriously, four or five more wins the rest of the way and we just might grab 8th place for home ice and a chance to knock off the 9th place finisher, and then BU for a return trip to the Garden. Anything is possible once we get to the Garden.
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Great to see the team hit some milestones last night those are the little victories in a tough season... Such a streaky sport at times; you never know as you say! Any one watch the game, have some feedback? Thought it was a solid win for the 'Cats. Curious who gets the GK start tonight. Could use a few less penalties and win some faceoffs? We seem alil weak in that dept. this season. Loved the Frosh goals; keep 'em coming! Go 'Cats!
 
HockeyRef said:
Great to see the team hit some milestones last night those are the little victories in a tough season... Such a streaky sport at times; you never know as you say! Any one watch the game, have some feedback? Thought it was a solid win for the 'Cats. Curious who gets the GK start tonight. Could use a few less penalties and win some faceoffs? We seem alil weak in that dept. this season. Loved the Frosh goals; keep 'em coming! Go 'Cats!
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I listened to the entire game on radio during my drive north last night, lucking out by finding the broadcast on two different stations.

Poturalski had 7 SOG for his 2 G; he is putting together some fine first-year stats. Yeah, I know, he is not Johnny Gaudreau or the BU kid this season.

Tirone could have had a shut out, but for the two PPGs late in the second when the Cats played some 5-3 PK (both PPGs were one man down). I realize that many here want to see an every other game rotation, but I would rather see a winning goalie get rewarded with consecutive starts until losing, which will still give both goalies plenty of opportunities, as no one expects that the Cats will run the table from here out.
 
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