Re: UNH Wildcats-The Back Nine and Beyond!
"UNH Plays of the Game: UNH 6 CC 3"
Video highlights of key plays.
"UNH Plays of the Game: UNH 6 CC 3"
Video highlights of key plays.
USCHO Fan Forum
This is a sample guest message. Register a free account today to become a member! Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members through your own private inbox!
-
The USCHO Fan Forum has migrated to a new plaform, xenForo. Most of the function of the forum should work in familiar ways. Please note that you can switch between light and dark modes by clicking on the gear icon in the upper right of the main menu bar. We are hoping that this new platform will prove to be faster and more reliable. Please feel free to explore its features.
UNH Wildcats-The Back Nine and Beyond!
- Thread starter HockeyRef
- Start date
- Status
Re: UNH Wildcats-The Back Nine and Beyond!
True...although Herb Wakabayashi, who played for BU in the early 70s was of Japanese descent (but born in Ontario). He DID play for Japan in the Olympics.
(just thought I'd throw that in because I know you miss me...)
True...although Herb Wakabayashi, who played for BU in the early 70s was of Japanese descent (but born in Ontario). He DID play for Japan in the Olympics.
(just thought I'd throw that in because I know you miss me...)
Chuck Murray
WIS & Effingwoods Hockey Almanac
Re: UNH Wildcats-The Back Nine and Beyond!
Stop screwing around with us.
Unless you live in a parallel universe, where games/seasons are played in reverse ...
600 wins for Umile looks very attainable at this point. If anything, he has his teams finishing strong
Stop screwing around with us.
Unless you live in a parallel universe, where games/seasons are played in reverse ...Re: UNH Wildcats-The Back Nine and Beyond!
Easy Chuck.
I was primarily addressing the 2014-2015 season. Between the middle of February and the middle of March, UNH won 8 straight games. That's finishing strong! If I only had the power to control outcomes of games by posting or talking.
Didn't mean to get you worked up.
Stop screwing around with us.
Easy Chuck.
I was primarily addressing the 2014-2015 season. Between the middle of February and the middle of March, UNH won 8 straight games. That's finishing strong! If I only had the power to control outcomes of games by posting or talking. Didn't mean to get you worked up.Re: UNH Wildcats-The Back Nine and Beyond!
Hey Chuck...Mike....Greg.....just getting back into Wildcats season.....very impressed with espn3 doing the games(YouTube for women)....but unfortunately I am writing because I am stunned, like blown away, with the fact that Lake Whitt is 2/3 EMPTY! It's a weekend with a team not often seen, non-league, a good start for the boys.....and it's empty! ***! I'm aware of the Scarano effect, since he's became AD both teams have tanked, but this is the Whitt.....this was a hockey school....lines out the door past the old NE Center! Unbelievable........truly a disgrace! Thoughts...
Hey Chuck...Mike....Greg.....just getting back into Wildcats season.....very impressed with espn3 doing the games(YouTube for women)....but unfortunately I am writing because I am stunned, like blown away, with the fact that Lake Whitt is 2/3 EMPTY! It's a weekend with a team not often seen, non-league, a good start for the boys.....and it's empty! ***! I'm aware of the Scarano effect, since he's became AD both teams have tanked, but this is the Whitt.....this was a hockey school....lines out the door past the old NE Center! Unbelievable........truly a disgrace! Thoughts...
HockeyRef
Well-known member
You got that right last night as well...
HockeyRef
Well-known member
Re: UNH Wildcats-The Back Nine and Beyond!
Yes DT had that one moment but truth be told he kept them on it most of not all of the weekend. A couple of slots to fill tonight and new players on the ice. At least we have Grasso back. Still a great start. Go 'Cats!
Ps I love the energy Sato brought to the ice
Yes DT had that one moment but truth be told he kept them on it most of not all of the weekend. A couple of slots to fill tonight and new players on the ice. At least we have Grasso back. Still a great start. Go 'Cats!
Ps I love the energy Sato brought to the ice
Re: UNH Wildcats-The Back Nine and Beyond!
I guess we can't win them all. Shocking to see that Gildon, as strong as he has been, was responsible for all three goals; poor coverage on their first goal, nice shot on our first, and horrible turnover in overtime. Great player, but still a freshman; this is one he will want to forget.
Wouldn't blame this on DT. He was lucky they didn't score when he left the net, but overall he had a good game. James Miller looked ok, and Sato was fun to watch; very fast. Nice to see him consoling Gildon at the end of the game.
Still need to tighten up the D; CC could have had a couple more goals, and although they had fewer SOG, they generally had the better scoring opportunities.
On to Vermont.
I guess we can't win them all. Shocking to see that Gildon, as strong as he has been, was responsible for all three goals; poor coverage on their first goal, nice shot on our first, and horrible turnover in overtime. Great player, but still a freshman; this is one he will want to forget.
Wouldn't blame this on DT. He was lucky they didn't score when he left the net, but overall he had a good game. James Miller looked ok, and Sato was fun to watch; very fast. Nice to see him consoling Gildon at the end of the game.
Still need to tighten up the D; CC could have had a couple more goals, and although they had fewer SOG, they generally had the better scoring opportunities.
On to Vermont.
Chuck Murray
WIS & Effingwoods Hockey Almanac
Re: UNH Wildcats-The Back Nine and Beyond!
Pretty fair take, across the board. Hate to say it, UNH did not bring their "A" game tonight ... CC wanted it more, won the puck battles, owned the middle of their d-zone, and allowed UNH very few even strength quality chances.
Gildon reminded us all that he's a freshman, and freshmen will make mistakes. The one in OT was a whopper, though. He also plays a very soft game in his own d-zone. He's terrific in transition and at the other end he's a great asset ... but overall he's still a work in progress. I can't help but think Bucky let him go because they had concerns about his physical game (or lack thereof). Keeping an eye on this as the season develops.
Strangely, the only defensive pairing I felt comfortable with all night was Maass playing with debutant Miller. It's comforting to think they'll be with us for the next three-plus seasons. Miller may be the fourth (at worst sixth) most talented D-man on the squad right now, from what I saw out there tonight. I was initially surprised that Dawson didn't get the nod in place of Wyse, but Dawson seems to be following the same reverse career arc as Adam Clark. But my initial take on Miller was very positive. And now I can say with complete confidence that Chanter's captaincy means the 8th most talented defenseman will be getting a regular shift for the rest of the season, at the expense of Miller AND Dawson.
Chanter, Boyd and Marks all graduate after this season. Next year's top six defenders would seem to be Maass, Gildon, Wyse, Miller, Darcy (?)and ... Dawson???
The Chanter/Boyd pairing is a bad reminder of the worst of the last two seasons, with abysmal puck movement, etc. Every time they were out there, it felt like UNH was playing a half-man down. PLEASE separate them.
The Cefalu/MacAdam/Sato 4th line brought tons of energy, but I don't see a finisher (at least currently) in that group. I'm sure Sato had a little extra jump tonight since it was his debut as well, but when Eiserman gets back, I'd like to see Chris Miller back down there with two of the four "others" (Cefalu/Fregona/MacAdam/Sato). I think your three best there should eventually be Fregona/MacAdam/Miller but let those guys battle it out for ice time, see which combo produces, and go with it.
I thought Charlie Kelleher made some downright heroic efforts on the backcheck later in the game. At least two times, he picked up attacking players coming in uncontested at the far post.
For fans of foreshadowing, the late CC win could not have been a shock. They were working harder right through to the end, and if Tirone was punished for his moments of madness in the final minute, we wouldn't be talking about Gildon's goof now. As noted above, CK snuffed out at least a couple of potential GWG's.
I can't remember a game in the last 10-15 years with so many offsides calls. And I mean actual calls - not delayed offsides that clear later. It was an ugly game with no tempo, and the last two periods seemed to last forever.
For fans of the "pile up the SOG" vs. "get me the first goal" theories ... this weekend, First Goal 2 SOG's 0.
First trip around the rink tonight, BS35+5 unknowingly almost stumbled directly into me on the concourse (now wouldn't THAT have been fun!), there was a former Governor John Lynch sighting, and I topped it all off with a nice chat with e.cat, which I think was the first time we've seen each other in person since after the St. Paul FF debacle circa April 2002.
Hey, if anyone said UNH would be 5-1-0 after the first six games of the season, who would have refused that?
Pretty fair take, across the board. Hate to say it, UNH did not bring their "A" game tonight ... CC wanted it more, won the puck battles, owned the middle of their d-zone, and allowed UNH very few even strength quality chances.
Gildon reminded us all that he's a freshman, and freshmen will make mistakes. The one in OT was a whopper, though. He also plays a very soft game in his own d-zone. He's terrific in transition and at the other end he's a great asset ... but overall he's still a work in progress. I can't help but think Bucky let him go because they had concerns about his physical game (or lack thereof). Keeping an eye on this as the season develops.
Strangely, the only defensive pairing I felt comfortable with all night was Maass playing with debutant Miller. It's comforting to think they'll be with us for the next three-plus seasons. Miller may be the fourth (at worst sixth) most talented D-man on the squad right now, from what I saw out there tonight. I was initially surprised that Dawson didn't get the nod in place of Wyse, but Dawson seems to be following the same reverse career arc as Adam Clark. But my initial take on Miller was very positive. And now I can say with complete confidence that Chanter's captaincy means the 8th most talented defenseman will be getting a regular shift for the rest of the season, at the expense of Miller AND Dawson.
Chanter, Boyd and Marks all graduate after this season. Next year's top six defenders would seem to be Maass, Gildon, Wyse, Miller, Darcy (?)and ... Dawson???
The Chanter/Boyd pairing is a bad reminder of the worst of the last two seasons, with abysmal puck movement, etc. Every time they were out there, it felt like UNH was playing a half-man down. PLEASE separate them.
The Cefalu/MacAdam/Sato 4th line brought tons of energy, but I don't see a finisher (at least currently) in that group. I'm sure Sato had a little extra jump tonight since it was his debut as well, but when Eiserman gets back, I'd like to see Chris Miller back down there with two of the four "others" (Cefalu/Fregona/MacAdam/Sato). I think your three best there should eventually be Fregona/MacAdam/Miller but let those guys battle it out for ice time, see which combo produces, and go with it.
I thought Charlie Kelleher made some downright heroic efforts on the backcheck later in the game. At least two times, he picked up attacking players coming in uncontested at the far post.
For fans of foreshadowing, the late CC win could not have been a shock. They were working harder right through to the end, and if Tirone was punished for his moments of madness in the final minute, we wouldn't be talking about Gildon's goof now. As noted above, CK snuffed out at least a couple of potential GWG's.
I can't remember a game in the last 10-15 years with so many offsides calls. And I mean actual calls - not delayed offsides that clear later. It was an ugly game with no tempo, and the last two periods seemed to last forever.
For fans of the "pile up the SOG" vs. "get me the first goal" theories ... this weekend, First Goal 2 SOG's 0.
First trip around the rink tonight, BS35+5 unknowingly almost stumbled directly into me on the concourse (now wouldn't THAT have been fun!), there was a former Governor John Lynch sighting, and I topped it all off with a nice chat with e.cat, which I think was the first time we've seen each other in person since after the St. Paul FF debacle circa April 2002.
Hey, if anyone said UNH would be 5-1-0 after the first six games of the season, who would have refused that?
Re: UNH Wildcats-The Back Nine and Beyond!
So, was that a self-inflicted wound, or a reminder of how thin the talent is on this team? It felt like a bit of both. Without Wyse it felt pretty scary on D most of the time. And yet, Gildon/Marks were on the ice for both goals. Hmmmm. Without Eiserman, it looked like Vela was playing by himself. He was all over the place doing everything to generate some O, but the other two couldn’t seem to get on the same page or provide support.
Given that the first two changes were uncontrollable, was it smart to mess with Blackburn’s line, even though it was Grasso returning? Should he have been thrown into Eiserman’s slot to leave Blackburn’s line intact until the sophs could have a week of practice? Note that I am assuming the lines we saw last night are the ones that practiced all week. Continuing on this Monday morning tack, was it wise to mess with the chemistry of the fourth line on the same night the other changes were also occurring? Sato was great fun to watch, but the fourth line had none of the effectiveness tonight that we saw in the first five games.
With all the fiddling, only the first line was intact, and they looked pretty ineffective all night, at least in the offensive end.
They had to address a D pairing and one line, but with a Grasso for Eiserman sub, it could have been limited to that. Why mess with three out of four lines?
OK, that’s enough whining.
Let’s get back to winning.
So, was that a self-inflicted wound, or a reminder of how thin the talent is on this team? It felt like a bit of both. Without Wyse it felt pretty scary on D most of the time. And yet, Gildon/Marks were on the ice for both goals. Hmmmm. Without Eiserman, it looked like Vela was playing by himself. He was all over the place doing everything to generate some O, but the other two couldn’t seem to get on the same page or provide support.
Given that the first two changes were uncontrollable, was it smart to mess with Blackburn’s line, even though it was Grasso returning? Should he have been thrown into Eiserman’s slot to leave Blackburn’s line intact until the sophs could have a week of practice? Note that I am assuming the lines we saw last night are the ones that practiced all week. Continuing on this Monday morning tack, was it wise to mess with the chemistry of the fourth line on the same night the other changes were also occurring? Sato was great fun to watch, but the fourth line had none of the effectiveness tonight that we saw in the first five games.
With all the fiddling, only the first line was intact, and they looked pretty ineffective all night, at least in the offensive end.
They had to address a D pairing and one line, but with a Grasso for Eiserman sub, it could have been limited to that. Why mess with three out of four lines?
OK, that’s enough whining.
Let’s get back to winning.
Re: UNH Wildcats-The Back Nine and Beyond!
I'll take a shot at this as an "outsider." All I can say is you're not alone. My theory is that, first of all, the season is too long. Early October is ridiculous to start hockey. Now I know at BU, the school is COMPLETELY different in terms of student demographics than it was even twenty years ago. There is a giant international population. You can't just say, "Well, we'll market to them and they will show up." Hockey is a regional, niche sport. Most of us who follow hockey grew up with it either because we grew up in a climate where it was played frequently or had fathers who exposed us to it. It's a sport that requires more of the "hard core" fan, as opposed to some other sports, which attract more casual fans simply because of the increased coverage on "wide-reaching" (read: national) networks. I don't know the demographics at UNH, but clearly "other" activities and interests exist now that weren't available when we were students. Just the prevalence of the internet, computers and technological advancements seems to attract students and appeal to them more than watching sporting events.
Also, I know I didn't have a car when I was a student. It seems today that students have more money and resources to go "off campus" for entertainment. Of course, this is even more prevalent in the city, so it's very difficult for hockey to compete against that. When I was in school, we also played during the week - not just on weekends. Students would be less inclined to go home, or out of town, or whatever, during a school night.
Now obviously the "isolated" schools have a more captive audience. In the East, there are more urban schools that simply offer more, especially when one has the means (money, transportation) to partake of these things.
So to me, it's a combination of availability, resources and lifestyle that have all contributed to the decline in attendance. I wish there was a magic bullet, but the reality is I don't see how you can go back to the days when it was the "only game in town." Those days are gone. It's a big world and being a student on campus isn't as "isolating" as it once was. That's probably not the answer you were hoping for, but I don't think there is one. I don't like it either. And, in fact, the effect cascades. As the arenas become emptier, I am less inclined to go because, as several have mentioned, the atmosphere is dead. So this just begets even less excitement and smaller attendance and a domino effect occurs. I also think students today will show up for the "big events." There doesn't appear to be the "dedicated" following, even if someone LOVES hockey. They tend to not confine themselves to one or two things. So there isn't a feeling that one has to attend "consistently," as long as they can show up for the "big game." It's a media-driven world. I remember a few years ago when BU was playing the Patriot League Championship tournament final at Agganis. It was live on ESPN and the place was packed - a complete madhouse. But they never got more than 300-400 fans for ANY other game all year.
Even the attendance at the Hockey East tournament at TD Garden last year was down. Attendance for the Beanpot is down. The availability of games on your computer has made it easier to stay away. And, as previously mentioned, money is no object. These students will pay to watch on their computers as much as they will pay to go. And speaking of money, ticket prices are becoming insane (which may very well be a larger factor than anyone seems to realize). There are tickets on the "BU Ticket Exchange" for the BC game in December priced at NINETY-TWO DOLLARS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! People had better wake up fast...
I'll take a shot at this as an "outsider." All I can say is you're not alone. My theory is that, first of all, the season is too long. Early October is ridiculous to start hockey. Now I know at BU, the school is COMPLETELY different in terms of student demographics than it was even twenty years ago. There is a giant international population. You can't just say, "Well, we'll market to them and they will show up." Hockey is a regional, niche sport. Most of us who follow hockey grew up with it either because we grew up in a climate where it was played frequently or had fathers who exposed us to it. It's a sport that requires more of the "hard core" fan, as opposed to some other sports, which attract more casual fans simply because of the increased coverage on "wide-reaching" (read: national) networks. I don't know the demographics at UNH, but clearly "other" activities and interests exist now that weren't available when we were students. Just the prevalence of the internet, computers and technological advancements seems to attract students and appeal to them more than watching sporting events.
Also, I know I didn't have a car when I was a student. It seems today that students have more money and resources to go "off campus" for entertainment. Of course, this is even more prevalent in the city, so it's very difficult for hockey to compete against that. When I was in school, we also played during the week - not just on weekends. Students would be less inclined to go home, or out of town, or whatever, during a school night.
Now obviously the "isolated" schools have a more captive audience. In the East, there are more urban schools that simply offer more, especially when one has the means (money, transportation) to partake of these things.
So to me, it's a combination of availability, resources and lifestyle that have all contributed to the decline in attendance. I wish there was a magic bullet, but the reality is I don't see how you can go back to the days when it was the "only game in town." Those days are gone. It's a big world and being a student on campus isn't as "isolating" as it once was. That's probably not the answer you were hoping for, but I don't think there is one. I don't like it either. And, in fact, the effect cascades. As the arenas become emptier, I am less inclined to go because, as several have mentioned, the atmosphere is dead. So this just begets even less excitement and smaller attendance and a domino effect occurs. I also think students today will show up for the "big events." There doesn't appear to be the "dedicated" following, even if someone LOVES hockey. They tend to not confine themselves to one or two things. So there isn't a feeling that one has to attend "consistently," as long as they can show up for the "big game." It's a media-driven world. I remember a few years ago when BU was playing the Patriot League Championship tournament final at Agganis. It was live on ESPN and the place was packed - a complete madhouse. But they never got more than 300-400 fans for ANY other game all year.
Even the attendance at the Hockey East tournament at TD Garden last year was down. Attendance for the Beanpot is down. The availability of games on your computer has made it easier to stay away. And, as previously mentioned, money is no object. These students will pay to watch on their computers as much as they will pay to go. And speaking of money, ticket prices are becoming insane (which may very well be a larger factor than anyone seems to realize). There are tickets on the "BU Ticket Exchange" for the BC game in December priced at NINETY-TWO DOLLARS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! People had better wake up fast...
- Status