UNH Wildcats 2017-2018 Season - The Quest Continues

[deltabravo62]

Re: UNH Wildcats 2017-2018 Season - The Quest Continues

And if you will just step over this way Mr Umile we will give you a personal tour of the pit of misery.

[Scott]

Re: UNH Wildcats 2017-2018 Season - The Quest Continues

Scott, I thought you were nuts a mere few weeks ago with your prediction. The NRN was there for the taking.

I still think you're nuts, of course ... only now, it's because I can't see where those 4 wins are coming from ...

... but it would be Umile Magic to dredge up 4 W's when no one expects it, but then never get that last one.

I may be nuts..........but hey, I've seen this movie play over and over again in 35+ years of UNH hockey "fandom". I'm calling it as I see it....Umile is not going to make it to the NRN.

I predicted Umile would fail to reach the NRN long before the season started, had actually started to prepare a meal of crow about a month into the season , and yet here we are at the end of January and no clear victories in sight. I do think that it may get interesting as we go into the last week in February....but I'm still sticking to my guns.

[Greg Ambrose]

Re: UNH Wildcats 2017-2018 Season - The Quest Continues

Well, my first in person look at the Wildcats in two months and it wasn’t pretty. UConnis not a very good team. But UNH? Awful. There is a lot of talk on this forum about how untalented the roster is and that is true. But even

[Greg Ambrose]

Re: UNH Wildcats 2017-2018 Season - The Quest Continues

Well, my first in person look at the Wildcats in two months and it wasn’t pretty. UConnis not a very good team. But UNH? Awful. There is a lot of talk on this forum about how untalented the roster is and that is true. But even when the

[Greg Ambrose]

Re: UNH Wildcats 2017-2018 Season - The Quest Continues

Well, my first in person look at the Wildcats in two months and it wasn’t pretty. UConn is not a very good team. But UNH? Awful. There is a lot of talk on this forum about how untalented the roster is and that is true. But even when the talent is thin there is a thing called the compete quotient. And UNH, at least tonight, had none of that. I thought they played a decent second period. They competed down low, had a lot of good chances and actually scored twice. But what happened in the third? You haven’t won a game in two months and you come out and let a team that is no better than you dictate, then score three times in the last three minutes? Absolutely shameful. The team has no life, no one is apparently interested in kicking them in the rear, so what you see is what you are going to get. In his third year as associate head coach, soon to be the chief, this should be Souza’s team. If nothing else, he should be insisting on max effort game in and game out. But tonight nothing. And, oh btw, Vela can’t put the puck in the ocean.

This really is 1986 all over again. A guy who was a successful coach for a heck of a lot of years ends his career seemingly indifferent to what is in front of him. Ones career, especially when there has been success, should not end this way. But it will for Umile just as it did for Charlie Holt. The only question is whether it will be Souza who turns things around or will we have to wait for whoever succeeds him and has the wherewithal to bring in a qualified recruiter. Mike, you can’t be a nice guy, you have to be ruthless. Is it in your DNA? We’ll find out soon enough.

Last thought. Friend told me tonight that he heard the next assistant will be none other than David Lassonde. I don’t believe it either.

[HockeyRef]

Well, my first in person look at the Wildcats in two months and it wasn’t pretty. UConn is not a very good team. But UNH? Awful. There is a lot of talk on this forum about how untalented the roster is and that is true. But even when the talent is thin there is a thing called the compete quotient. And UNH, at least tonight, had none of that. I thought they played a decent second period. They competed down low, had a lot of good chances and actually scored twice. But what happened in the third? You haven’t won a game in two months and you come out and let a team that is no better than you dictate, then score three times in the last three minutes? Absolutely shameful. The team has no life, no one is apparently interested in kicking them in the rear, so what you see is what you are going to get. In his third year as associate head coach, soon to be the chief, this should be Souza’s team. If nothing else, he should be insisting on max effort game in and game out. But tonight nothing. And, oh btw, Vela can’t put the puck in the ocean.

This really is 1986 all over again. A guy who was a successful coach for a heck of a lot of years ends his career seemingly indifferent to what is in front of him. Ones career, especially when there has been success, should not end this way. But it will for Umile just as it did for Charlie Holt. The only question is whether it will be Souza who turns things around or will we have to wait for whoever succeeds him and has the wherewithal to bring in a qualified recruiter. Mike, you can’t be a nice guy, you have to be ruthless. Is it in your DNA? We’ll find out soon enough.

Last thought. Friend told me tonight that he heard the next assistant will be none other than David Lassonde. I don’t believe it either.

While I know jack about Mr.Lassonde's ability to coach I can say this much; so much for changing the culture....UNH hockey screams for change. Again...I am sure he knows the game but UNH has to get this right....

[Chuck Murray]

Re: UNH Wildcats 2017-2018 Season - The Quest Continues

Last thought. Friend told me tonight that he heard the next assistant will be none other than David Lassonde. I don’t believe it either.

Neither do I, but interesting nonetheless. I mean ... why would he? Hard to believe he'd be getting a pay raise. Doesn't exactly spring to mind when thinking about dynamic recruiters of young talent, and fits the "old bald guy" profile of the assistants preferred by the outgoing head coach. On the plus side, you always knew UNH would be in good hands with their goalies when DL was around, and the Captain Skype approach to the UNH goalies in recent years hasn't exactly revolutionized the sport.

Maybe he is the guy "replacing" Souza, and there's another replacement to follow for Stewart to do the heavy lifting out on the road? If that's the case, Lassonde might actually make sense as the wise veteran assistant to continue to guide Souza through the early stages of his (official) head coaching stint. But if he's the guy to pair with Stewart - and mind you, I like Stewart, and think he got sold a bill of goods by someone at UNH at some point to come back here - then no, thank you. Right guy before, wrong guy now. Neither Stewart nor Souza has proven it out on the recruiting trails yet, and I don't see DL changing that dynamic. And that's where this all has to change. JMHO.

[HockeyRef]

Re: UNH Wildcats 2017-2018 Season - The Quest Continues

Some comments I just received:


Insider Blog: 'Cats Look to Bounce Back Quickly vs. UConn
1/26/2018 | Men's Ice Hockey

DURHAM, N.H. - That one got away.

The good news is the University of New Hampshire men's hockey team gets a chance to get it back in short order.

Connecticut scored three late goals to come from behind and beat the Wildcats, 4-2, on Friday night at the Whittemore Center.

The two teams go at it again with two more Hockey East points on the line Saturday afternoon at the XL Center in Hartford at 3:35 p.m. The game will be followed by an American Hockey League game between the Hartford Wolf Pack and Charlotte Checkers at 7:30.

"I think we all want to completely forget that game," said UNH defenseman Anthony Wyse. "I think it's a good thing we play at 3:30 tomorrow."

Wyse gave UNH a 2-1 lead with his fourth goal of the season with 26 seconds left in the second period.

The Huskies outshot the Wildcats 9-4 in the third period.

"That usually tends to happen when you have the lead in the third," Wyse said. "Whether you like to or not, everyone plays a little more cautious, just trying to maintain a lead and the other team does the opposite and starts taking more chances and that usually leads to more time in the offensive zone for them."

One problem was that UNH was unable to capitalize on a number of scoring chances earlier in the game.

"We didn't put the puck away when we had good scoring opportunities," Umile said. "We missed several really good scoring opportunities. It comes back to haunt you. They're behind, they're trailing and they put it in. They moved the puck and we didn't handle them. We just didn't do the job in our own end."

It was a game full of odd bounces.

"This is a really tough building to play in," said UConn coach Mike Cavanaugh. "I've coached a lot of games up here and for some reason crazy stuff happens up here. I'm not sure if it's because of the width of the rink or what, but mistakes get magnified up here and you're going to have great scoring chances."

Well there you go Chuck! Your Luce Canaan comments...Bounce back? One can only hope!

[Snively65]

Luce Canaan says something trite and insincere about how much he respects Coach Umile afterwards?

What do I win??

"You win nothing!" Similar to the ad naseum sports talk radio expression for which I do not know the origin, "You get nothing!"

The answer is Souza, who has been on the losing coaching staff for all nine games. Game later today in Hahtfud is entirely about Souza's legacy, not Umile's.

EDIT: I had to look up the full quote, which is, "You get nothing! You get nothing!! You lose!!!" From 'Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory' in 1971.

[mookie1995]

Re: UNH Wildcats 2017-2018 Season - The Quest Continues

So y’all need to win your 4 game homestretch— then pray to steal a game on the road in the first round for #600?

Is that what we are seeing here?

Luckily uvm is 2 of them.

[NCAA watcher]

Re: UNH Wildcats 2017-2018 Season - The Quest Continues

Neither do I, but interesting nonetheless. I mean ... why would he? Hard to believe he'd be getting a pay raise. Doesn't exactly spring to mind when thinking about dynamic recruiters of young talent, and fits the "old bald guy" profile of the assistants preferred by the outgoing head coach.
Maybe he is the guy "replacing" Souza, and there's another replacement to follow for Stewart to do the heavy lifting out on the road? If that's the case, Lassonde might actually make sense as the wise veteran assistant to continue to guide Souza through the early stages of his (official) head coaching stint

Interesting. Isn't that the same question we asked about Mike coming over?

the chance to return to his alma mater as the heir apparent to Umile was too enticing.
“That’s sort of how it was presented to me,” Souza said. “It had to be pretty persuasive for me to leave UConn. Hopefully, if things go well and we continue to win, I’ll get that opportunity when Coach does retire. Obviously, that weighed into my decision. I had a lot of responsibilities at Connecticut in terms of coaching, and if I came back I had to have the same opportunity.”

Getting way out ahead of the facts, this could be Marty trying to save the transition plan and might explain a whole lot of the baffling inaction of the past year. I'd kill to see the language of Souza's contract.
https://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nhl-p...163609783.html


I guess all will be revealed in six weeks. Do we get a press conference with questions, or just a press release on a Friday afternoon?

edit: As much as I have faith in Coach Umile's ability to come up short when needed, this one he will not fail in. Eight winable games (agains U.Conn, Merrimack, 2 Vermonts and a Maine, along with three play in games) and there's no way he comes up short.

[Snively65]

So y’all need to win your 4 game homestretch— then pray to steal a game on the road in the first round for #600?

Is that what we are seeing here?

Luckily uvm is 2 of them.

Pretty much, mookie. But, there is much more to the story. Our Wildcats need to win two out of three in the MBPBEGAM (first) round, then steal a game in the second round to get UNH to 40 games on the season, to provide Grasso a red shirt this year. There is a relatively new contest related to these remaining games, which anyone, including non-UNH fans, can enter: where and against whom will UNH play their MBPBEGAM round?

[Darius]

Re: UNH Wildcats 2017-2018 Season - The Quest Continues

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m9SQAs8mAgY

[Darius]

Re: UNH Wildcats 2017-2018 Season - The Quest Continues

Getting way out ahead of the facts, this could be Marty trying to save the transition plan and might explain a whole lot of the baffling inaction of the past year. I'd kill to see the language of Souza's contract.

Hmmm...

[JB]

Re: UNH Wildcats 2017-2018 Season - The Quest Continues

Scott he is going to find the 4 wins, not sure where but the schedule has possibilities. For Umile to end at 599 not being able to get the playoff win to get to the NRN is just the way this will end. It will be the right cherry on top of Umile's career, even if it is in the semi's in Boston... The team either won't show up at all and drop a game 7-2 or play tough against a superior opponent for 2 periods and be blown off the ice 5-1 in the end...

Anybody out there catch the meaning of those scores...