UNH Wildcats 2017/2018 - Umile's Last Stand - The Grand Finale

[HockeyRef]

Re: UNH Wildcats 2017/2018 - Umile's Last Stand - The Grand Finale

Anyone with any thoughts about the weekend that go beyond bobbleheads and T shirts? 😉 Been awhile since we have beat UVM in our home ice would be a great time to change that. Neither team is burning up HE but we could really use those 4 pts. (Or heck even 2)

[Dan]

Re: UNH Wildcats 2017/2018 - Umile's Last Stand - The Grand Finale

Anyone with any thoughts about the weekend that go beyond bobbleheads and T shirts? 😉 Been awhile since we have beat UVM in our home ice would be a great time to change that. Neither team is burning up HE but we could really use those 4 pts. (Or heck even 2)

Vermont is unbeaten in five, including a win over Lowell and a win and tie against Providence. They also swept MC on the road. They dominated UNH in possession in the team's first meeting in Burlington and seem to be playing better right now than they have all season. Taking the entire season into account, they have been pitiful offensively and below average defensively. Ross Colton is the man to watch - especially on the PP. This series is boring...

[After the Whistle]

Re: UNH Wildcats 2017/2018 - Umile's Last Stand - The Grand Finale

Anyone with any thoughts about the weekend that go beyond bobbleheads and T shirts? 😉 Been awhile since we have beat UVM in our home ice would be a great time to change that. Neither team is burning up HE but we could really use those 4 pts. (Or heck even 2)

They have been very difficult for us at home! Sneddon is the king of slowing the game down. Boring!!! Uses the trap and closes down our only apparent breakout strategy - cross ice pass to the wing on the opposite side of the ice, typically on the other teams blue line, and they can't help but intercept. They fill the neutral zone with at least 4 skaters and suddenly they are all heading into our end while our skaters are accelerating up ice in the other direction. Result, lots of odd man rushes, scoring opportunities and zone time.
i fear we are lucky to come away with 2 points and...
We have never been able to breakout when the trap is employed.

[HockeyRef]

They have been very difficult for us at home! Sneddon is the king of slowing the game down. Boring!!! Uses the trap and closes down our only apparent breakout strategy - cross ice pass to the wing on the opposite side of the ice, typically on the other teams blue line, and they can't help but intercept. They fill the neutral zone with at least 4 skaters and suddenly they are all heading into our end while our skaters are accelerating up ice in the other direction. Result, lots of odd man rushes, scoring opportunities and zone time.
i fear we are lucky to come away with 2 points and...
We have never been able to breakout when the trap is employed.

Yeah UNH has never handled that trap well regardless of the team who uses one (like Merrimack). Hopefully they are preparing for this...Series may be boring it would be nice to see an uptick for the team going forward.

I was wondering if the NRN meant much to anyone other than our postings but it was mentioned briefly during last night's Coaches Show...

[Snively65]

Re: UNH Wildcats 2017/2018 - Umile's Last Stand - The Grand Finale

Yeah UNH has never handled that trap well regardless of the team who uses one (like Merrimack). Hopefully they are preparing for this...Series may be boring it would be nice to see an uptick for the team going forward.

I was wondering if the NRN meant much to anyone other than our postings but it was mentioned briefly during last night's Coaches Show...

TyK could beat da trap, single-handed.

[Snively65]

Re: UNH Wildcats 2017/2018 - Umile's Last Stand - The Grand Finale

Contest to predict where and against whom the Cats will play in the MBPMEGAM round, carried over from previous thread. Contest now closed. Good luck to all of the contestants! Chuck will be buying a round at Libby's, regardless who wins, IIRC.

Snively65 -- at Maine
e.cat and Felger -- UMass-Flagship at the Whitt
Ref -- Yukon at the Whitt
Aerman -- at Yukon
Deltabravo and Chuck Murray -- at UMass-Flagship

[Greg Ambrose]

Geez, I’m crushed.

How many of those FFs did they win? Because they had the talent to win at least 2 of them.

For the past 5 years we’ve been obsessed with the lack of talent coming to Durham but that’s only served to make us forget what a bad game coach DU was/is. Back in the day the talent papered that over, until it was down to the true cream of the crop, when even superior talent couldn’t carry him, I’d argue that on as many as 3 occasions during DU’s time UNH was the most talented team in the country. And yet we’re still waiting for our first NC.

You were never smart enough to understand that and now you’re too old to learn. Unfortunate.

Blah, blah, blah. Glad to see you haven’t changed . Where do you measure on the miserability index?

[NCAA watcher]

Re: UNH Wildcats 2017/2018 - Umile's Last Stand - The Grand Finale

25 days left (or 32 if we get into the next round)

[Greg Ambrose]

EJ, you are giving my favorite all-time poster here Jacques "Rabbit" Porriveau a run for his money. Could not agree more on in-game coaching, never able to make adjustments, even during 15-minute intermissions. I think that the debacle of an implosion to RIT at the Albany regional in 2010 did it for me.

Greg, we will never agree on the 2003 NC game; we still had a couple of lines that could have run with the Golphs if they had been given a chance, even without Lanny.

Snively, at least we agree to disagree, unlike some other bozo has suddenly reappeared.

[Greg Ambrose]

That's my recollection as well. Got really lucky to have a weak backhand centering pass deflect in, otherwise another Umiliation.

I don’t know how you can say that. BU hadn’t scored either and, wasn’t this the third of Ayers four consecutive shutouts of BU in four different rinks?

[Greg Ambrose]

Let's not forget that UNH skated with Minnesota for an entire weekend earlier that same season, winning 3-1 and tying 5-5. The idea that MN was a dramatically better team that UNH couldn't keep up is hindsight rooted in the fact that after the Gophers went ahead 2-1 things got away from UNH.

I'd like to hear specifics as to why posters think that UNH has been playing not to lose recently? Umile's history of coaching 'tight' not withstanding, what indicates that's happening now?

When you watch UNH fail to skate with NU, dump pucks and or defend often - its (again) because they CANNOT skate with NU. NU is significantly more talented and skilled, so of course they'll make UNH look slow, cautious and defensively oriented. I don't buy that they're being coached to play not to lose, it's all about the lack of actual talent...

Dan, I watched both Beanpot games Monday. UNH is light years away skillwise from all four of those teams. And the sad thing is that none of the four are in the top ten of the Pairwise. A long, long, long way to go.

[HockeyRef]

TyK could beat da trap, single-handed.

Heck with his eyes closed AND his skates unlaced!!! He used to skate it out of the zone all the time...miss that kid....

[Chuck Murray]

Re: UNH Wildcats 2017/2018 - Umile's Last Stand - The Grand Finale

OK just found out I've got to be in southern CT tomorrow, so it's likely I won't be back in time to snag me a Coach Umile bobblehead (Saturday is out too, due to coaching commitments). Can someone arrange to get me one of those beauties? I'm serious. I'll make good when we all convene at Libby's later in the season, or early offseason. Thanks.


(signed) Chuck Murray
self-appointed WIS President for Life

[HockeyRef]

Re: UNH Wildcats 2017/2018 - Umile's Last Stand - The Grand Finale

OK just found out I've got to be in southern CT tomorrow, so it's likely I won't be back in time to snag me a Coach Umile bobblehead (Saturday is out too, due to coaching commitments). Can someone arrange to get me one of those beauties? I'm serious. I'll make good when we all convene at Libby's later in the season, or early offseason. Thanks.


(signed) Chuck Murray
self-appointed WIS President for Life

We'll be getting two so I'll give you one. Funny Marcus Vela comment during the Coaches Show; they had the bobble head and he was asked what he thought about it, he said "Looks just like him, but not as stressed".

[e.cat]

we'll be getting two so i'll give you one. Funny marcus vela comment during the coaches show; they had the bobble head and he was asked what he thought about it, he said "looks just like him, but not as stressed". :d

lol!